It's time. No, not time to start thinking about Christmas which is just 4 weeks away - I'll let you decide when you're ready for that!

No, I'm talking about the New Year which is a seemingly distant SIX weeks away! Now before you roll your eyes to the heavens and rush for the "listen at the end of the year button" hear me out.

If you want to achieve your goals in 2026, the time to set those goals and plan for successfully achieving those goals, that time starts NOW. Not on 31 December. Not 1 January. Now.

I've been coaching on this topic all week inside Be the First. I've been asking my clients to set their 6 month goals for 2026 as one of the ways to finish the year strong. And what I noticed inside this coaching conversation was how many of my clients used the words "focus on" to describe their goals for next year.

I'm going to focus on my visibility

I'm going to focus on my relationships

I'm going to focus on showcasing my value

Is this you? Is your goal to "focus on" something? Or is it to achieve it?

6 months into 2026 do you want to be able to say you focused on your visibility? Or do you want to be able to say you are 10 x more visible than you were at the start of the year?

There's a difference and it's an important one. "Focusing on" or "Working on" (that's another expression that comes up) an aspect of your career doesn't get you promoted. The Result does. So it's not enough to focus on your visibility if you want to progress. You've got to be visible.

In this week's episode of Legal Imposters I explain why. I show you the limitations of choosing "focus" as your goal and the dramatic shift that occurs when you frame your goal as a result you are going to create.

Here's what you'll learn:

1. why planning to focus on your goals is slowing you down
   
2. The Results Test and using it to plan for results
   
3. How uncomfortable goal-setting for results can feel (and why you must be willing to feel it)
   
4. Why you should stop waiting for January to get started on your new year goals and start moving towards those goals now.
   

P.S. Enrolment for the January class of Be the First! opens December 10th. If you're a mid to senior level black lawyer and you want to progress to the next level in 2026, this is the room you want to be in and now is the time to join. Details to follow on Legal Imposters and on social media so stay tuned. Click this link to find out more about the programme or DM me on social with your questions.

You've finally got that meeting with your boss so you can ask those career critical questions about your prospects for promotion:

Where do I stand?

How close am I?

Am I on track?

What else can I do to guarantee I'm on the list of next year's Partners?

You've asked all of this before.

But you keep being met with that same frustrating response:

You're doing fine

You're doing everything right

Just keep doing what your doing

In other words, you get a whole lot of words with not a lot of substance

Nothing you can build a progression plan around

Nothing you can action to make the decision to promote you a done deal

And it is SOOO frustrating.

If this is you you're not alone

It's exactly what I've been coaching on this week inside Be the First! and in this episode I'm going to tell you how to solve for it using the Foolproof Feedback Framework (FFF).

The FFF is a framework to help ensure you get exactly what you came for at your next annual review, even when the person you work for has nothing helpful or constructive to say.

This may sound like a 'cross your fingers and hope for the best' kind of strategy

It's anything but

It's a concrete way of taking ownership of your progression so that no matter how disengaged or unhelpful your Partner tries to be, you still walk away with valuable information you can action to your advantage.

In episode 111 of the podcast I show you how. In it I walk you through the 3-part Foolproof Feedback Framework - a process I created for clients inside Be the First! that guarantees you'll get value from every conversation, even when they try to fob you off with generalities.

P.S. If you're a mid to senior black lawyer and you want to progress in the next 6 to 12 months, Be the First! is the room you want to be in. Enrolment for January 2026 opens on December 10th so now is the time to prepare. Click here or the link in my profile for details.

You're drowning in your commitments. Working long into the night each day. Sacrificing weekends.

It's all too much but you keep going.

You don't stop.

You can't stop, you tell yourself.

I don't want to let anybody down.

Well I'm here to tell you otherwise

Not only that you can.

I'm here to tell you that you must.

"I can't let anyone down' may seem like an innocuous noble thought.

But this thought is holding you back in your career and putting your health at risk.

And as long as you keep thinking it, and holding yourself to its standard, things will never change.

In episode 110 of Legal Imposters I help you change all of that by doing the one thing you cannot fathom doing: letting people down.

I warn you. It's going to be uncomfortable. It's going to feel terrible. That, my friend, is the point!

