"If you've got problems in your organization, almost always, you've created them. You get the employees you deserve, and you get the culture you deserve.” - Liz Wiseman

People are hard-wired for contribution. An underutilized team is an exhausted, underperforming team. Challenge that same team and ask them to stretch in a safe, supportive environment and they will contribute everything they have — feeling exhilarated in the process. This is what Liz Wiseman found after a decade of researching the best (and the worst) leaders in the world.

In her latest book, “Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Pay Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact,” Liz answers the question: Why do some people play at their full potential while others remain underutilized? Her comprehensive research of 170 companies decodes the mindset and behavior of high-impact performers and explains how peak performance is available to everyone.

Liz Wiseman is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author, CEO of the Wiseman Group, and masterful researcher. Liz’s work — anchored in leadership and collective intelligence — has earned her recognition as a top leadership thinker in the world. A frequent guest lecturer at BYU and Stanford University, she often writes for Harvard Business Review and Fortune. An executive advisor who teaches leadership, her recent clients include Apple, AT&T, Disney, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Nike, Salesforce, Tesla, and Twitter.

In this episode, Liz discusses the five situations that set high-impact players apart and how teams can adopt the behavior. We also cover what law firms can do to attract an all-star team of top-performing talent.

For Liz, attracting and retaining the best talent for your law firm begins with great leadership, best described in two and a half words:

“Safety and Stretch. The ‘and’ is the half. The best leaders create an environment of safety where people can speak the truth. They have the permission to step up and lead. Even when nobody has anointed them a leader, they feel safe.” - Liz Wiseman

Great contributors want to work with great leaders. But what should a firm look for in a potential high-performing candidate? Liz recommends hiring people with the least coachable essentials: a sense of agency, willingness to learn, and informal orientation toward hierarchy. The rest can be developed.

Game changing marketers are connectors at heart. They cast aside the hunt for the lowest cost-per-click and ROI in exchange for genuine relationships. They make an individual feel seen and understood while talking to thousands at once.

Just as trial attorneys invest in pre-trial to maximize the value of the case, elite marketing campaigns are treated as an asset — invested generously. It is in the spirit of wise investments that we bring you some of the best marketing insights that challenge convention and spearhead innovation.

Imperfect consistency will win every time. Digital marketing moves at warp speed. To stay relevant requires nimble execution. Billy Gene Shaw is consistent in both delivery and innovation by producing daily digital content.

If you want your law firm to be number one, you have to say it — and say it often to the people you want to hear it.

Do one thing and do it well. Seth Godin posits that to become extraordinary, attorneys have to pick a focus and increase the quality of cases. Placing constraints on a law firm creates a box with edges that can be leaned into — it is in pushing these specific boundaries that innovation is possible.

Lawyers do not need to serve everyone to be successful. Pat Flynn discusses the merits of hyper-focusing existing community members and converting them into superfans.

Great content gives the client value. It demonstrates an understanding of their unique challenges and that you — and you alone — can solve them. But simply listing a law firm's success stats and data won't cut it. Ryan Deiss spent over $15 million on testing marketing strategies to understand what works. He knows that storytelling will win every time. Cost-per-click is a stable commodity. The competitive edge comes not from hacks or tricks, but from following up with the lead and turning a prospect into a client.

It’s easy to think of elite athletes as physical outliers, genetic anomalies who are destined for success. But of course, just because you have the tools doesn’t mean you can put it all together.

The greatest athletes in any sport aren’t the most physically gifted; they’re the ones who transcended their physical limitations and became something more. Training, mental fortitude, problem solving, poise under pressure — athletes have myriad skills that have been forged in the crucible of competition. And these skills don’t just apply to sports. They’re transferable to the courtroom and the law office.

To that end, we’re bringing you the best insights from our conversations with four of the world’s most elite athletes so that you can step up your performance and make your career elite.

For all these athletes, the wins and records stem from training. But it’s not just about hitting the gym; it’s the mentality you bring to that practice. George Foreman III never lost a professional fight, in part because he challenged himself in training and took his losses there. By the time he got in the ring, the bout was simple compared to what he had overcome before.

For attorneys, so much of the outcome is determined before you set foot in the courtroom. The game is when you show how well you’ve prepared.

