Reader
Ever tried to "wing it" with something important, only to face the painful consequences?
​That was me last weekend, standing on a freezing slope with my sobbing child, after I skipped the professional lessons, thinking, "How hard could it be?"
What happened next completely changed how I think about skill development—and legal practice management.
The March Break Ski Trip
As someone who avoids winter whenever possible, I've been pushing myself to create different opportunities for my kids.
That's why my family and I went skiing last week.
However when we arrived at the ski resort, I made what seemed like a rational decision: skip the expensive lessons and let my son learn with help from his brother and friends.
My son's meltdown that followed was both predictable and enlightening. The height of a so called "bunny hill" was nevertheless terrifying to a four year old.
That evening, during dinner with another family, the conversation turned to teaching kids new skills. The father (a tech executive) made an observation that stopped me in my tracks:
"There are 'bike-riding skills' that you can learn through trial and error. Then there are 'golf skills' that require proper instruction from day one—because the cost of unlearning bad habits is exponentially higher than learning correctly the first time."
Bike Riding Skills vs Golf Skills
I haven't stopped thinking about this distinction; a reminder of why some skills - including running a law practice - require proper training from day one.
Think about it...
How many lawyers start practices without proper business mentorship, approaching practice management like it's riding a bike - something you can figure out through trial and error - when it actually resembles learning golf, where early instruction prevents years of struggling with bad habits.
The fact is this approach increases the likelihood of your developing problematic habits around:
- Financial management
- Client acquisition and retention
- Process development and workflow
- Time and energy management
Once these bad habits take root, they're extraordinarily difficult to correct—much like trying to fix a golf swing after years of doing it incorrectly.
I am no exception to this. In fact almost a decade later, I am still trying to unlearn many of the bad financial habits I unconsciously adopted - simply because I did not know any better.
In fact self- taught approaches are the reason why many intelligent, hardworking lawyers struggle for years despite their legal expertise. The cost of these approaches are reflected in years of frustration, burnout, and missed opportunities.
Its this realization that is at the core of our Thriving Solo Lawyer Model - a structured approach to practice development that prevents the formation of bad habits in the first place while compassionately helping you replace existing ones that might be holding you back.
Our Next Workshops
This commitment is also why our next workshops are:
- ​Money Clarity Workshop on Wednesday, April 2 2025 where we will demonstrate how you can transform financial uncertainty into a strategic advantage for your solo practice; and
- Remote Delegation Essentials Masterclass on Wednesdays April 16 at 2pm, where I'll share the strategies and frameworks I use to build a digital workforce for my practice.
Each workshop is a learn by doing experience that includes
- practical step by step templates
- AI-assistants to accelerate your decision making
- a video guide to help you on the way.
Best of all for lawyers in Ontario each workshop is accredited for 2 Professionalism CPD hours.
Also our recorded workshops on AI Assisted Workflows in legal practice and Workflow Mapping in Legal Practice have been submitted for CPD accreditation.
Will keep you posted on the status!
Here's to building a practice that works for you, not against you.
P.S. Remember: It's never too late to correct your swing—but the sooner you get proper coaching, the faster you'll see results.