Legal Imposters

Relationships are the cornerstone of every successful legal career. It's through the relationships you build at work that you attract the support you need, invite the opportunities that excite you, keep people on your side and enjoy and perform better in your role.

But it's harder to build relationships when you're the only one. You have fewer obvious points of connection and the differences between you and your white peers make building relationships feel difficult and exhausting. Whether it's how you spend your holidays, what you do at the weekends, the food you and your family eat or the path you took to get where you are - all of these differences can create a barrier to connection when you don't have the skills to overcome them.

It's not surprising you dread networking events.

No wonder you'd rather network with people who look like you.

But it doesn't have to be this way. You can have all the advantages that your white peers have through their connections and their work relationships. All you need is a step by step process that teaches you how to build relationships with people different to you.

I've created that process just for you. It's called Relate-Agility and it's going to change your experience of relationship building forever.

I've taken everything I've learned about relationships and connection from decades of being the only one in the room and building relationships with people different to me. Since being the only black pupil in an all white school at the age of 5, to being the only one in the room as a finance lawyer in the City of London, the ability to build relationships with people different to me has been one of my superpowers and has been instrumental in my success.

Now I've broken down what I do and how I do it into a simple process that teaches you exactly how to do the same. That process is called Relate-Agility, and I can't wait for you to learn it inside BE THE FIRST.

In this session:

1. Why building relationships are so important for your career and should be one of your top priorities even at the junior level
2. Why it's harder to build relationships when you're the only one
3. How Relate-Agility, my unique process for building relationships with people different to you is going to transform your approach to connection and empower you to walk into any room and connect with any one.

P.S. In BE THE FIRST I teach you Relate-Agility, the art of building relationships with people different to you so you have the relationships you need to support you and sustain you in your career. If you're a mid to senior level black lawyer and you're ready to progress to the next level, BE THE FIRST is the coaching programme to be in. The next enrolment is coming. Book a call with me today and let's talk about your next steps. Book here: https://calendly.com/carolineflanagan/bethefirst

You don't have to become someone you're not when you become Partner. You can do partnership YOUR WAY.

One of the reasons you're hesitant to go for partnership is because of your fear of who you have to become to get there and how you'd have to behave to stay and succeed there.

You worry you won't be able to be authentic.

You worry you'll have to become a different type of leader

You worry that becoming partner will involve sacrificing the things that are important to you - like your work life balance and your weekends.

If this is you, you're not alone. I hear this all the time and it's one of the reasons why mid to senior level black lawyers join BE THE FIRST when they are thinking about progressing their career and unsure about the next step.

For those of you who are new to me and my work, BE THE FIRST is my signature career progression programme designed specifically to support mid to senior level black lawyers to fulfil their potential within the industry and navigate the black experience all the way to the top. If you're a mid to senior level black lawyer and you're ready to progress to the next level - whether that's a promotion to partnership or GC - this is the programme for you. Click here to find out more.

The question of whether to go for partnership came up in BE THE FIRST earlier this week when, during our month-end Progression Review, one of my clients announced to the group: "I am certain I want partnership and I am 100% sure it's in my control to do it my way"

This would be an amazing show of confidence and certainty from anyone. The fact that it came from a client who, just 3 months earlier, was leaning towards NOT being partner because of who she believed she'd have to be and the sacrifices she thought she'd have to make, is astounding.

This was such a transformation (and one that has occurred many times in BE THE FIRST) that I had to share it with you to show you that it's available for you too.

Helping my client make this shift from feeling swept along by her career and by other people's expectations of her, to feeling that partnership is something she is choosing and is fully in control of, was simple.

I coached her on her track record in her career and showed her how being authentic had in fact been her winning strategy. From there she was able to see that not only was being authentic and leading her way going to be possible, it was also the thing that was most likely to help her get there. (In BE THE FIRST we pay serious attention to understanding what's working and what you need to keep doing to progress).

I then coached her on her confidence in her value, and how being authentic would bring more of that to the table.

