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We tend to be a society driven by the concept of “hustle” – the need to climb higher, make more money, and achieve professional success. Too often, though, the means to achieve those goals come at the expense of our bodies, mental health, and overall well-being. We can simply push too hard. That’s why the concept of self-care has become a popular topic lately. A quick Google search will point you to a long list of books, podcasts, documentaries, YouTube videos, and self-care experts, all of which will reveal the secret mantras and routines you need to employ in order to take care of yourself.
For business leaders who shoulder the responsibility and stress of entire teams and companies, practicing self-care is particularly important. We’ve all heard the saying, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” If you’re not intentionally refilling yourself on a regular basis, you’ll inevitably run dry and be unable to perform and meet the monumental responsibilities you face. Practicing a healthy amount of self-care will make you a better and more effective leader.
So why do we often find that leaders are the ones who are the most resistant to self-care? Unfortunately, recognizing your needs and taking the time to tend to them is somehow misconstrued as weakness. Leaders often feel they are too busy to reflect on their own needs. They feel they should be able to be strong and power through for the sake of their team. However, recognizing and tending to your own needs is not a weakness. It will make you a stronger and more compassionate leader for your team. If your team doesn’t see you value your own self-care, then what perception does it give them about your valuation of their own well-being? If you are letting your needs go unmet, then I assure you that you are not leading others to your full potential. As much as you may feel you should push through, exhausted leadership is often ineffective leadership.
What are some ways leaders can practice effective self-care?
I know, I know…you’re busy. I won’t let you off that easily, though. Regular self-care doesn’t have to equate to impossible-to-meet daily time investments. If you don’t have a lot of time, or aren’t ready to embrace the concept of incense and meditation, that’s okay! There are still some powerful things you can do. Understand that self-care is entirely individual. The concept is all about recognizing YOUR needs. Here are some general self-care starter pointers:
If you think you don’t have the time for a break, then consider this: research has proven that taking even small breaks can increase motivation, prevent decision fatigue, increase memory and learning retention, and increase overall productivity! With that increased productivity you might find that you have more time than you think! Breaks can encompass anything from taking a lengthy vacation to a five-minute step out for some fresh air. Take the effort to schedule some breaks into your day. Don’t wait for the opportunity to arise. It may not. Control your day and your time instead of letting it control you. Schedule in a few regular breaks, and then take those breaks as scheduled.
You need to be mindful of your needs. Start each day by asking yourself what your current needs are, then answer yourself honestly. Don’t fall into the trap of confusing your needs with either your wants or your idea of what your needs should be. There are no right answers, so be honest with yourself. Contemplate your own individual needs and reflect on how you can fulfill them. Throughout your day, stay mindful. Live in the present and be aware of the situation around you. Stay focused. Being mindful will help you tend to your own needs and will make you a better, more compassionate leader overall. In a 2017 article published by the University of Colorado Law School, mindfulness is specifically linked to an improvement in lawyer decision-making, ethics, and leadership. To truly be mindful means that you should keep a flexible state of mind that is focused and sensitive to the present situation.
Setting boundaries is a way of protecting your own needs. Defined boundaries can serve to protect the areas you decide are most important to you. Along with boundaries, you can set expectations for others. Once you know where you draw the line, you can make that clear to others, thus lessening the need to either continuously say “no” or get sucked into situations that do not gratify your needs. For example, if you decide that you function best when you eat a healthy lunch daily, then you need to protect your ability to partake in a daily healthy mid-day meal. Set that boundary and block that time out on your calendar. Let others know that you are not available during that time each day. The consequence of not setting and protecting that boundary is that not only will you function at diminished capacity without your lunch break, but you will ultimately begin to resent individuals and activities causing the interference.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention at least once that self-care should include making good choices for yourself. Research has linked a healthy diet and regular exercise to better mental function and increased productivity. Specifically, the food we eat has a direct link to cognitive performance. A study published by the British Journal of Health Psychology concluded that consuming more fruits and vegetables increased engagement and creativity among participants. Eat what you like, but make smart choices. Self-care should include equal parts of doing and consuming the things that both bring you joy and are good for you. A smart diet can offer a way of practicing good self-care that doesn’t require any additional time in your day.
As I mentioned earlier, practicing a reasonable amount of self-care should not be perceived as a weakness by your team. Rather, it sets a good example. Your team needs to know you value well-being, both yours and theirs. Creating a workplace culture that includes and promotes both emotional and physical well-being will ultimately lead to increased performance of your team. That culture starts at the top. As a leader, it is your job to set that culture. Set the example from the top that recognizing and protecting your needs is a crucial element of strong performance. Allow your team to practice self-care and expect high performance in return. Part of being a great leader is having high expectations: high expectations of yourself and your team. Therefore, keep those expectations high, but consider self-care to be a tool you and your team need to practice in order to live up to those high expectations.
