Mindset Development Tips

In 1969, two researchers gave more than one thousand kids the same test NASA uses to measure creativity. What they found was shocking. It didn’t just reveal how creativity works — it showed how we lose it. 🧵 George Land and Beth Jarman started with an unusual test: They gave a group of 5-year-olds a creativity assessment designed to measure problem-solving and imagination — the same test NASA used to identify superstar scientists and engineers. The results? 98% of the 5-year-olds scored at the “highly creative” level. These were the creative geniuses NASA needed.. Then Land and Jarman asked a bigger question: What happens to this creativity over time? So they followed up. At age 10, only 30% of the same kids scored as creative “geniuses.” At age 15, that portion dropped to 12%. Eventually, they tested adults. Only 2% scored in the “highly creative” range. From 98% to 2%. What happened? Land blamed one major factor: the way we educate. He argued that uncreative thinking isn’t natural — it’s learned. Over time, we’re trained to converge and comply instead of imagine and invent. To memorize instead of innovate. The takeaway? Creativity isn’t something we lose. It’s something we unlearn. And that means we can relearn it, too. The challenge isn’t talent. It’s permission. To ask “what if…” To think in questions, not just answers. To treat curiosity as a skill — not a distraction. Creativity isn’t rare. It’s buried. If 98% of 5-year-olds are creative geniuses, maybe we don’t need to teach creativity. We just need to stop teaching it out of people.

Stop overcomplicating Legal Operations. Had a conversation yesterday with a Head of Legal at a 200-person company. She was convinced she needed enterprise-grade contract management software, AI-powered analytics, and a dedicated Legal Ops hire. Her annual legal spend? £150k. Her team? Two lawyers and a paralegal. This is what I call the sophistication fallacy. We've been sold this myth that effective Legal Operations requires complex technology and dedicated specialists. Nonsense. The most impactful Legal Ops transformations I've seen in smaller teams started with a notepad and some brutal honesty. One sole counsel increased her strategic impact by simply mapping where her time actually went. Turned out 25% was spent on work that didn't require her to be involved. Another small team revolutionised their stakeholder relationships with a one-page guide explaining when to involve legal and when not to. No software. No consultants. Just clear thinking and the courage to say no to low-value work. Legal Operations isn't about having the fanciest tools. It's about having the clearest priorities. Save the enterprise solutions for when you've mastered the fundamentals. What's one simple change your legal team could make tomorrow that would free up capacity for strategic work? #legaloperations #inhouselegal #legalleadership #generalcounsel #smallteams

The sad truth is many lawyers work 50-60 hours a week, burn out, and end up on the verge of collapse - only to find out they don’t have any strategies for managing their mental health. Remove yourself from that cycle. Instead, build systems for sustainable performance: 1. Learn to check in with yourself regularly 2. Find 2-3 things that recharge your battery 3. Schedule those things 1-2 times per week, non-negotiable. Yes, it's hard to extract yourself from the grind. Yes, you’ll have to say “no” to some things. Yes, you have to learn to put yourself first. But it’s better than the alternative - trying to pick up the pieces when it might be too late. PS. What helps you check in and recharge? Would love to hear your thoughts below 👇

I've fallen into this trap too many times to count. Raised by two high-achieving Stanford grads, "constant hustle" was practically our family motto—a badge of honor worn with pride. But what if I told you that constant hustle could actually be stifling your creativity and innovation? It's time we stop glorifying being hustle and start celebrating the power of pause. Here's why: Creativity Thrives in Quiet Moments: Breakthrough ideas rarely emerge amidst chaos. When you're racing from task to task, your mind has no room to wander or explore new possibilities. Carving out quiet moments allows your creativity to flourish, bringing fresh insights and innovative solutions. Burnout Isn’t a Badge of Honor: Constant activity without rest isn't sustainable—it’s a direct path to burnout. Giving yourself permission to recharge is essential, not just for your health, but to sustain enthusiasm and productivity over the long term. Reflection Drives Innovation: Innovation doesn't emerge spontaneously from relentless hustle; it grows from thoughtful reflection. Stepping back to evaluate what's working and what's not gives you clarity and inspires forward-thinking ideas. Growth Requires Breathing Room: Personal and professional growth don't happen in perpetual motion. They require time for learning, exploration, and experimentation. Allowing yourself moments to slow down and reflect ensures you're continually developing and evolving. Work hard yes! But shift away from the glorification of constant hustle. Embrace moments of stillness, give your creativity space, and watch how your life and work transform for the better. Your future self—and your mental health—will thank you.

