Certified Legal Nurse Consultants – Buck-Up and Heed My Advice

In my 41 years of legal nurse consulting education, I have personally mentored thousands of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants and CLNC® graduates. After all these years, I still love to mentor. I think it’s in my DNA and I like knowing that the advice I’m giving doesn’t come from a textbook or some other expert. I’ve lived it for 41 years and I always pride myself on the fact that my advice is real and grounded – there’s no fluff. Of all the mentors at LegalNurse.com, I’m probably the toughest. I’ve always lived a “buck-up” lifestyle and don’t like it when a person makes excuses for why they can’t do what they know they have to do to succeed.

I’m also never afraid to say I don’t know or that I have to research a question (a skill I learned from consulting with attorneys). What I want you to know is that my advice is only as good as your willingness to receive it and do something with it.

Here are the true Hollywood stories of two different legal nurse consultants and their different reactions to my mentoring. The first is a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant who’s been in business for more than 10 years. He asked me to critique a promotional piece he created for his attorney-prospects. When I communicated my input, I started by saying that I wasn’t sure if he wanted to redo the promo piece, but that my feedback would require him to do so. His response was, “Absolutely, I’ll do it!” and he did.

The other is a student with zero years of experience. She has bombarded me and other CLNC mentors with question after question, all without putting any of it into practice. With every piece of advice offered, she instantly jumps in to say why the advice is wrong for her or just won’t work. Rather than becoming a successful CLNC Consultant, she’s become an expert in what won’t work, never having tried to find out what will work. She’s imprisoned inside a cage of her own making. She has the tools to break out, but won’t put them to use.

I have a dear friend who’s 79 years old. She’s embracing technology but always sends me text messages written in ALL CAPS. It’s harmless to me, and I don’t have the heart to tell her she’s SHOUTING. But, when I’m working with a CLNC graduate or student, I feel it’s my obligation to correct their behavior and to tell them even those things they might not want to hear. It’s in my DNA to be honest and hopefully, it’s in your DNA to listen to my advice.

If I can borrow and paraphrase Danny DeVito’s great line from the movie, War of the Roses, “when someone who gets paid $400/hour wants to give you free advice, you should listen.” When you’ve asked advice from an expert, whether you’re paying for it or not, you should be ready to listen. It doesn’t mean you should blindly follow it. I’ve gotten advice from high-powered business experts that was clearly wrong for me, but I at least considered it before rejecting it outright.

When you ask an expert’s advice you don’t have to heed it, but here’s what I do recommend: use your own mind to decide your final course, but first receive the expert’s advice with openness and curiosity. Consider the experience of the person giving you the advice. Contrary to what the amateurs like to think, all opinions are not created equal. Look at the qualities and qualifications of the person giving you the advice. Have they ever run a successful business? Are they in business at all or are they living off someone else’s coattails?

If the advice is from a credible expert, ask yourself why you are resisting that advice. Is it because the advice is not a right fit for you? Or, are you rejecting it because it will require you to stretch yourself or do something inconvenient or outside the comfort zone you’ve built around yourself?

There’s an old joke about a woman who prayed every night asking to win the lottery. One day her prayer was answered by a voice telling her she needed first to buy a lottery ticket. You can get all the advice in the world, but until you put it into use, literally buy a ticket for the ride to success, or as I like to say, put some skin into the game, advice will be just that – advice. The only way you’ll learn whether it’s good or bad is to take the advice and take action.

Remember, we are not defined by our past. We are not defined by our future. We are only defined by this very moment and what we do with it. Take my advice on this.

Success Is Yours,

P.S. Comment and share the best advice you have taken for your CLNC business.