Each of these athletes also carries incredible competitive spirit. But to turn success into dominance, you can’t just rely on best practices — that’s what Mat Fraser found. At the elite levels of CrossFit, everybody was training hard. To win five titles in a row, Mat had to find the 1% gains on the fringes — perfecting his nutrition, his sleep, his travel. Stacking these small advantages gave him an edge on competition that led to sustained excellence.

And just like law, reaching new heights involves navigating the low points. In their journeys, Mark Beaumont and James Lawrence pushed themselves to the limit. They fought through injuries, exhaustion, and the elements. As they persevered, they found they had reserves of strength they didn’t even know about. When James reached his goal of 100 triathlons in 100 days, he ran another, just to show that you can always do one more. Mental toughness isn’t simply a cliche. It’s a skill, cultivated by consistently challenging yourself.

There’s so much for game-changers to learn from these athletes. Their competitive spirit is parallel to some of the top attorneys in the field, as is their relentless drive to be great. So pop in your earbuds, click play, and start your training. No montage necessary.

In this episode:

"A lot of people have pretty outrageous lifestyles (out of balance), and then they try and fix it with what I call self-soothing. Self-soothing is, ‘How can I numb, put on hold for a while, or procrastinate? How can I take a break before I go back to the same world that caused me pain?’ Self-care is, ‘How do I have daily habits and dedications that keep my energy supply high, that keep me restored and renewed, not just soothed or numbed?’” - Cy Wakeman

Choose How To Feel

Life is full of challenges. But while we might not have a say in the experiences we encounter, what few of us realize is that we actually have a choice in how we feel about those situations. Unfortunately, choosing how we respond to certain events isn’t always as easy as flipping a switch. It can take some practice. Thankfully, Cy Wakeman knows a thing or two about reprogramming our reactions.

Cy Wakeman is a drama researcher and leadership consultant whose expertise (cultivated over a 25-year career) has helped to transform numerous teams in Fortune 100 companies for the better. Voted the #1 leadership professional in 2021, Cy has distilled her knowledge into her newest book, *Life's Messy, Live Happy,* to help us all live lives with less suffering.

In this episode, Cy talks us through some of the ways we can change our perspective on those inevitable setbacks to help us live happier and more productive lives. We also discuss how changing our vocabulary can have a drastic impact on our outlook, and we’ll learn how most of our suffering comes from within.

Turn “Why We Can’t” into “How We Can”

When a wrench gets thrown in our plans, many of us naturally assume that whatever we were trying to achieve can no longer be done. We see this a lot in our workplaces: someone calls in sick, and suddenly the deadline you were all working to hit can’t be achieved. But by simply reframing our language during these situations, we can actually overcome these obstacles more often than not.

Cy tells us all about the power that changing our vocabulary can have and explains how considering other perspectives in times of adversity can show us alternate paths to success. We also dive into what some of the keywords are that can help us find opportunity and hope when it seems like the world is working against us.

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"We know from the Betty Ford Hazelton study that lawyers suffer from alcohol use disorder at a rate almost twice the general public. We know if you're a millennial lawyer, it’s over a third with alcohol use disorder. We are a profession in crisis from that standpoint in terms of mental health. And it's hard to be a game-changing lawyer and it's hard to lead when we're not taking care of our own mental health struggles.” - Brian Cuban

The Road to Recovery

Being a lawyer is stressful: long hours, high stakes situations, the threat of losing cases. As an attorney, people’s lives and potentially millions of dollars depend on you. Many lawyers turn to substances to help them handle that stress. That’s the message that Brian Cuban is here to share through his own personal struggle with addiction and mental health.

Brian, brother of billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban, is an attorney and addiction recovery advocate. He’s the author of “The Addicted Lawyer,” which unflinchingly recounts his own addiction to alcohol and cocaine. Brian knows firsthand the vicious cycles of substance abuse and that even high-functioning lawyers might be falling apart inside.

On this special episode, we hear about Brian’s long road to recovery, from his fight with body dysmorphia and eating disorders to addiction’s rock bottom, and how he eventually turned his life around.

An At-Risk Population

One reason that Brian chose to become such a vocal advocate is that he didn’t see any recovery content geared towards lawyers — but the data shows that those in the legal profession are more likely to struggle with addiction than the general population.