Lastly i coached her on her relationship to her career. I showed her that if her career was a train, it wasn't something that could ever run away from our out of control of her, because she was the driver. At any given moment, she gets to decide how fast it goes and the direction it will take.

As a result of what coaching helped her see and understand about her success to date, my client starting feeling and showing up more confidently than ever before, adding value like never before - all by doing it her way.

If you've been struggling with the idea that you'd have to be someone you're not to become partner, this video will calm your fears and give you the confidence to go for partnership as who you are.

Questions about progressing to partnership? Let's chat. Book a call with me and let's talk about what authentic partnership means to you and how I can help you create it. Book here https://calendly.com/carolineflanagan/bethefirst

You know you need to speak up in meetings. You know it's an opportunity to showcase your value, be visible and to advocate for yourself, your team and that important project you are championing. It also happens to be the one piece of feedback you're given over and over again.

The problem is you hate it. You feel so anxious and stressed at the thought of it. You dread it in the days leading up to it and suffer your way through to the end of it.

So instead of contributing you stay silent. You withdraw, make yourself small. You disengage and disconnect which makes it impossible to listen and that in turn makes it even harder to contribute anything of value.

The worst bit? How you beat yourself up after the meeting for not having said anything at all.

This is exactly the scenario I coached my clients on in today's BE THE FIRST Coaching session so in this session I want to share how I helped her solve it.

Here's what you'll learn

1. The value of speaking up in meetings and why it's an essential career skill
2. The importance of solving for not speaking up vs. waiting for the circumstances (how meetings are run; the culture and expectations in meetings) to change
3. The way you are showing up to meetings outside work when you feel safe and valued is a superpower you can use in the workplace
4. The importance of processing the discomfort and negative emotions you feel when you think about speaking up in meetings
5. How to create your own safety so you become the person who can walk into any room and speak to anyone.

Struggling with speaking up in meetings? Share in the comments.

P.S. In BE THE FIRST I teach you how to speak up in meetings as a way of increasing your visibility and showing them how valuable you are so you can progress to the next level. If you're a mid to senior black lawyer and you want to progress within the industry BE THE FIRST Progression for Black Lawyers is the coaching programme for you. Book a free consult with me to find out more https://calendly.com/carolineflanagan/bethefirst

In the final part of the Overwhelm Series I bring you: Adapt the plan - the essential follow on to planning the week that allows you to respond to the unknown and the unexpected and still feel in charge of the plan.

Adapting the day should only take you a few minutes and can be done at the beginning of the day before you get to work. Resist the temptation to launch into fire fighting mode. Even fire fighters have a plan and know what they will do first and what to tackle next!

Together with planning the week, adapting the plan is a skill you can learn that you'll keep benefitting year after year. Building these skills will :

- give you more control over your work

- more time for the other things that matter

- increased capacity for your other work and for the demands you'll face at the next level

- and, because you're calm, in control and are better at managing your time, it will make you so much more valuable as a lawyer.

P.S. In BE THE FIRST I teach you Time Control - a set of skills that give you control over your time so you feel more in control, avoid overwhelm, have the capacity to grow to the next level and have more time for the other things that matter. If you're a mid to senior black lawyer and you want any of this, BE THE FIRST Progression for Black Lawyers is the coaching programmae you want to be in. Book a free consult with me to find out more https://calendly.com/carolineflanagan/bethefirst

Hello and Happy New Year! It's great to be back!

Today I'm talking about setting your intention for 2025 so you create all the results you want this year.

This isn't about setting new year's resolutions. It's about the thoughts BEHIND your new year's resolutions that are the difference between you giving up on your shiny new gym membership 3 weeks into January, and sustaining your new commitment to health and fitness for the entire year. Big difference!

I had a rocky start to the year in that, unusually for me, I went into it thinking "I don't know what I want this year" and "What if I fail" (and a whole host of other fears). But thanks to the coaching tools I have (and which I teach you inside BE THE FIRST and CONFIDENT Black Lawyers) I can catch these thoughts and redirect my brain to thinking more intentionally and powerfully so that 2025 is everything I want it to be.

