You had 2-3 things you wanted to accomplish in 2025.
Build your succession plan. Delegate more effectively. Take a real vacation.
Same items still on your list for 2026?
The 30-Year Pattern
I’ve been teaching these essentials to law firm owners for three decades – time management, productivity, delegation, burnout prevention, succession planning.
Great reviews. Same people return year after year.
In December, I taught Beyond Mindfulness: The Real Psychology for Peak Performance Without Burnout. Over 500 registrations. 199 live viewers. 99% rating.
The feedback was exceptional:
“Never had burnout or depression, so didn’t think it would apply. But the self limiting concepts were helpful.”
“This was an excellent course! Doug is a terrific speaker – filled with tons of insight into how to be more productive.”
“Doug’s session was truly calming and supportive. Figuring out how to address stress, live with it and still do what you love is very challenging.”
People loved it.
But There’s Still a Gap
The gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it.
People understand the psychology. They get the frameworks. They learn the strategies.
And then the same goals appear on their list next January.
Not because the teaching failed. The 99% ratings prove otherwise.
Something else is missing.
What I Realized
Knowledge isn’t enough.
You need diagnostic perspective on YOUR specific blockers.
I know this from personal experience. I’m perceptive and self-aware – that caused me to spend years trying to solve my own challenges alone.
I was always too close to it.
Couldn’t see my patterns. Couldn’t identify which of my strengths had become my ceiling. Kept addressing symptoms instead of root causes.
It wasn’t until someone OUTSIDE my situation asked the right questions that I saw what was actually blocking me.
Not more information. Not another framework.
Just accurate diagnosis.
That’s when things changed.
Why This Matters for Succession
Managing partners want succession options. They want to build transferable value and set themselves free from the daily grind.
But they can’t execute because they’re psychologically trapped:
- Can’t delegate because control equals safety
- Can’t step back because identity equals productivity
- Can’t build systems because they’re overwhelmed with operations
The burnout isn’t just a wellness issue – it’s a VALUE issue.
You can’t build a succession-ready firm when you’re the bottleneck.
And you can’t see you’re the bottleneck from inside your own nervous system.
What I’m Offering
Diagnostic sessions for managing partners who are tired of having the same goals year after year.
Here’s how it works:
Email me. I’ll send you questions to understand your situation. If I can help, we’ll schedule a call to figure out what makes sense.
Maybe it’s a single diagnostic session for you personally.
Maybe it’s a team diagnostic.
Maybe it’s something different.
Custom approach based on what you actually need.
Not for Everyone
This is for managing partners who:
- Have the same goals year after year
- Understand the concepts but can’t implement
- Are tired of trying to self-diagnose
- Want outside perspective
If that’s you, email me: [email protected]
Read the complete reflection in this week’s Beyond the Practice Grind on Substack. https://dougbrownjd.substack.com/
—Doug Brown, JD
The Law Firm Leadership Coach
[email protected] | 203.232.4841
P.S. If you’re thinking “I should be able to figure this out myself” – that’s exactly why you can’t. You’re too close to it. That’s not weakness. That’s how perspective works.