When you intentionally let someone down the way I teach you to in this episode, two things are going to happen:

First, you'll get an immediate moment of respite from the overworking you're doing right now

Second, you'll break the cycle of over-committing yourself and learn to say yest without overcommitting.

The ability to say yes without overcommitting yourself to the point of burnout is a skill you need to develop now. The sooner you master it the faster you'll progress to the next level and the easier it'll be to sustain that progress when you get there.

P.S. If you're a mid to senior level black lawyer and you want to progress in the next 6 to 12 months, join Be The First where I'll teach you how to take control of your time so you stop overcommitting yourself and learn to progress without the risk of burnout. Enrolment for January 2026 opens in December so now's the time to get ready. For details of what the coaching programme does and how much it costs, visit BE THE FIRST Coaching

Want to win a Sponsor? There are 3 things you need to do:

1. Identify the right Sponsor Candidate
   
2. Build a Sponsorship Relationship
   
3. Hold a Sponsorship Conversation
   

These 3 steps form what we call inside BE THE FIRST, the Sponsorship Triad, and they form a simple actionable process for getting the right support from the right people to guarantee you achieve your progression goal.

In last week's episode of Legal Imposters I introduced you to part 3 of the Sponsorship Triad: the Sponsorship Conversation. In it I gave you an actionable framework for getting a potential sponsor to commit to advocating on your behalf.

This week we're talking about the step before: the Sponsorship Relationship - what it is and why it's absolutely critical to the Sponsor winning process. (I also explain why I tackled part 3 first, before coming to this part 2)

In addition to walking you through the 3 simple steps to winning a sponsor, here's what you'll learn:

• The no.1 objective when building a Sponsorship Relationship
• 3 scenarios where building the Sponsorship Relationship is the answer
• 9 ways to win over a potential sponsor
• 3 ways you get stuck trying to win a sponsor (and what to do instead)
• 3 trust-building essentials every Sponsorship Relationship depends on
• 5 commitments to ask of your Sponsor

Happy listening.

P.S. If you're a mid to senior level black lawyer and you want to progress in the next 6-12 months, join BE THE FIRST and start prioritising this sponsorship work now. Enrolment for the January 2026 class opens in December so now's the time to get ready. For more details on what the programme is, who it's for and why it's the no.1 solution for navigating the challenges of being a black lawyer, click here.

Let's talk about Sponsors. Why you need one and how to win one.

You don't have to have a Sponsor to progress to the next level. But having a person of influence invested in you and going out to bat for you Is going to make achieving that promotion significantly quicker, easier and likely to result in success. Especially if you're a black lawyer. 

There are 3 steps to winning a sponsor:

1. Identify the Right Sponsor 
   
2. Earn trust by building the Sponsorship Relationship; and
   
3. Get a firm commitment to sponsor you by having the Sponsorship Conversation
   

Together these 3 make up the Sponsorship Triad, a model I teach you inside BE THE FIRST that makes the work of winning a sponsor so clear and actionable, you'll wonder what you'd ever have done without it. 

In this week's episode of Legal Imposters we focus on part 3 of the Sponsorship Triad: The Sponsorship Conversation. 

Heres what you'll learn:

1. The common mistakes lawyers make when seeking a Sponsor
   
2. The 3 parts of the Sponsorship Triad and how they work together
   
3. The purpose of the Sponsorship Conversation and why never to assume you have a Sponsor without one 
   
4. A framework for holding a Sponsorship Conversation you can start using today, including examples from Clients inside BE THE FIRST
   
5. The top 3 commitments to seek from your Sponsor
   

Happy listening. 

Caroline 

P.S. if your a black lawyer, you want to progress within the industry and you don't have, sponsorship I can help you with that. Join BE THE FLIRST and ll teach you a simple framework for winning a sponsor so you get to support you need to progress to the next level. Click for details  

There are 3 things you need in place to guarantee your career goal:

1. A clear goal
   
2. A strategy that will get you there
   
3. A system that will keep you on track
   

You may have a goal and a strategy. But do you have a system for staying on track?

If you don't then this week's episode of Legal Imposters, where I introduce you to the Monthly Progress Review, is just what you need.