Have you set your intention for the year? What results do you want to create for yourself in 2025? How will you keep going with your resolutions this year? I answer all these questions and more in today's recording.

Happy New Year and happy listening.

P.S. If you're a black lawyer and you want to build the confidence to succeed this year, join CONFIDENT Black Lawyers - my foundational programme for black lawyers at every stage of their career. DM me on LinkedIn if you have questions or alternatively, click here to sign up directly: https://caroline-flanagan.mykajabi.com/confident-black-lawyers

The better you are at managing overwhelm the more in control you will feel and the better you'll perform.

This session is part 2 (Plan the week) of a 4 part series to help you manage overwhelm at one of the busiest times of the year (and any other time you need to).

In it I teach you one of the simplest and most effective tools for managing your time so you stop feeling overwhelmed and so your experience of being a lawyer - and other people's experience of working with you - is a better one. Here's what we cover:

1. The no. 1 mistake I see lawyers making in how they think about controlling time
2. How to spot when you're descending into overwhelm (the earlier you spot it, the easier it is to prevent or stop it)
3. How planning the week affects not just your ability to manage overwhelm but also improves your prospects for promotion
4. A step by step guide to planning your week so the important things get done and you find time for the other things that matter.

P.S. In BE THE FIRST Progression for Black Lawyers I teach you Time Control where you learn how to take control of your time so you can perform to your potential and so your progression is both measurable and sustainable. If you're a mid to senior black lawyer and you're ready to progress to the next level, this is the programme you want to join. Book a free consult with me to find out whether BE THE FIRST is for you. Book here: https://calendly.com/carolineflanagan/bethefirst

Feeling overwhelmed? You're not alone. Almost everyone I've spoken to these past few weeks (clients included) has commented on the alarming speed with which time is passing and how little control they feel they have over it.

Nobody said lawyering would be easy.

But there are times when even the most efficient and resilient struggle under the weight of the pressure to deliver and the relentless seemingly endless demands being made of them. The last quarter of the year / the festive season / countdown to year end combo - this is one of those times.

It's hard not to feel overwhelmed. To think there's too much to do in too little time and you've got nothing left to give. You may even be questioning your career choices and whether this is something you want long term.

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

This week is the first in a 4-part Overwhelm Series I'm bringing you to support you through one of the most challenging times of the year (even if it's also one of the most festive and fun).

In this episode I share a simple process for getting out of the crisis of overwhelm - when you've reached your limit and you've got nothing left to give - and into the feeling that time is yours and you get to be in charge of it. Here's what I cover:

1. How you know you're experiencing an overwhelm crisis and what it feels like in your body
2. How your thoughts about time make it harder to manage your time
3. The simple mindset shift that will change how you feel and give you authority over your to do list
4. The 4 easy steps you can take right now to get out of overwhelm today

Happy listening

P.S. In BE THE FIRST you learn Time Control, a toolkit of time management strategies that support you to perform well, deliver on time and find more time for the things that matter outside work. If you're a mid to senior level black lawyer and the fear of overwhelm is the reason you're not progressing your career, book a free consult with me and let's talk about how I can help.

Click this link to book into my calendar https://calendly.com/carolineflanagan/bethefirst

Hello and welcome to CONFIDENT Black Lawyers. In this session I explain what it is, who it's for, what you get when you sign up and why it's exactly what you need at this stage of your career.

If you have any questions on the programme, DM me on social or via the comments below and I'd be happy to answer.

INVITATIOIN TO JOIN:

If you're a black lawyer and you're tired of self doubt holding you back in your career, join CONFIDENT Black Lawyers, the new online confidence building programme for black lawyers at every stage of their career, where I give you a proven process and a practical tool for overcoming Imposter Syndrome so you have the confidence to succeed in a white world.

Here's what you get::

• 6 months instant access to the entire online programme which you can work through in your own time and at your own speed, as many times as you want or need to
• Membership of the CONFIDENT Black Lawyers Club, a community of black lawyers inspiring and supporting each other
• 20 live group coaching sessions over 6 months, where you get coached or learn from hearing others get coached
• A private podcast where you can listen to coaching replays
• Easy access to a curated pool of trainings and resources

Click this link to join: https://caroline-flanagan.mykajabi.com/confident-black-lawyers

This week on the podcast it's my pleasure to share the live recording of last Friday's live webinar: How to be confident.

