Justia Connect Webinars Taming High-Performing Nightmares: A Leadership Survival Guide

Taming High-Performing Nightmares: A Leadership Survival Guide

In this program, Scott Mason, Transformational Coach for Attorneys, teaches how to survive one of the most treacherous traps a new lawyer-leader might encounter: dealing with the toxic superstar.

While a high-performing individual may initially appear as an asset, their interpersonal or ethical issues can jeopardize not only the team but also the leader's own career.

This program provides a comprehensive framework to effectively manage such situations, which can be adapted to handle other complex legal leadership challenges. It also offers strategic and detailed, practical tips tailored to both novice and seasoned lawyer-leaders.

This program is an indispensable resource for aspiring law firm and legal unit leaders looking to minimize the risk of becoming unwitting accomplices to unethical behaviors, preemptively address legal and reputational risks that toxic superstars can present, and maintain the confidence and authority to guide their team to optimal performance and success.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the risks associated with tolerating toxic behaviors within a firm or other legal environment.

Identify and dispel common myths surrounding high-performance leadership, especially those that may lead attorneys to tolerate toxic superstars.

Gain a deeper understanding of the true nature of toxic leadership behaviors.

Connect core values and ethical grounding to leadership, re-establishing credibility lost via the toxic superstar.

What is needed to build a plan that both manages the employee and rebuilds your firm’s culture.

Topics covered include: Law Practice Management

Agenda:

Introduction
- Why this course is important for lawyers
- Ethical considerations and risks
Who This Course Is For
- About the instructor
- Agenda and overview
How & Why Great Leaders Get Held Hostage by Toxic Employees
- Toxic myths
- Toxic roles
- Putting it all together
Rebuilding Your Credibility
- Reconnecting with your values (corporate & personal)
- Connecting values to your purpose as a leader in the organization
- The role of charisma
Build an Action Plan
- Purpose of the plan
- Five key elements
Key Takeaways

Questions & Answers

Duration of this webinar: 60 minutes

Originally broadcast: October 08, 2024 11:00 AM PT

Webinar Highlights

This webinar is divided into section summaries, which you can scan for key points and then dive into the sections that interest you the most.

00:00 Introduction and Speaker Overview

Nina introduces the webinar, highlighting its eligibility for CLE credit and the benefits of Justia Connect Pro membership. She emphasizes the importance of claiming a profile in the Justia lawyer directory to access these benefits. Scott Mason, the speaker, is introduced as an attorney and leadership coach who will discuss managing high-performing nightmares in leadership roles. Scott shares a story about a COO whose toxic behavior, despite high performance, led to significant organizational issues. The story illustrates the risks of tolerating such behavior, including reputational and legal challenges.

06:10 Understanding High-Performing Nightmares

Scott defines a high-performing nightmare as someone who excels in key performance metrics but lacks interpersonal skills, causing organizational disruption. He stresses the importance of addressing these individuals due to their potential to impact financial and cultural aspects negatively. For lawyers, tolerating such behavior can lead to ethical issues and risks to their professional licenses. Scott highlights the need for lawyer leaders to manage these situations effectively to maintain their credibility and avoid legal repercussions. He references the ABA's Model Rules to outline ethical considerations relevant to managing high-performing nightmares.

12:47 Ethical and Leadership Challenges

Scott discusses the ethical implications of tolerating misconduct by high-performing nightmares, referencing specific ABA Model Rules. He explains that successful leadership requires balancing performance metrics with interpersonal relationships. High-performing nightmares complicate this balance, potentially undermining leadership effectiveness. Scott introduces the concept of leadership dependency, emphasizing the importance of managing the entire team, not just high performers. He identifies the target audience for the webinar as lawyers in leadership roles or those aspiring to such positions.

18:24 Addressing Toxic Myths and Roles

Scott outlines the agenda, focusing on how leaders can become hostage to toxic employees and how to rebuild credibility. He introduces the concept of toxic myths, which are narratives that can empower high-performing nightmares. Scott explains that fear-based management can lead to a toxic work environment, driving away top talent. He identifies roles like the victim, bystander, and fool that leaders may play, which perpetuate toxic dynamics. Scott emphasizes the importance of self-accountability and the need to change these roles to regain control.

35:06 Rebuilding Leadership Credibility

Scott stresses the importance of aligning personal and organizational values to rebuild leadership credibility. He advises leaders to document their values and assess their behavior in ethical conflicts to ensure alignment. Scott recommends candid discussions with trusted individuals to gain insights into one's adherence to values. He suggests tying values to purpose and understanding one's leadership purpose to guide decision-making. Scott highlights the need for leaders to change behaviors that do not align with their purpose, especially when dealing with high-performing nightmares.

46:16 Developing an Action Plan

Scott advises creating a detailed action plan to address high-performing nightmares and reset organizational culture. He emphasizes the importance of setting clear goals for both the individual and the organization. Scott recommends using legal and HR expertise to ensure actions align with ethical and organizational standards. He stresses the need for alignment between actions, values, and organizational purpose. Scott highlights the role of accountability systems in ensuring the successful implementation of the action plan.

56:16 Q&A and Conclusion

Scott summarizes key takeaways, emphasizing the tension between business expectations and ethical imperatives caused by high-performing nightmares. He warns of the reputational and ethical risks of ineffective management of such individuals. Scott advises acknowledging these challenges and embracing a growth mindset to initiate change. He stresses the importance of clarifying values and purpose to rebuild credibility and develop charisma for effective communication. Scott concludes with the need for a comprehensive action plan to address cultural issues and restore leadership credibility.

Please note this AI-generated summary provides a general overview of the webinar but may not capture all details, nuances, or the exact words of the speaker. For complete accuracy, please refer to the original webinar recording.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Credits

*CLE credit is only available to Justia Connect Pros. Not a Pro? Upgrade today>>

California CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: June 30, 2026

South Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 General

Difficulty: All Levels

Earn Credit Until: December 31, 2025

North Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: February 28, 2026

This presentation is approved for one hour of General CLE credit in California, South Carolina (all levels), and North Carolina.

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At this time, Justia only offers CLE courses officially accredited in certain states. Lawyers may generate a generic attendance certificate to self-submit credit in their own jurisdiction, but Justia does not guarantee that lawyers will receive their desired CLE credit through the self-submission or reciprocity process.

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Speaker

Scott Mason Executive Leadership Coach

Scott Mason is the Myth Slayer: an attorney and transformational executive leadership coach for lawyers looking to uplevel their careers or leadership skill — and have a future that is epic. Based on his trailblazing signature framework, Scott will help you or the leaders in your firm/organization become:

More connected to themselves, each other, and your mission.
Creative — leading to innovation and consistent achievement of organizational goals.
Resilient, especially when times are tough.