I rewrote the first three pieces of advices that I ever wrote as a junior lawyer three times. They were substantial rewrites, complete revamps. At the time, it made me question whether I was 'good enough'. I felt I was taking too long to write up these seemingly simple advices. Not only did I feel like an impostor, I felt I had 'let down' people that had high expectations of me (not to mention the high expectations I had of myself). So if you are a junior lawyer who has been asked to draft something up, and it has came back to you with lots of mark-ups a few times, know that you are not alone. Focus on understanding why the mark-ups are made. And take those learnings with you and apply them to future tasks. You might not see immediate results (learning is never a linear journey). But if you do it consistently, you will better pre-empt potential mark-ups, and understand where the mark-ups represent: 1. substantive change to content (which indicates you need to get better at understanding the law) or; whether 2. it is a stylistic change that better suits the person you are preparing the work for (in which case, you just need to better understand their writing and formatting style). Although it is hard to 'x-ray' into someone else's mind perfectly, so you may never get this part 'perfectly' right. While it can sound counterintuitive to seek out more opportunities when you are doubting your abilities, the best way to improve is through lots of practice. So continue to seek out opportunities to learn, revise and be a better lawyer. You may not believe you will become a better lawyer now, but trust me, if I can do it, you can too! Connect or follow for more junior lawyering tips! #meibeitstrue #onemeithink #juniorlawyering #paralegal #clerk #graduate #impostorsyndrome #career

Teaching isn’t about showing off what you know; it’s appeal lies in discovering where you can grow. For teachers, consultants, leaders, and managers, this mindset keeps you adaptable, humble, and always improving. Teaching is often misunderstood. People think it's about imparting information, but it's really about facilitating discovery. It's less about having all the answers and more about asking the right questions. True teaching creates a space where everyone — including the teacher — learns, grows, and evolves. Inviting questions and critique makes learning richer and helps you evolve your thinking alongside others. Questions uncover hidden gaps, spark new insights, and push everyone to think more deeply. Each question you’re asked helps you see where you can grow. True teachers will treat questions as a way to deepen their expertise. They will treat each question as a prompt to go deeper into their field. If a client asks, “Why is this approach better?” or “What’s the evidence for this method?”, it’s a chance to solidify your reasoning and back it up with more research or examples. Or acknowledge that you don't know...and there's more work to do to find out! By acknowledging when you don’t have an answer (#intellectualhumility) and committing to finding it, you model the very growth mindset you want your clients to adopt. So...create more golden opportunities for learning in your role by actively inviting curiosity and dialogue. The more questions you welcome, the richer the learning experience becomes — for both you and others.

I don't teach my clients what to think, I help them learn HOW to think. This philosophy underpins my model of fostering a Diversity-Sum Mindset. It's not about dictating opinions but cultivating a mindset that thrives on understanding and embracing diversity and complexity in all its dimensions. Here are 5 foundational principles that shape this mindset: 1️⃣ Intellectual Humility: Embracing intellectual humility allows you to approach challenges with an open mind and a willingness to learn from others. It enables you to adapt and evolve your thinking based on new insights and information. 2️⃣ Non-Binary Worldview: Adopting a non-binary worldview means moving beyond simplistic categorizations and appreciating the diverse perspectives and experiences that shape our world. It encourages you to seek out and value multiple viewpoints. 3️⃣ Systems Thinking: Understanding systems thinking equips you to see the interconnectedness of issues and anticipate how actions in one area can affect others. It enables you to make more informed decisions considering broader impacts and long-term consequences. 4️⃣ Bias Mitigation: Actively mitigating biases empowers you to unlock the hidden potential of your team, business, and yourself. This approach not only enhances your understanding of complex issues but also enables you to strive for excellence free from bias. 5️⃣ Inclusive Decision-Making: Inclusive decision-making ensures that diverse voices are heard and considered in the decision-making process. It promotes innovation and creativity by leveraging the unique strengths and perspectives of a diverse team. By integrating Diversity-Sum Mindset into your approach, you enhance your ability to navigate complexity, make informed decisions, become a better thinker in business, and a catalyst for deeper understanding and appreciation of diversity in all its dimensions. ________________________________________ Looking for more insights on better thinking? 📨 Join my free newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dsyQSRxV

Debugging Like a Pro: 5 tricks for Finding and Fixing Bugs Faster Every software engineer spends a significant chunk of their time debugging. While it can be frustrating, approaching it systematically can make all the difference. Here are five principles that help me debug effectively: 1️⃣ First Principles Thinking Instead of relying on assumptions, break the problem down to its fundamentals. What exactly is happening? What should be happening? Is there an underlying principle (e.g., data flow, memory allocation) being violated? 2️⃣ Check the Basics Is the server running? Are the configurations correct? Is there a typo in the variable name? Some of the hardest-to-find bugs come from the simplest mistakes. Always verify the basics before diving deep. 3️⃣ Reproduce It Consistently If you can’t reproduce a bug reliably, you can’t fix it effectively. Identify the exact steps or conditions that trigger the issue—this makes debugging structured rather than a guessing game. 4️⃣ Read the Error Messages Error messages often tell you exactly what’s wrong—if you take the time to understand them. Instead of ignoring or Googling blindly, break down what the message is saying and investigate from there. 5️⃣ Identify if It's a Device or Data-Specific Issue Is the bug happening on all devices or just one? Does it occur with all data inputs or only specific ones? Debugging becomes much easier once you determine whether the issue is related to environment constraints (e.g., OS, browser, hardware) or specific data conditions. Debugging is a skill, and like any skill, it gets better with practice. What are your favorite debugging techniques? Drop them in the comments! #Debugging #SoftwareEngineering #ProblemSolving #FirstPrinciples