The Monthly Progress Review (MPR) is exactly what it claims to be: a chance to pause and reflect on the progress you've made over the past month (as well as the progress you haven't or where you've been getting stuck) in a way that supports you to keep going and keeps you on track.

The MPR has so many benefits. It helps you recommit to your goal. It helps you see what's working and notice what isn't working. It ensures you celebrate the progress you would otherwise discount, ensuring you stay motivated and keep taking the right action. Most usefully, it's a framework for holding yourself accountable for what you said you were going to do last month and what you plan to do going forward.

It doesn't matter how motivated you are, things will always get in the way of your goal - busyness; life's distractions; emotional discomfort, fatigue. No one is immune to these challenges. The difference between those who achieve their goals and those who don't is the system that keeps you on track when these challenges come up.

If you're a mid to senior black lawyer who wants to progress within the industry, the coaching and support you receive inside Be The First is one part of that system. The Monthly Progression is another.

In this episode:

1. 10 reasons the Monthly Progression Review (MPR) is critical to your progress
   
2. The 4 universal factors that will get in the way of your goal (and what to do about them)
   
3. How often you should review your progress
   
4. A 4 question framework for conducting an effective MPR
   
5. Small steps to make your MPR easier and more effective
   

P.S. If you're a mid to senior black lawyer and you want to progress to the next level in the next 6 to 12 months, I can help you with that. Book a strategy call with me via the link below and let's get clear on your goal, the strategy you need to get you there and the system that will keep you on track. Click here to book now.

What are you doing to make sure the most important asset in your work, in your life, in the family that you hold together, the people you support, the clients you serve, those you love and the things you care about - in other words YOU - what are you doing to ensure you are taking care of your own needs?

Here's why this matters:

The more senior you get, the more is going to be demanded of you

The less time you have and the more you need to get done

The more people you will lead and the fewer people you will have to follow

The less time you will have for yourself and yet the lonelier it will sometimes feel

All of this makes taking care of yourself not just a requirement, but a responsibility.

Here's what I see:

You don't talk about self care openly with other leaders, you think it's just you

You don't ask for help with self care, because you think you should be able to figure this out on your own

The result is that far too many leaders are leading from a place of exhaustion, depletion, running on empty and teetering on the bring of a health issue.

If this is you you're in the right place.

In today's video I'm going to help you change this.

In it I teach you the value and importance of looking after your physical and mental health and I introduce you to the Self Care Protocol - a tool I teach my clients inside BE THE FIRST to ensure they never neglect their self care and they show up in their lives as the best leaders they can be.

In this episode:

1. What the Self Care Protocol is and how it works
   
2. Create your unique Self Care Protocol in 3 simple steps
   
3. What to expect when you attempt to follow the protocol
   
4. 4 powerful tools from inside BE THE FIRST that will keep you on track
   

This episode gives you everything you need to get started on your Self Care Protocol today. Want feedback on your Self Care Protocol? Why not share yours on Linkedin or IG or send over for me to take a look?

P.S.

If you're a mid to senior level black lawyer and you want to progress your legal career I invite you to join BE THE FIRST. I teach you everything you need to succeed to the next level, including the self care strategy that will sustain you along the way. Click this link to book your free strategy call with me today and let's talk about the next step.

Let's talk about procrastination -

Doom scrolling

Online shopping

Burying your head in the sand

Ignoring the task until it's on fire and screaming for your attention

These are just some of the ways you are procrastinating your work and, in so doing, creating unnecessary pressure, missing opportunities and jeopardising your chances of promotion.

If this is you and you're tired of holding yourself back, tune into this week's episode of Legal Imposters because I know exactly how to help you.

You'll learn that the symptom of procrastination and the underlying cause of procrastination are two different things calling for different solutions.

Want quick relief from your procrastination now so you can get your work done today? Stay with the hard.

Want to break the recurring habit of procrastinating so it stops holding you back in your career? Remember who you are

Stay With The Hard and Remember Who You Are are both tools that work and belong in your toolkit. In this episode I focus on Stay With The Hard and walk you through a simple 3 step process you can use right now to get that work you've been avoiding done today.

