The Art of Achievement

How can law professionals break through the barriers to achieve their success?On the Blackletter podcast this week, host Tom Dunlap revisits some prior season 9 episodes where he and guest speakers discussed professional success and how to achieve it.The power of small numbers with Gordan Sumner (0:44)As a former Army officer, Gordon Sumner had to make significant changes to succeed with his nonprofit organization, Veterans Moving Forward. In his interview with Tom, Gordan discussed his organization which provides service and emotional support dogs to veterans, and the logistics challenges he overcame as its CEO.He explains that teamwork, finding true believers in his mission, and increasing monthly donor support is crucial to his nonprofit. He also provides personal experiences to elaborate on the power of small numbers. In addition, he shares that asking for input from the rest of his team is integral to his organization.Finally, he shares his advice for organizations struggling to manage their operations and resources. Check out the interview on episodes 96, 97, and 98 of the podcast!The three pieces of LinkedIn with Jason Levin (7:54)Next, we check out this interview with Jason Levin, where he discusses the value of business connections. Jason is the author of “Relationships to Infinity: The Art and Science of Keeping in Touch.” Jason shares his relationship-building insights for attorneys looking to network through LinkedIn. He shares that, aside from establishing connections, there are two essential pieces to LinkedIn: maintaining a robust profile and sharing valuable content. He elaborates on what makes a good profile and how content on the platform can help attorneys show off their expertise, share their accomplishments, and advance their goals.He also gives advice to anyone looking to boost their networking and professional relationship-building skills. These include building a list of important professional contacts, reframing your mindset from transactional networking to authentic relationship building, and overcoming your “Bermuda keep in touch triangle” barriers keeping you from establishing connections with others.Check out the interview on episodes 100, 101, and 102 of the podcast!The things to do to succeed with Mark Fava (17:44)The episode concludes with a segment from Tom’s interview with Mark Fava, an attorney who works as an ombudsman and Vice President for Boeing Corporation. Mark explains how law professionals can succeed in their pursuits by using his three pieces of advice: purposeful planning, persistence, and patience.Check out the interview on episodes 103, 104