ABA Journal Blawg 100!
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Barristers behaving badly
It’s becoming routine to read about lawyers behaving poorly—throwing punches in the courthouse, bartering legal services for sex, submitting 185 pages of deposition bickering to a judge, or being suspended for a deposition tirade. (The reader comments on that last one are pretty funny if you like that sort of thing.)
We’ve all heard how incivility is an ever-present issue all across the country. No one is surprised (at least we don’t think so) that lawyers can be as uncivil as anyone else. But with the downturn in the economy, increasing numbers of unhappy people are being forced to stay in their jobs and we might expect to see increasing numbers of hostile encounters such as those linked to above. And, sadly, while nicer people are often elevated to positions of power, once they get there, they often lose the nice qualities that elevated them in the first place.
So what can you do? You can educate yourself and remain aware of how your mood and stress level can have impact on your interactions with others. The more cognizant you are of your own functioning, the less likely you are to take your frustrations out on others. Here are two strategies to use to manage yourself effectively in the workplace:
Be just assertive enough: Bob Sutton is a researcher and author who writes a lot about communication in the workplace and how to be a good boss. He has a piece here on maintaining a balance in how you communicate with others.
Watch what you say about others: It’s easy to let negative thoughts about others slip out when you are frustrated. However, if you want to be happy, kind-hearted and emotionally stable (and don’t we all?) it is a good thing to pay attention to what you say about others. Being nice matters. And now we know it matters to your own well-being, too.
Related posts:
Barristers Behaving Badly (The Jury Room) http://bit.ly/90E3Wv
Barristers behaving badly http://bit.ly/c3fLEL Who knew!
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