When I first studied mediation, it was from the “win-win” camp. I was encouraged to look for ways to build relationships in a dispute by finding common ground, and actively looking for ways to accommodate interests on both sides. Often, this results in more positive outcomes that can, going forward, actually strengthen the relationship between [...]
In an interview with Dr. Michael Gervais (mastery expert and podcaster), Missy Testerman, the 2024 USA Teacher of the Year advised that “great teachers don’t raise kids; they raise adults”. It’s a subtle but important distinction, speaking to a series of actions geared towards a specific future intent. It’s what author Stephen Covey called, “Beginning [...]
Gary Klein can tell law firms a lot about working under pressure and uncertainty. He is a research psychologist and pioneer of the field of naturalistic decision making, as well as author of (among others) the book “Seeing What Others Don’t”. People pay attention to this guy: his work is used by the US armed [...]
When I meet new people, it’s hard to explain what I do for a living so I just say “I’m a business strategist for law firms”. At that point, they either really want to know what that means, or they really don't. For the curious, I’ve recently started to explain the story of Steve Ballmer [...]
Through a recent podcast featuring 24-year-old Harvard-educated author Adam Aleksic on the influence of internet language, I was reminded of the incredible speed of change we are all now facing. Take, for example, use of the phrase “unalive” as a way of saying “dead” which might result in algorithmic censorship. Similarly, a watermelon now represents [...]
I love listening to a wide range of podcasts. They are guaranteed to keep me informed, help me to see other perspectives on important issues of the day, and even increase my vocabulary! For example, the other day I learned the phrase “vacuous agon”. Before I heard the definition, I just knew it had to [...]
I’ve noticed an interesting trend in current law firm activity. It’s slowed down, almost to a crawl. But it’s not the results of a change in markets for law firms. It seems to be a reaction to the tumultuous world around us. Trump’s on again, off again tariffs and uncertainty about their ramifications. The Canadian [...]
Decision-making is a key component of most leadership positions. Yet it can often be the leader’s greatest weakness, especially if they believe their job is to have all of the answers. This is particularly true of law firm leaders, who might believe the whole purpose of their role is to make those calls. Ultimately, a [...]
I’m a fan of CBC. I think the national communications platform plays an important role in our country. I see them as informative, insightful and strong in exploring information of importance to Canadians. And I love my podcasts, especially CBC’s weekday Front Burner. But today’s episode threw me. It speculated on how easy it might [...]
I was recently asked by a client to do a presentation to the firm’s lawyers on how to network during an event: a skill I call “working a room”. I’ve written and spoken about this skill so many times, I was shocked to find the I had not posted on this topic here. But then, [...]