The Mindfulness Blog

What made sense yesterday, makes no sense today-- and vice versa. Things change, and so do our perspectives. That's the way things (and people) are.

The time passage of today? Wellbeing. Specifically, workplace wellbeing-- and, even more specifically, lawyer wellbeing. What many of us may never have previously thought about now has a new meaning, and a fresh sense of urgency. The point, of course, is that times have changed and we should, too. We need to evolve.

Sure, workplace wellbeing was previously undervalued-- even disregarded. Denial (and maintenance of the status quo) are powerful forces, but that doesn't mean things cannot, or ought not, change. They can. And they should.

Ignoring, or resisting, an obviously needed change rarely works out well because, ultimately, that kind of approach is understood for what it truly is-- denial. And most of us won't accept that kind of response. Ultimately, most people reject an unyielding "that's just the way it is", rejoinder. We don't like it-- especially when it impacts us. And wellbeing is, specifically, about us.

I recently characterized the culture of patronizing virtue signaling as an insensitive and harmful form of hazing, that may still be tolerated in certain fraternities, but has no place in our law firms. Simply put, that time has passed.

My favorite line in the song that inspired the title to this post is, "I know you're in there, you're just out of sight". Effective leaders are defined by many qualities, and one of them is the ability to see things that others don't see.

Does the legal profession have any of those leaders?