I also introduce you to Remember Who You Are - the process for overcoming Imposter Syndrome so you:

• get quicker at catching yourself in the act of procrastinating
  
• build resilience to doing hard things so procrastination happens less often
  
• stop being the person who always procrastinates and become the version of you who gets to work and gets it done
  

Happy listening

P.S. If you're a black lawyer, whatever your level, and you're tired of procrastination holding you back, I invite you to join CONFIDENT Black Lawyers, the online programme where you learn to overcome the root cause of your procrastination and build the confidence to perform to your potential. Click here to learn more

Here's the problem:

You know you must showcase your value if you want to progress to the next level (it's step 5 of the career progression process I teach you inside BE THE FIRST), but you don't really KNOW your value.

Which of these is you?

1. you've never thought to consider what your value is - you just work hard doing your day job and assume it'll be enough
   
2. despite years of experience, you're still sitting silent in meetings thinking "what is my value" and "I have no value to add"
   
3. you limit your value - for example with thoughts like "I'm only as good as my last deal"
   
4. you underestimate your value - for example, by thinking "I'm the only one" instead of recognising you're the first.
   
5. you miscalculate your value - for example, you think a track record of having met your billable targets makes you eligible for promotion
   

If any of these is you, you're not alone. I've been there, I see it all the time and I get it. It has never been easy to confront the question "What is my value?" and then figure out a way to answer it.

Until now.

In this week's episode of Legal Imposters Idon't just invite the question "What is my value?" I tell you exactly how to answer it. In it I give you a unique tool for calculating your value that you won't find anywhere else. That tool is the BTF Value Equation - a plug and play value calculator that I created for my clients inside BE THE FIRST and which I'm sharing with you for free here on Legal Imposters.

Excited? You should be.

The Value Equation has multiple functions. Use it in your career to:

1. Understand your true value in the workplace and how it is measured
   
2. Feel confident in your value so you perform more to your potential
   
3. Talk about your value in normal conversation
   
4. Showcase your value to position you for promotion
   
5. Increase your value to increase your prospects for promotion
   

This tool has been a game changer for me and for my clients inside BE THE FIRST. Use it correctly and I promise it'll do the same for you.

P.S. Are you going to BCF 2025? If you're a mid to senior level associate, don't miss my Value Workshop where I'll be teaching you the Value Equation in detail and walking you through the process of understanding and showcasing your value to position yourself for that next promotion.

P.P.S. Inside BE THE FIRST I teach you how to Showcase your value as part of a proven 5 step process for progressing to the next level measurably and sustainably. The next enrolment is coming. If you're a mid to senior level black lawyer and you want to progress within the next 6 to 12 months, now's the time to prepare. Book your free consult with me and let's talk about your progression goal. Click here to book directly into my calendar.

How much do you value yourself? Here's how you know:

1. the way you treat yourself
   
2. the way you talk about yourself to others
   
3. how well you take care of yourself
   
4. how you present yourself
   

This is not about your value in the workplace.

This is about your self worth. Your worthiness. Your belief in your innate value as a human being and the value, potential and brilliance inherent within that.

As I explain in this week's episode, this is your intrinsic value and it's very different to your commercial or business value.

There are 3 reasons why valuing yourself matters:

1. Your worthiness as a human is completely independent of the circumstances outside of you or people around you. So it doesn't matter what's going on in your career or relationships, your self worth should never change.
2. Although independent of others, your belief in your own value does influence how much they value you and treat you. So the more you value yourself, the easier you make it for others to see your value and treat you accordingly.
3. When you value yourself, you're sufficient. You don't need to chase validation or proof of your value. This frees you up to focus on showcasing your business value - i.e. the value you bring to your firm or organisation that's a prerequisite for your next promotion.

If you've ever found yourself questioning your self worth or relying on external factors (your achievements, external validation from others) to feel worthy and valuable, this episode is for you.

Happy listening.

P.S. If you're a mid to senior level black lawyer and you've ever confused your self worth with your career worth, I can help you with that. Book a free consult with me and let's talk about your progression goal and what you need to do to get there. Mid to senior level black lawyers click the link below to book straight into my calendar:

https://calendly.com/carolineflanagan/bethefirst