Casey Berman, How to Showcase Your Unique Skills and Create an Enjoyable Life – InnovaBuzz 426
Casey Berman, Leave Law Behind
In this episode, I’m really excited to have as my guest, Casey Berman of Leave Law Behind, where attorneys can learn to expand beyond or outright leave their current legal practice in order to start a business, create an enjoyable lifestyle, and feel cool about themselves all over again.
Casey is a creative and interpersonal senior marketing and communications executive, former lawyer, and business founder with 15+ years of market research, strategy, and executive communications experience in the technology, eCommerce, digital media, and consumer software segments.
In our discussion, Casey talked to me about:
- The importance of self-awareness and mindset in pursuing your dream career
- The power of storytelling
- His 3 unique genius questions
Oleg Lougheed in episode 410 introduced us to Casey.
Listen to the podcast to find out more.
Listen to the Podcast
The best way to overcome or mitigate fear is to shine a light on it. Look at it and give it a name. @CaseyBerman on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet
Show Notes from this episode with Casey Berman of Leave Law Behind
Key points and takeaways from this episode include:
- People learn through stories.
- A change is not about getting rid of your past. It is a stepping stone.
- Lawyers have fantastic skills. They tell stories and connect the dots. They can upsell and present under pressure. There’s a ton of great skills that lawyers have that are transferable to non-law jobs.
- The best way to overcome or mitigate fear is to shine a light on it. Look at it and give it a name.
- Opportunities present themselves once you decide to recognise and let go of your fear.
- Let go of your identity. Get rid of the things that aren’t beneficial to you.
- Our identity is just a story. It can be great. It can give us motivation, aspiration, and a sense of community. At the same time, it can also trap us and weigh us down.
- Understand what your story is and the narrative that you are telling yourself. Pluck out the things that are beneficial for you and put a spotlight on the things that may weigh you down, then make the call if there are some things you can shed.
- Free yourself of this identity of having to be an entrepreneur. Just get things done and provide value. Doing so will open a lot of things for you.
- Create a vision statement – what is your WHY, then think about HOW you are going to do it.
- A lot of pain, suffering, and job dissatisfaction in the world is because of the disconnect between one’s skills and strengths, and what the job description calls for.
- Focus on yourself first – what are your skills and strengths?
- Ask your network of people you trust these 3 questions:
- What do I do well?
- What advice do you come to me for?
- What do I do for free?
- Gather all of your skills and traits and organise them into areas such as intrapersonal skills, leadership skills, creative skills, etc. to create a path for your story. Once you get that narrative that is really based on your true skills and traits, it becomes really easy to match jobs and get out there.
- A story is the best way to persuade and get people to act.
A story is the best way to persuade and get people to act. @CaseyBerman on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet
The Buzz – Our Innovation Round
Here are Casey’s answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.
- #1 thing to be more innovative – Empathy. Being empathetic is not just being sympathetic. It is being in someone’s shoes and understanding people. It makes it a lot easier to get things done. Empathy triggers a whole new way of thinking.
- Best thing for new ideas – Reading, spending time alone and brainstorming with people. Take the time to let your mind wander.
- Favourite tool for innovation – Anything where I can get my ideas out – paper, document, slides, flowcharts.
- Keep project/client on track – Setting reminders, accountability, and giving clear directions. Remind yourself to remind them. Keep yourself on track so you can keep them on track.
- Differentiate – Be yourself. Work at it, hone it, find out what works and what doesn’t. Be yourself but also realise that you can stay fluid.
To Be a Leader
If you’re struggling in any way, remember that a miracle is just a change in perspective. An expectation is just something we impose on ourselves. It is the difference between what we’re thinking and what we expect that causes suffering. Think about how you can view it with a different perspective because there is always a better way. If you’re feeling great, celebrate it then step back and observe what else can come out for you.
Reach Out
You can reach out and thank Casey through his website and on LinkedIn.
Links
Cool Things About Casey
- He graduated from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1999.
- He holds a BA in Rhetoric from the University of California at Berkeley and a JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
- He is licensed by the State Bar of California and holds the Series 7 and 63 security licenses.
Empathy makes it a lot easier to get things done, and it triggers a whole new way of thinking. @CaseyBerman on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet