No matter what line of work you’re in, all of your problems have one thing in common — and it might shock you. It’s not AI, it’s not ChatGPT, it’s not non-lawyer firm ownership…
It’s you.
You are your biggest problem, and therefore your biggest competition.
I think about it this way: if I’m not constantly learning and growing, then I’m going to become less competitive in my field. If I’m not taking care of myself mentally and physically, then I can’t be an effective leader for my team and our clients. I’ve got to always make the right decisions so that I don’t embarrass myself or Crisp.
There are plenty of internal threats within your organization that you can control, but you’ve also got to consider the external threats like outside market forces. To me, that’s more of a function of adaptability and being able to learn a new way and to take a new approach. If you’re not adaptable, that will ultimately put you out of business.
Let’s say we’re evaluated based on our outcomes and where we are in life. If that’s the case, then those outcomes are really a byproduct of our actions.
Our actions are a byproduct of our decisions.
Our decisions are really a function of our mindset.
And our mindset is the lens through which we see the world.
If you’re constantly seeing the world through a negative perspective, then you’re never going to be successful, and from there it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The number one thing that I believe can put all of us out of business is ourselves and our inability to lead ourselves effectively — to not learn, to not grow, to not evolve — that ultimately hurts everyone around us.
When I see someone making poor decisions, I used to be frustrated and disappointed, but now I view those people as easy adversaries. They’re the people who aren’t taking care of themselves or their business. That’s a fixed mindset. I’m no longer worried about those people anymore.
But the ones that I am worried about are the leaders who are dialed in and striving to be better than yesterday. Those are true killers, and they’re tough competition.
I used to have an external focus surrounding everything around me — but now, I’ve realized that if you can take care of your own house and learn how to lead yourself, you don’t have to worry about anybody else.
Take care of your clients, your team, your family, and yourself to the best of your abilities. Pretty soon, everything else becomes irrelevant.
