When I look back at whatever success I’ve achieved over 30 years of my career, one thing stands out:
I simply kept going, and I am still going.
I learnt relatively early although I wish I’d learnt it sooner - that a career is a marathon, not a sprint.
To have a long and fulfilling career, you need to look after yourself. Your health and wellbeing matter. So does learning how to switch off, to be present for your clients and colleagues, and more importantly, for your family and friends.
It’s a balancing act, that I have not always got right.
We are all hoping to optimise high performance (understandably), but the more difficult issue is to ensure that 'good enough' engaged performance is sustainable as a professional.
That’s one reason I think the conversation around vicarious trauma is so important.
Many of us in professional services are regularly exposed to high conflict, trauma, injury and other people’s difficult experiences. We need to be able to talk openly about the impact that can have on us.
In the legal profession, it has taken us some time, but we are beginning to grapple with the reality that resilience isn’t simply an individual responsibility.
It also sits with leadership, culture, systems and processes. Are we creating workplaces where people can speak up when they’re struggling? Are workloads sustainable? Do our systems allow people to recover, or simply encourage them to keep pushing? Does technology (invaluable as it has become) help as much as we profess- is it simply leading us to ever more distraction, on high alert knowing we are always reachable, one more platform we need to 'manage'.
I really enjoyed my recent conversation with Vanessa Daniel from mlcoa, where we explored vicarious trauma at work and shared 20 practical takeaways to help avoid burnout and, at its worst, psychological injury.
I hope you enjoy it.
I regularly share short insights on mediation, negotiation and all things leadership. From how to optimise success in negotiations, to the skillset required to sustain high team performance and promote resilience. I share these video reflections, drawing from my experience both as a former leader in professional services and now as a mediator and leadership coach.
"Damien is an incredible Mediator. He is experienced, is always across the brief and has a depth of legal knowledge that can assist the parties to navigate even the most complex issues to reach a resolution. Damien is my first choice for any Mediation, especially for vulnerable plaintiff’s feeling overwhelmed by the process as they are immediately comforted by his affable and empathetic nature.”
Damien was engaged as an Executive Coach in our business to navigate a half-decade of poor habits, realign our leadership team and position us for a strategic exit.Facilitating an executive workshop was instrumental in resolving internal conflicts and realigning us to a collective focus on future opportunities.
I have especially appreciated your logical and calm approach to problem solving, and I have valued your methodical and composed demeanour in tackling complex issues. You have not only equipped me with effective strategies but also instilled a sense of confidence and clarity in my own decision making processes.
