In leadership, few traits are more valuable than a growth mindset—the belief that skills, abilities, and even emotional resilience can be developed through effort and experience. But adopting this mindset is often easier in theory than in practice, especially when chaos hits.

In a recent 1:1 coaching session with a world-class law firm leader and founder, we explored how unexpected disruption can feel overwhelming—and how shifting both mindset and energy can turn those moments into springboards for growth.

Let’s be clear—running a law firm in 2025 isn’t just about being a good lawyer. That’s table stakes. It’s about being a leader, a strategist, and the kind of CEO your firm actually needs.

And here’s the kicker: none of that comes naturally. Leadership isn’t a gene you’re born with. It’s a skill you build. The secret sauce? A growth mindset.

Psychologist Carol Dweck put it simply: your qualities aren’t fixed. They can be developed with effort, smart strategies, and help from others. That’s true in life, but it’s especially true in law firm leadership.

If you’ve built a successful firm but still feel the pull for more, you’re not alone. There’s a particular kind of tension that high-achieving attorneys feel—but rarely discuss:

I’m grateful for all I’ve built… so why do I still want more?

That quiet discomfort—the feeling that something’s missing even though everything “looks” right—is what I call The Gratitude Gap. It’s the internal conflict between contentment and desire, presence and progress, fulfillment and ambition. And if you don’t learn how to reconcile that tension, it doesn’t go away. It compounds.

The “Gratitude Gap” keeps many attorneys stuck in a cycle of striving. This story shows what happens when you stop to acknowledge how far you’ve already come.

In law school, we’re trained to be articulate. To master language. To communicate with precision. And for the most part, we succeed—at least in the courtroom or at the negotiation table. But in the real world of law firm leadership? Articulation alone doesn’t cut it.

What if the biggest leadership breakthrough wasn’t in getting louder—but in getting clearer?

In the world of law firm leadership, power often masquerades as pressure. High expectations are seen as synonymous with excellence. But there’s a subtle, profound distinction between demanding excellence and commanding it—and one managing partner recently made that shift.

Here’s how…

The problem isn’t your calendar. The problem is how you’re relating to the commitments you make to yourself. The paradox is this: when you start keeping promises to yourself, you not only build internal integrity—you elevate your external influence. When you consistently keep promises to yourself, four things happen…

Leadership isn’t about saying the right thing. It’s about saying the right thing the right way. When you shift from being understood to ensuring they understand—when you prioritize impact over intention—you lead differently.

And when you lead differently, everything changes…

Leadership isn’t tested when things are easy. It’s tested in the storm.

A founder and managing partner of a multi-million-dollar plaintiffs’ firm recently found himself navigating one of the most turbulent seasons of his career. In the span of days, he made the difficult decision to let go of multiple team members, including his highest grossing attorney. He wrestled with ethical obligations that led to the filing of bar complaints. He shouldered client communications during an unexpected transition and was suddenly pulled back into the day-to-day legal work he had long since delegated.

It was a lot. And yet, he didn’t just survive the chaos—he led through it. Coaching helped him do that.

There’s a question I love to ask the managing partners I work with—one that cuts through the noise and goes straight to the heart of the matter. The real answer to that question tells you exactly what lives in the gap between how you lead your firm today and how you must lead your firm if you want it to grow beyond you. It gives you the path for the work that must be done if your law firm is to grow beyond you….