Don’t shrug off self-care as nonsense or a momentary fad. It’s not. The practice of self-care and the benefits it provides are backed by loads of scientific research. As leaders, it’s when we learn to manage our whole selves better that we become capable of true leadership. We can’t get there without putting in the work in every area of our lives. Once you begin your self-care journey, you may just find that taking care of yourself means you can take care of everything else.
© Copyright 2022 Vista Consulting Team. All Rights Reserved.
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Privacy PolicyKurt Warner’s story is one of a man filled with dignity, class and undeniable faith that captured the imagination of the sports world and beyond. Warner continually beat the odds to quarterback two perennial doormat franchises to the Super Bowl and etched his name in the NFL record books along the way. The first chapter was written in 1999 when he defied logic by emerging from obscurity to lead the St. Louis Rams to a victory in Super Bowl XXXIV. In that same year, Warner was named the NFL and Super Bowl MVP. He led the Rams to two additional playoff appearances – including another Super Bowl – and was one of a few NFL players to be recognized with two NFL MVP awards, receiving his second after the 2001 season. In 2005, he was signed by the Arizona Cardinals where most football experts expected him to unceremoniously end his career.
A few years later, he led the Cardinals to their first ever Super Bowl berth. Despite the football honors, some of Warner’s proudest accolades are for his philanthropy including the 2008 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, the 2008 Good Guy Award from the Pro Football Writers Association, USA WEEKEND’s Most Caring Athlete 2009, and the 2010 Bart Starr Award. He is currently an analyst with NFL Network. Follow him on Instagram at @kurt13warner.
Larry Fitzgerald is a philanthropist, business owner, investor, board member, and former wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals.
A future first ballot NFL Hall of Famer, he holds numerous records for the NFL and Arizona Cardinals franchise, including 40 single-season and career franchise records with the Cardinals. Statistically he is the one of the most accomplished wide receivers in NFL history. During his 16-year career, he was an 11-time Pro Bowl selection, first-team All-Pro honoree (2008), two-time NFL receptions leader, two-time NFL receiving yards leader, Walter Payton Man of the Year (2016), NFL 2010s All-Decade Team member, and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team member. As much as Larry loves playing football, his proudest accomplishments have been off the field.
In 2005, he founded The Larry Fitzgerald Foundation in honor of his mother, who passed away as a result of breast cancer in 2003. One of the Foundations’ initiatives is the Larry Fitzgerald First Down Fund, which makes grants to promote reading and effective use of technology for K-12 youth. The foundation also provides extensive support for breast cancer research and care for those in the fight of their lives.
Larry discovered his passion for business early on and has accumulated an impressive portfolio of investments. Larry prides himself on serving as a leader and mentor in his role as minority owner of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns as well as board member of Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Liz Wisemanis a researcher and executive advisor who teaches leadership around the world. She is the author of New York Times bestseller Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, The Multiplier Effect: Tapping the Genius Inside Our Schools, Wall Street Journal bestseller Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work, and Wall Street Journal bestseller Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact.
She is the CEO of the Wiseman Group, a leadership research and development firm headquartered in Silicon Valley, California. Some of her recent clients include: Apple, AT&T, Disney, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Nike, Salesforce, Tesla, and Twitter. Liz has been listed on the Thinkers50 ranking, and in 2019 was recognized as atop leadership thinker in the world.
She has conducted significant research in the field of leadership and collective intelligence and writes for Harvard Business Review, Fortune, and a variety of other business and leadership journals. She is a frequent guest lecturer at BYU and Stanford University and is a former executive at Oracle Corporation, where she worked as the Vice President of Oracle University and as the global leader for Human Resource Development.
Brian LaBovick is a lawyer and entrepreneur who has earned more than $500 million for his clients after establishing his injury law practice in October 1991. Brian graduated the University of Miami School of Law and was inducted into the prestigious Order of the Barrister as the outstanding litigator in his class. Brian was hired by the US Department of Justice, Honors Graduate Program. After leaving government service, Brian started a solo law practice concentrating on consumer justice law. His firm has grown to 10 attorneys and 70 office staff. He is now the CEO of the LaBovick Law Group, as well as an advisory board member at Keiser University’s legal education division. He is a past president of the North Palm Beach County Bar Association, and a former director of the Palm Beach County Justice Association.
In 2009 Mr. LaBovick became the founding member of Gulfstream Outsourcing & Specialized Billing, LLC (www.GO-SB.com) a specialized medical billing company serving medical practices and hospitals from California to Massachusetts to Florida.
