Law firms everywhere are having to adjust their goals for the year due to the unforeseen COVID crisis — but Gayle Gerling Pettinga of Gerling Law has other plans.
In this brand new edition of Leading Through Adversity, she joins Crisp Founder & CEO Michael Mogill to discuss her no-excuses approach to staying on track, the one thing every young attorney needs to know, and the morning ritual that helps her hit the ground running.
Check out the full conversation here.
1:49 – Reassurance to ensure performance. “I knew that I needed to reassure my team that they still had jobs. We had to go remote in 24 hours, and I had that conversation with them. The first thing I told them is that we are keeping everyone employed, and you do not need to worry about your jobs. It’s really important to communicate because otherwise, people can’t do their jobs. They’re so worried about other things — they were already worried about the pandemic and their families and their health.”
5:11 – Give your team an opportunity to step up. “I was impressed through this period of time of how quickly my team stepped up and what they were able to do under these circumstances. I have not accomplished anything that I did not have the help and support from other people. They did everything they needed to take us remote.”
7:06 – Keep calm, make a plan, and get through it. “I’m always pretty calm, and I usually have a plan. When you go through a period of struggling, it’s painful and it can be stressful. When you get to the other side, with the skills that you’ve gained and the confidence that you gain from going through it, you know the next thing that comes is going to be easy. I’ve been knocked around a lot in the over 30 years that I’ve been an attorney, so I knew we would get through it and I’d be better for it.”
8:41 – Set goals and stick to them. “You need to set targets, and then sometimes things will happen and maybe we can’t reach it. This was one of the first times where I didn’t care if this happened. We’re going to reach our targets, and I’m not going to make excuses for myself. I’m not going to let anyone else on the team make excuses for not reaching the goals that we set for ourselves.”
13:17 – Get in your best frame of mind. “I read Hal Elrod’s book and took it to heart. It’s made a huge difference because when you have that kind of morning routine and you’re using it to put yourself in the best frame of mind, by the time you get to the office, you’ve hit the ground running. The part about journaling and having targets is so that you know what the long term goals and what action steps are needed to reach those.”
If you’re viewing this challenging situation the same way Gayle and Michael are, text Michael directly at 404-531-7691 to tell him your thoughts.