Where are you on your confidence journey?

• are you anxious and worried all the time?
• are you confident at home with family and friends, but a shadow of yourself when at work
• do you know you're good at what you do but something is still holding you back from showing up to your potential
• or perhaps you are confident where you are but when you think about progressing to the next level you're full of doubt

Wherever you are on your confidence journey you're going to have all your confidence questions answered in this recording:

Here's what we cover:

1. Where you are on your confidence journey
2. What confidence means to you and why you want it
3. How Imposter Syndrome is holding you back in your career and what you can do to change it
4. The powerful way to build confidence in who you are and the skills you need to get there
5. CONFIDENT Black Lawyers - my new online programme where you build the confidence to succeed in a white world

P.S. CONFIDENT Black Lawyers is now OPEN FOR ENROLMENT. If you're a black lawyer and you want more confidence, join today.

What you get:

The Course: 6 months instant access to the entire confidence building programme to work through at your own speed and in your own time - fits perfectly into any schedule

The Coaching: 3 x live group coaching calls on the CONFIDENT Black Lawyers process every month. Can't attend? Don't worry - audio recordings of each session will be available via a private podcast for members only, so you can listen at a later date

The Community: membership of the CONFIDENT Black Lawyers community - a growing community of black lawyers all supporting and inspiring each other on their confidence journey

Duration: 6 month programme

Your investment: 600

Doors are open

Join now. Link in bio.

https://caroline-flanagan.mykajabi.com/confident-black-lawyers

You are capable of anything you set your mind to.

The more you believe this is true the more confident you will be in who you are. The more confident you are the easier it will be to navigate the challenges of being black in a white world, the further you will go in your career and the more fulfilling it will be to get there.

Right now "I am capable of anything I set my mind to" is not the thought your brain offers you on a typical day! It's more like "I'm a fraud" "my success is down to luck" and "I'm going to be exposed" (Classic Imposter Syndrome) or, "I'm the only one" "I can't be myself" "Places like this don't want people like me" (Environmental Imposter Syndrome).

The problem with these thoughts is they feel terrible.

They make you feel anxious and stressed and that you're not enough, which drives you to overwork and overthink in a way that holds you back in your career. The result? Lawyering feels hard and overwhelming, you either don't progress or you get left behind and your confidence never grows.

In episode 65 of Legal Imposters I give you a simple and powerful solution to all of this: believe you are capable of anything you set your mind to, and let this thought drive how you feel and how you show up to your day.

This will challenge you at first.

But that's only because you've forgotten who you are. The moment you take the steps to remember not only will you recognise this as true, you'll realise you've know it all along. You'll connect to the person inside of you who is capable of anything and this will give you the confidence to succeed.

I talk you through all of this and the steps you can take to get started, in episode 65 of Legal Imposters. Here's what I cover:

• how your thoughts create your results
• thinking on purpose
• the value of believing you are capable of anything
• how to get started today

P.S. If you're a black lawyer and you're tired of self doubt holding you back in your career, join CONFIDENT Black Lawyers, the new online confidence building programme for black lawyers at every stage of their career, where I give you a proven process and a practical tool for overcoming Imposter Syndrome so you have the confidence to succeed in a white world.

Here's what you get::

• 6 months instant access to the entire online programme which you can work through in your own time and at your own speed, as many times as you want or need to
• membership of the CONFIDENT Black Lawyers Club, a community of black lawyers inspiring and supporting each other
• 20 live group coaching sessions over 6 months, where you get coached or learn from hearing others get coached
• a private podcast where you can listen to coaching replays
• easy access to a curated pool of trainings and resources so you find all the help you need in one place

Doors open officially Friday 15th November 2024 but the link to join is already active. Start building your confidence today by joining now. Click here to sign up:

https://caroline-flanagan.mykajabi.com/confident-black-lawyers