Confession time (again). My head is busy. Always busy. I am thinking. Always thinking. The Sports Dude can see when I am thinking. Deeply thinking.
When I am over-stimulated with ideas, caffeine, and people, it can be overwhelming, and I end up processing externally.
As you can imagine, it is difficult to hear when you’re thinking and processing like that. It is especially challenging to hear truths.
Connecting at LMA
I am fortunate that the LMA annual conference is here in New Orleans this year. The Sports Dude and I were planning to be out of town for our anniversary, but cancer and life had other plans. So, I’m hanging in the lobby. Seeing friends. Chatting away. Becoming over-stimulated.
The spinning plates in my head are spinning. What am I going to do for work? The Sports Dude’s health. I’m in the final decade or so of my career, what will be my legacy? My son arrives today for Jazz Fest. I have this idea; I actually have two. Can I make those happen?
It’s honestly exhausting. And my external processing is in full swing. Just ask me, “So, what are you up to? Any good leads? Irons in the fire?” and stand back.
With friends like these
When I saw my friend Lisa Simon I received the most incredible and long hug. The kind of hug that makes you melt and let go. Lisa and I have known one another through LMA for nearly 30 years. We align professionally, personally, and musically. I have so much respect for her.
When she asked the “So, any leads? Irons in the fire” question, my spinning plates started to respond and when we got to the “I’m thinking about my legacy,” Lisa interrupted me, and said: “I know what that is,” and the plates in my head grew still. None of them fell, they just paused, and I listened. Better yet, I heard her.
It was like the time that Ross Fishman caught me off guard at LMA Austin with this question:
I don’t know what you do,” Ross said to me. “I know you’re smart. I know you do what you do well. But I don’t know what your brand is.
If you’re interested in my response, you can read about that here: My own personal branding exercise.
Lisa asked me again:
I know what your legacy will be. Do you want me to tell you?
And I listened. Really and intently listened.
Your legacy is that you are a voice for us legal marketers. And you have used that voice in ways that people may not know.
She went on to add:
And you see problems and you move towards the solutions. Many people see problems, but most of them ignore them or walk away.
In that moment, I felt seen, that vulnerable seen. And it felt incredible because it came from someone I respect, and I was safe in that vulnerability.
Can I handle my truth?
I have used this blog, my community of Facebook, my LinkedIn profile to advocate for different ideas and things, not always popular, and sometimes on behalf of other people. Many times, controversial. I have definitely received more than one phone call questioning why I posted that and would I take it down.
But I have achieved results.
At work, on the LMA board, on committees, as president of my condo HOA, I have identified problems and I have always brought solutions.
As I enter this (final) decade or so of my career, there are two problems to which I am committed to finding a solution:
- How do we truly move our industry–the legal marketing/BD departments in law firms–to a data-driven functionality?
- We will never solve the problem of cross-selling in law firms until we solve the problem of the attorneys not knowing, liking, or trusting their fellows (partners and and senior professionals) within their firms.
As you can imagine, I have ideas. Those twirling plates are twirling, but in unison now.