Toxic passivity is characterized by an avoidance of healthy conflict. Healthy conflict is addressing issues directly and respectfully with another person or group. Unhealthy conflict is dealing with problems indirectly - such gossip, capitulating, enabling, or assigning difficult conversations to other people. Healthy conflict moves a business forward. Unhealthy conflict keeps a business in a loop because issues don't get fully resolved. Conflict is necessary in a law firm because there are competing interests within the operational mechanism. For example, the marketing, sales departments, and case management teams have the same macro goals, but their micro goals are different. This can create tension, frustration, and blame. Here are some healthy ways to address conflict: - Don't be afraid to address issues that are harming the business. - Deal only with the people or groups who are directly involved. - Make space for collaborative differences in micro-goals while committing to macro goals. - Avoid capitulating or enabling when team members get offended.  - Focus on what's best for the business, not just for yourself or your team. If you find yourself talking about the issue with people who aren't involved or otherwise campaigning for your point of view, you're already outside the structure of healthy conflict. Conflict can be productive and lead to greater health. This weekend, try healthy conflict at home. Let me know how it goes! Here's to Your Weekend! Best Regards, Brooke Birkey, Law Firm Trainer Level Up Law Firm Business Coaching Inside Out Revenue Solutions for Your Business 239-224-8741 | leveluplawfirmcoaching.com Client Testimonials

Have you noticed that in the past ten years, we have become incredibly distracted by our smartphones? At dinner, at parties, at work - we are forever scrolling through social media sites or checking our email. Our smartphones are constant companions - always within reach. Smartphone addiction is real - and it's pervasive in our society. This addiction is so socially acceptable that it's not even being recognized as such. Our culture demands overuse because all of our basic functionalities are now online.We justify overuse because everyone is doing it -- and then absorb the consequences both individually and collectively. It's an accepted addiction. Just like any other drug, smartphone use can produce a dopamine hit in the moment but ultimately lead to loneliness, anxiety, and depression. It changes our metabolism and increases impulsivity and compulsivity. Imagine living in a society where everyone is addicted to drugs and constantly using. In a more insidious way, this is a parallel to what we are experiencing now. There is an easy litmus test. Put your cell phone away for three hours. If you experience symptoms of withdrawal, you are addicted to it. But you don't have to be a slave to this addiction.

There is a current business phenomenon that pushes foundational problems into the center of the business. I like to call this The Battle of the Bulge. This battle is chiefly about management practices. Since COVID, leaders have been less comfortable setting clear expectations and following through on those expectations. This phenomenon has been coined "The Accountability Crisis."  There are a few reasons for this, but suffice it to say that emotional appeal has come to outweigh structural integrity in management. To say it another way: emotional approval or disapproval/nagging are being used to manage employee behavior instead of actual accountability systems. Simple issues that should be dealt with at the foundational level are being pushed into the middle of the business and creating bottleneck that's difficult to see and define, but is felt and experienced. This phenomenon creates stress at every level of the business. The concept also applies to peer- accountability

We've all heard this saying before: Delegate and Elevate. The idea is that you delegate the tasks and responsibilities that don't require your expertise and skill set, so you can focus on higher-end production. This is great advice - but it doesn't always work the way we think it will. What can happen is that (because we are human) we end up delegating tasks we just don't like, or tasks that should be on our plate but we don't want to prioritize. In that case, we can actually end up adding friction and frustration to the workflow because we've handed off items that we should be handling. - Questions to Ask Before Delegating - Is this something I can do quicker and with higher quality? - Will delegating this task cause me to lose institutional frameworks? - Is the team member sophisticated enough to handle the task in a quality way and consistent manner? - Will this delegation enhance overall operations or cause friction and frustration? Over the weekend, think about your delegation practices and on Monday, maybe spend time on realignment. Here's to Your Weekend! Best Regards, Brooke Birkey, Law Firm Trainer Level Up Law Firm Business Coaching Inside Out Revenue Solutions for Your Business 239-224-8741 | leveluplawfirmcoaching.com Client Testimonials Hire a Secret Shopper

Why did the law student go to court wearing a shirt with no sleeves? Because he had the right to bare arms.