In March 2021 Mr. LaBovick published Not a Good Neighbor, a Lawyer’s Guide to Beating Big Insurance by Settling Your Own Auto Accident Case.
Brian LaBovick shows the public how to navigate the pitfalls of an automobile accident case without using an attorney. Brian shares stories from nearly three decades in practice to help anyone maximize the benefits available through that complicated process.
In June 2021 Mr. LaBovick and Tara Applebaum, former Executive Director of the Dori Saves Lives Foundation, founded the Safety4Life Foundation (www.Safety4Life.org) The mission of Safety 4 Life is to save young lives through impactful education. The foundation teaches children, ages 12 through 18 to handle issues related to internet safety, human trafficking, road safety & police interaction safety. The Foundation has become the hub for all safety related programming in Palm Beach County and is supported by major insurance companies, the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, The Human Trafficking Safety Commission, the Safety Council of Palm Beach County, Tenet Hospital Systems, the PACE Center for Girls, and the Palm Beach County School System. The foundation has supported 26 local high schools with programs in the first semester 2021-2022 school year.
Bill joined the Vista Team in 2022 as a Culture Architect | Leadership Strategist. Bill is also serving as the CEO of Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers and is considered one of the nation’s most innovative thinkers in law firm leadership. His unique perspective on culture and ability to inspire and multiply leaders has created a movement reshaping firms across the country. He is the founder of the Law Firm Leadership Summit, host of the Transforming The Culture of Law Podcast, limited engagement consultant to select firms, and is relentlessly committed to spreading his message of Love Your People & Demand High Performance as a platform for organizational success. He is also the President of Biggs & Associates serving high value sports professionals and franchises as a brand and messaging strategist. His distinguished client list includes Heisman Trophy winners, NFL HOFers, NBA champions, Olympians, and many of the top teams in college and professional sports. Bill is a Phi Kappa Phi graduate of Texas A&M University and completed his executive training through the CORe program at Harvard Business School.
He lives in College Station, Texas, with his beautiful wife, two sons, and a herd of dogs.
Tim co-founded Vista Consulting in 2009, along with his partner Chad Dudley. Vista’s aim was to help plaintiff law firms reach their full potential. In December 2017, Tim acquired Chad’s interest in Vista. Tim and Chad remain very close friends to this day! Tim has decades of CPA experience with local, regional, and national CPA firms. However, it is through Tim’s prior consulting practice that he found his passion. He has worked with many business owners, assisting them with defining and attaining success in their business and personal lives. Developing a management philosophy with business owners along with the associated systems and processes that assist in delivering outstanding management to Vista’s client teams is Tim’s forté.
Dr. Heather Carroll holds a Doctor of Business Administration in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She specializes in areas such as job satisfaction, motivation, burnout, and organizational commitment, particularly as these workplace factors apply to the legal industry.
During her nearly 20 years of legal experience, she has held many roles from Case Manager, to Litigation Paralegal, to HR Manager, to Firm Operations Administrator. The majority of Dr. Carroll’s legal experience has been in the area of personal injury. However, she began her legal career at a labor union by assisting in the negotiations of a new collective bargaining agreement between a major US airline and their pilot group. It was through that experience that her interest in team and operational matters, within a legal setting, took root. Many years, and a doctorate, later helping legal teams thrive through increased operational efficiency is her passion.
Dr. Carroll resides outside the Seattle/ Tacoma area of Washington currently. She is a military spouse and a mom of three.
Ryan joined the Vista team in 2014 as a Programmer. He has more than fifteen years of experience working in various finance and accounting roles with a strong background in IT and management information systems. Ryan codes in Visual Basic and is an expert with all Microsoft products. He works closely with Vista’s Operations Consultants to build out custom dashboards for our clients. These dashboards become integral in our clients’ success. Ryan is skilled at assessing and understanding our clients’ requirements and translating those into clear and concise reporting tools that allow our clients to improve firm operations.
Mary Ellen Murrah joined the Vista Team in 2019. Prior to joining Vista, Mary Ellen spent more than 16 years managing and marketing a national, legal case management software company. That position introduced her to thousands of personal injury law firms across the country. She was a familiar face at annual legal events and a frequent voice on topics ranging from legal marketing to data integrity. Over the years, she’s forged meaningful relationships with legal vendors, which has provided keen insight on almost every corner of the legal industry. She is skilled in identifying law firm business improvement opportunities and brings her extensive operations, team management, and industry knowledge to the Vista team. Mary Ellen has a true passion for tackling projects with common sense management. Her eye for detail, human resources experience, and deep operations skills are an asset to help law firms grow their businesses and help attorneys foster and maintain efficient, profitable practices.