Plus, the trials of recovery can present unique challenges to attorneys. For instance, one maxim Brian preaches is vulnerability. But that openness is given a negative connotation in law school and training. “We learn to take advantage of vulnerability on the witness stand or in the mediation room or wherever it is,” he says. “You look for weakness, but what we don't look for is our humanity.”

This is why Brian is so brutally honest about his own story. As he puts it, “I am an expert in my journey, nothing more...If you can take some commonality and apply that to yourself in taking a positive step, that is wonderful.”

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"You gotta be persistent and relentless. I don't know that there's anybody in this world that things are just going to be given to. People aren't going to go out of their way to help you and make your life easy. You're going to have to take agency over yourself and over your own decisions and say, ‘I'm going to help make this happen.’” - Michael Mogill

Michael Mogill: The Game Changer

Michael Mogill is the Founder and CEO of Crisp. What began as a video production company soon evolved to meet the changing needs of deserving law firm owners: from relentless digital marketing to transformational growth coaching that builds strong business foundations for law firms around the country. Michael and the Crisp team continued to innovate, founding the Game Changers Summit (the largest law firm growth conference on earth), hosting the #1 podcast for legal market leaders, and even authoring the go-to guide on law firm transformation in his best-seller, “The Game Changing Attorney.”

In this super special episode of The Game Changing Attorney Podcast, Michael takes a turn in the hot seat as his wife (and Crisp’s Head of Coaching Strategy) Jessica Mogill dives into what it is that makes Michael tick. They’ll explore which qualities Michael values as a leader, how he copes with the pressures of running such a large organization, and we’ll finally find out what Michael thinks it takes to be a game changer.

First-Class Leader, Terrible Employee

Some of the qualities that make great innovators and entrepreneurs simply don’t gel with most employers’ idea of the model employee. Questioning the status quo and making radical decisions might get you ahead of the competition when you’re running your own business, but they might get you fired if you’re working for someone else.

Michael shares how his early experiences as an employee helped to shape him into the leader he is today. He details how a waiting job kickstarted his appetite for competition, and he discusses what he believes to be some of the core tenets of a great boss, such as being the first one in and the last one out and ensuring that everyone else has been taken care of before taking care of yourself.

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“I'm happy I get to do it my own way. I get to have fun with it. I'd hear other attorneys in the community say, ‘that's so tacky’ and ‘it's unethical.’ But I'm like, ‘Good,’ you know? Don't you want to have fun? Wouldn't you like to do it your way, if you could do it your way and you could succeed?” - Dan Gerl

Let the Good Times Roll(s)

In late 2019, Dan Gerl had one of the most terrifying experiences a parent can have. Out of nowhere one day, his 4-month-old son Jack had a heart attack and stopped breathing. After they rushed him to the hospital, Dan and his family learned of a rare type of tumor in Jack’s heart. For months, they all lived on pins and needles as they waited for the surgery that might save their son. Procedures were delayed due to COVID. Jack got the flu and couldn’t travel to his pre-op assessment. Just as they discovered that Jack was eligible for surgery, Dan’s mother passed away.

It’s a testament to Dan’s strength that throughout all of this, he continued to run his highly successful criminal defense firm, Puget Law Group. He also continued his commitment to his coaching program and even took things to the next level by competing in the Crisp Effect. Through it all, he created powerful, creative videos documenting his 2020 experience: with the firm, with his mother, and with Jack.

At the Game Changers Summit 3 in 2021, Dan was recognized by 2,500 of his peers for growing his firm 200% and the powerful positivity that permeated his work. As the winner of the Crisp Effect Challenge, he walked away with the keys to a $300,000 Rolls-Royce Ghost. But the greatest win of all is that his son Jack had successful heart surgery, has fully recovered, and has been growing and thriving ever since.

Doing His Share

Dan’s work doesn’t just demonstrate his positivity. It’s a window into his creative spirit. A former graphic designer, Dan uses his skillset to create a distinctive brand full of humor, swagger, and eye-catching visuals. He’s found ingenious ways to employ this advantage, zigging where other law firms zag, especially during COVID. As Dan says, “We got big time into buying up outdoor advertising — doubling and tripling our marketing efforts — because nobody else was doing it.”

