Recently, I was opportune to visit my doctor for my usual heart check. Surprisingly, the diagnosis came out great, my blood pressure is good. Looking back, I can’t remember when my blood pressure was ever normal. It appeared that the more I checked it, the higher it became. At some point I almost gave up, so the news that my blood pressure was okay came as a surprise to me.
I then took some time to reflect on what had changed in my life. In the last couple of years I have worked in fast-paced industries, jetting from one country to the other to close deals. However, by divine workings (in my view) I found myself in a completely new environment where the targets are real and hard work is required since we are dedicated to transforming the delivery of our legal services through creativity and innovation.
I assessed my workload, and I am as busy as when I held all of my previous roles of head of legal, corporate secretary, general counsel etc. – even busier since the laws in Canada are new to me (I gave myself a daily target on research and study to broaden my horizon, this has meant sometimes waking up at odd hours to meet my personal target). I have also grown from being a corporate secretary to attending board meetings as a volunteer board member in my local community – which locks into the effort by the Firm to develop leaders in our profession and community.
My analysis – the serenity of my physical environment has played a big factor in calming me down. However, one major factor is the culture in my new place of work. I also have mentors guiding me through this new field of law inspiring and supporting the realization of our collective potential through mentorship and professionalism.
I also noticed that we are always encouraged to consistently have a high sense importance and not a high sense of urgency, so the headless chicken factor is gone. The major difference is that we are dedicated to “delivering exceptional and personalized client service”.
The client is at the middle of everything we do. Before we jettison off to meet the deadline and close the deals, we understand exactly what a client wants and how the client wants the service. (i.e. what is important to the client?), with that sense of importance, I “approach clients with integrity, professionalism and sensitivity”.
Therefore, when I am working on a file, I am thinking about the client and how I can meet their needs. I have grown from thinking “I need to work on this file and meet this target” to “I need to help a person fulfil their need for an estate planning or corporate services”. There is empathy in the middle of working with my clients and my team as we work towards our collective goal. This empathy propels me to meet my deadlines and deliver exceptional service, with this I am dedicated to demonstrating loyalty, compassion and commitment to our staff, our clients and our profession and our community.
With this new realization, I have decided that in 2025, I will consciously work with a high sense of importance when approaching my clients and when urgency is required and important to meet my client’s needs, I will deliver. But keeping the client in focus and what the client wants does give peace of mind. Understanding that the client is not just a file, or deal or target or deliverable makes all the difference, “this encourages lasting and mutually respectful relationships”. In my view, when you take this approach, it also has a ripple effect of “effecting positive change in our communities”.
Back to my blood pressure, I promise to check it often now that I know the right approach to my work. I wish had known that I knew in my previous life, but my change in perspective has helped my health improve and I am glad for it.
It is not every day you get to work in an office that is true to the value of “encouraging a positive work-life balance and providing safe workplace” but I have found one at @Wards Lawyers! This WARDS LAWYERS PC publication is for general information only. It is not legal advice, nor is it intended to be. Specific or more information may be necessary before advice could be provided for your particular circumstances.