Pam joined the Vista Team in 2020 as an Operations Consultant. She began her career more than twenty years ago at a personal injury law firm where she served as Law Firm Administrator for close to a decade. In that role, she became intimately familiar with the nuances of personal injury firms and developed a keen eye for improvement and success. She then took her passion for data management and effective processes to a national, legal case management software company. There, she worked with hundreds of law firms across the country to help them implement a new system that allowed them to collect and analyze their data and institute seamless workflows. She then transitioned to the role of Training Director for a large personal injury firm where she served as project manager for a massive data conversion and software platform shift. Ultimately, she yearned to get back to her roots, traveling the country, meeting thousands of attorneys and team members, and helping them transform their business.
Stephanie joined the Vista Team in 2009 as an Operations Consultant. She brings her knowledge and experience in management and operational excellence to our team. Prior to joining Vista, Stephanie spent twelve years working for insurance claims departments and five years as a Chief Operations Officer of a multi-office, northeast, personal injury firm. She is admitted to practice law in Connecticut, New York, and Tennessee. Stephanie utilizes her experience to assist Vista clients in implementing tried and true solutions in law firm operations. She is an innovative thinker who can apply solutions to clients’ specific circumstances. Stephanie has a knack for assisting COO’s and Office Managers in challenging situations. She has polished coaching techniques and is skilled at helping her clients work through the decision-making process. She is extremely thorough, exhibits strong communication skills, and partners with key client personnel in delivering systems and accountability that drives results.
Terri joined the Vista Team in 2018 as an Operations Consultant. After joining a large, multistate law firm in 2004 as a front desk receptionist, Terri quickly realized that her passion for serving others was best utilized in the personal injury firm setting. She developed a love for the legal field. Terri’s passion and desire to understand all aspects of a personal injury case resulted in several promotions to Senior Legal Assistant. In 2015, Terri was selected to join a brand new personal injury firm as Senior Legal Assistant and Office Manager. In this new role, Terri was able to utilize her dedication to the profession and years of experience to help this firm quickly become one of the premier small firms in her hometown. Terri looks forward to helping personal injury firms meet their growth goals.
Amanda Hankins joined Vista Consulting Team in 2017, bringing more than two decades of intimate experience working in personal injury law firms. Amanda’s career at a large, multistate law firm took her from Receptionist to Legal Assistant to Intake Supervisor to Medical Treatment Coordinator. This experience in working in every department of a personal injury firm serves her clients exceptionally well. She’s been there, she knows the struggles, and she knows how to drive progress. She also has experience working with one of the largest medical funding companies as a Business Development Manager. She has a true passion for customer service and loves working with law firms to teach them all avenues of keeping client satisfaction as a top priority.
8:00 am | Breakfast |
9:00 am | Welcome & Introductions Tim McKey | Vista Consulting & McKey Business Group Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
10:00 am | 3 R’s – Relationships, Referrals, and Reviews Darcy Neighbors | CIM Marketing Partners Julie Ostrovsky | Nevada Justice Association |
11:00 am | Stretch Break |
11:15 am | Systems, Metrics, and Alignment Mike Morse & John Nachazel Mike Morse Law Firm and Authors of the book “Fireproof” |
12:30 pm | Lunch |
2:00 pm | Organizational Commitment and Burnout within a Law Firm Setting Heather Carroll The Eichholz Law Firm | Savannah, Georgia |
3:00 pm | Stretch Break |
3:15 pm | How to Take a Moneyball Approach to Running Your Law Firm Larry Buckfire & James Schmehl Buckfire & Buckfire | Southfield, Michigan |
4:15 pm | Extra Sensory Dave Dee – Mentalist Speaker, Author and Mentalist | Milton, Georgia |
5:00 pm | Conclude Day 1 |
6:00 – 8:00 pm | Cocktail Party The Joule Hotel | 1530 Main Street Dallas, Texas 75201 |
8:00 am | Breakfast |
9:00 am | Virtual Secrets Revealed Dave Dee – Mentalist Speaker, Author and NLP Sales Consultant | Milton, Georgia |
10:10 am | Stretch Break |
10:30 am | Everyone Deserves a Great Manager Scott Miller, Bestselling Author and Leadership Expert at FranklinCovey FranklinCovey Salt Lake City, Utah |
12:00 pm | Lunch |
1:00 pm | Local Service Ads for Legal: Buying Your Way to the Top Locally Nalini Prasad | BluShark Digital Washington, DC |
2:00 pm | Servant Leadership and the Power of Positive Reinforcement Merten Rice | Dudley DeBosier Baton Rouge, LA |
3:00 pm | FYI, Don’t Do This Tim McKey | Vista Consulting & McKey Business Group Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
3:30 pm | Conclude Day 2 |