But for all his creative and professional success, Dan is still incredibly humble. He doesn’t care if his name is on the door. He has made big sacrifices, relinquishing his role in the courtroom and recruiting talented partners to share his stake in the firm. He’s never looked back. “I wanted to build something that would, that would grow and have significance. The potential for that is exponentially greater than what I had.”

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“Dark days don't last forever. You have to be open to what's coming next. In so many situations I could say that I didn't see it coming and felt blindsided. But oftentimes, I don't see the light coming. And I know that the light is even brighter because I had a dark moment.” - Kara Goldin

A Keen Eye and a Strong Will

Entrepreneurs don’t just come up with one idea and call it quits. Their minds are always working, looking for unsolved problems and keeping an eye on the competition’s blind spots. But a sixth sense for a great opportunity isn’t enough if you want to be the next big thing. You need to have the conviction to see that idea through to the first product, customer, or big deal and beyond, because your competition won’t sit idly by while you carve out a market of your own — they’ll be ready to fight back.

Kara Goldin is the Founder of Hint and the author of “Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters.”

When Kara realized that the diet beverages she was drinking were doing more harm than good, her mind turned to finding a healthier, unsweetened alternative. But even the “healthy” choices on the market still contained ingredients that Kara didn’t want to put in her body (or anyone else’s). From this unsuccessful search, Hint was born. But Kara didn’t just limit Hint’s healthy ethos solely to beverages. Soon the company evolved into the premier “better-for-you” brand, producing deodorants, sunscreen, and a host of other personal care products.

The Importance of the Outsider’s Perspective

Sometimes the greatest innovations in an industry come not from the big players already in the market, but from the outsiders — because while having solid traditions or ways of doing things might be useful when it comes to selling an existing product, those same traditions can also act as a blindfold when trying to see things from a new perspective.

Kara explains how a meeting with an executive from one of the world’s leading drinks manufacturers revealed how these companies had become blinded by and bound to the established ways of doing things. We discuss how breaking into markets with no experience can actually be a blessing as long as you have the drive to push past the naysayers and believe in your product.

Always Keep Your Options Open

As is so often the case, one key to success is to never put all your eggs in one basket. Whether that’s running marketing campaigns across various channels or not spending too much time on one client, ensuring you spread your efforts can mean the difference between sinking or swimming when the rug is pulled out from under you.

We discuss how Hint persevered after an exclusive deal with the world’s largest coffee chain fell through, severing one of Kara’s key distribution channels. She explains how sometimes the sweetest deal may hold you on the tightest leash, and how you can avoid being caught out simply by keeping your options open and putting those eggs in multiple baskets.

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There won't always be a set path to your destination — especially if you're going where no one's gone before. If there was one thread that connected the game changers we talked to this season, it's that they forge their own paths. To push themselves, these leaders build challenges that seem impossible, things no one would ever dream of doing. Then they create strategies and teams to conquer those challenges, one step at a time.

We also talked to some fascinating psychologists, who opened our eyes on the science behind human behavior: how ideas spread, how our actions are perceived, and the power each of us holds to influence our communities.

Not one of the guests on Season 2 claimed to have achieved success alone — each one had people they relied on. Whether it was a community of academics, a professional team, or a supportive family, they surrounded themselves with competence and purpose, everyone pulling towards the same goal.

Finally, all of these amazing guests found ways to appreciate the journey along the way. The challenges they faced were grueling, but the support of their loved ones and the things they learned about themselves made it all worthwhile.

In the final episode of Season 2, we're bringing you conversations that will inspire you to aim high in the coming year and give you direction on how to reach the lofty goals you set.

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Game changers see the world differently. They question convention. They break from the norm. They challenge the status quo.

They know that in order to not just succeed but excel, simply doing "the done thing" isn't enough. And no matter where their passions lie, this mindset remains a constant alongside their drive to innovate.

Over the course of Season 2, we've spoken with modern revolutionaries in all fields. From philosophers to entrepreneurs, lawyers to hoteliers, we've discussed the strategies they've employed to transform their industries and earn them the accolade of game changer.

In the first of our two-part season finale of The Game Changing Attorney Podcast, we bring you the highlights from some of the most thought-provoking conversations of Season 2. Listen in as we discuss with law firm owners and leading minds what sets them apart from the competition — and how you can break away from the pack too.

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