I learned more about building a legal career from 75 one‑on‑one conversations than from any course outline or book. Last August I barely had a network in Toronto. So I set a personal challenge: speak with 75 lawyers and record what actually helps a career move forward. I stopped tracking job titles and started tracking sentences that changed how I work. Here are 9 that reshaped my habits. I grouped them so you can act on them right away. 1. Reputation “Reputation compounds. Protect it more than a single win.” If a tactic helps you win once but costs quiet trust, skip it. 2. Communication “Your emails are your reputation.” Write like the other side, a client, or a judge could read it tomorrow. 3. Initiative “Stop waiting to be invited to lead. Lead by organizing the next step.” Own loose ends. Summaries. Debriefs. Next-action lists. People remember who brings order. 4. Relationships “Law looks transactional from the outside. It is relational from the inside.” Track touches. Send follow ups. Remember small facts. That is how work finds you later. 5. Learning “Do a short 'post-mortem' after every file.” What went well. What went poorly. What will I do different next time. 90 seconds. Massive payoff. 6. Focus “Early in your career you think speed is value. Clarity is value.” Pause before you respond. Confirm the real question. Then answer it cleanly. 7. Boundaries “You teach people how to treat your time.” If you always reply in 2 minutes, that becomes the expectation. Set a sustainable rhythm now. 8. Resilience “If you feel like you are drowning, call someone who has already survived that wave.” Isolation makes problems bigger. One candid conversation shrinks them fast. 9. Courtesy “Say thank you to everyone. Even opponents. Especially opponents.” The profession is smaller than it looks. Courtesy is strategic endurance. These are not slogans. They became small daily filters I (try to) use before I hit send, say yes, or move on. Which one hits you hardest right now. Or drop the single best line of advice you have received so another student or junior lawyer can use it. Save this if you want a quick reset checklist later. Share it with someone starting out next month!

So you want to be a good lawyer? Understanding the law is fundamental. But as any lawyer will tell you, knowing the law isn’t enough. Legal practice demands a broader set of skills, many of which are not taught at University. These include communication, analysis, emotional control, and strategic thinking. Some people have them naturally. Others learn through mentors, effort, and the right resources. Interestingly, many of the most valuable books for this growth aren’t legal texts at all. Here are ten that have helped me quite a lot: A Time to Kill – John Grisham A gripping legal drama. Start here, but remember it’s fiction. There are few dramatic revelations, and the workload can often feel repetitive and unglamorous. Accepting that reality early on leads to a healthier and more sustainable career. The Art of War – Sun Tzu Originally for generals, but deeply relevant for many today. “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.” In law, timing and restraint often beat confrontation. The Science of Storytelling – Will Storr This book explores why stories resonate and how humans process information in narrative form. Legal professionals often need to structure complex information in a way that is coherent and impactful. This book provides a framework for doing so with clarity and purpose. Point Made – Ross Guberman A hands-on guide to legal writing. Helps polish tone, structure, and clarity using examples from elite advocates. Meditations – Marcus Aurelius A cornerstone of Stoic philosophy, this collection of reflections offers guidance on focus, discipline, and resilience. Legal work is often high-pressure and emotionally taxing. This book helps develop a mindset of steadiness and reasoned thinking under stress. As a Man Thinketh – James Allen It emphasizes the role of thought in shaping behavior and outcomes. For legal professionals, especially those engaged in adversarial practice, mental discipline and self-awareness are essential tools. Never Split the Difference – Chris Voss From an FBI negotiator, this book offers practical tools for negotiation and persuasion rooted in psychology. As a lawyer, you will not likely get to negotiate with a kidnapper, but at one point, you will probably be faced with an adversary with the fortitude of one.  This book introduces techniques that can be applied in settlements, mediations, and everyday professional interactions. Win Your Case – Gerry Spence A memoir and advocacy manual. It addresses the interpersonal and rhetorical aspects of advocacy, using examples and reflections from a long legal career, written in Spence's distinct tongue in cheek style. Tough Cases – Canan, Mize & Weisberg Judges reflect on their hardest decisions. A reminder that the law is human, and decisions often carry emotional and ethical weight. The Art of Cross-Examination – Francis L. Wellman Classic but still sharp. Essential for understanding the strategy and psychology behind effective questioning.