Recent Articles

Number One Concern for 4 Generations of Lawyers? It's the Economy Stupid!

Cynthia Pladziewicz
March 13, 2012 01:31

Fifty-year lawyer Rust Reid smiles when he remembers his starting salary as a newly-minted attorney: "New lawyers were more like apprentices, paid about the same as public school teachers and worth a lot less." Recently Reid and I participated in a panel discussion at the Dallas Bar...

Microaggressions: How we unintentionally injure our friends and clients

Cynthia Pladziewicz
September 29, 2011 20:03

Everyone has experienced it, a brief back-handed slight wrapped in the form of praise. Sara Martin writes in this month's issue of Monitor on Psychology about the ways in which these sometimes unintentional acts leave lasting damage. She points by way of example to the "praise" that others have...

Microaggressions: How we unintentionally injure our friends and clients

Cynthia Pladziewicz
September 29, 2011 20:03

Everyone has experienced it, a brief back-handed slight wrapped in the form of praise. Sara Martin writes in this month's issue of Monitor on Psychology about the ways in which these sometimes unintentional acts leave lasting damage. She points by way of example to the "praise" that others have...

Do Women Wait Too Long Before Claiming Power?

Cynthia Pladziewicz
August 30, 2011 12:23

Do women handle recognition and power differently than men?   In a recent interview, Karen Moses, Chief Operating Officer of Australia's Origin Energy put it this way:   The key difference I see between men and women at work is that the men are prepared to demand to be heard...

A Landmaam and an Engineer: Investing in the Next Generation of Women Leaders

Cynthia Pladziewicz
July 13, 2011 23:55

Recently I spoke to an impressive group of women leaders attending the Women's Energy Network North Texas leadership conference.  As i looked out on this successful group of women, I couldn't help but think how proud June Brooks would have been.  I was privileged to know Mrs....

Women Lawyers: So many achievers, where are the leaders?

Cynthia Pladziewicz
June 26, 2011 02:06

Anne Doyle, author of Powering Up, a new field guide for women leaders, asks:   So many achievers, where are the leaders? Her question is particularly relevant for women lawyers. In a nation where women have comprised half of law school graduates for the past 10 years, a percentage that...

Lessons from the Dalai Lama on Building Relationships

Cynthia Pladziewicz
May 10, 2011 02:17

Recently, I attended a talk by the Dalai Lama at Southern Methodist University's Hart Global Leaders Forum for high school students. Fortunately for me, my alma mater doled out a few extra tickets to alums and I got to watch in awe from the second balcony as his Holiness connected with those...

Stress: What to Do When You Just Want Your Mother

Cynthia Pladziewicz
May 07, 2011 13:17

Every beetle is a gazelle in the eyes of its mother.   Moorish proverb As I follow my friends on Facebook this day before Mother's Day, I notice posts that, like mine, resonate with grief and appreciation for lost Moms. Let's face it, no one else cares about you like your mother did or...

Do Your Clients Know How Often You Think About Them?

Cynthia Pladziewicz
April 16, 2011 14:07

Last weekend I had a computer crisis that I resolved via Apple's online chat support.  I typed my question and hit "Send."  Immediately a thought bubble appeared on the chat screen.  I love the thought bubble.  It tells me: I heard you.  Don't worry that I haven't...

How to Accomplish More By Doing Less

Cynthia Pladziewicz
March 18, 2011 12:38

Tomorrow I leave for a 2 week vacation in France. As I pull the excess stuff from my overpacked suitcase, I'm applying the wisdom of Leo Babauta's book The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential...in Business and in Life, summarized beautifully by Josh...