What Should Certified Legal Nurse Consultants Do When There’s an Elephant in the Room?

One of my vendors Matthew (the name has been changed to protect the guilty) recently dropped the ball. Because he has a great track record all he really needed to do was acknowledge it and we would have gotten quickly back on track. But instead of owning his mistake, he chose to ignore it, apparently just wishing it would all disappear.

So a week later when we met, he brought a companion – what I call the “elephant in the room.” The elephant in the room is the shame and discomfort that comes with knowing one is wrong, but not having the guts to own it. There we all sat around the table, Matthew, me, a couple of his staffers and a very large elephant.

At first, Matthew’s interactions were so strained it was almost laughable. The elephant just kept growing until it seemed to be taking up half the conference room.

Finally, someone looked at him and said, “Matt, just own it.” At that moment he looked almost relieved and said, “I’m sorry I let everyone down. It won’t happen again.” We all looked at him, said “thanks” and went on with our meeting. The elephant left the building as fast as it arrived because Matthew summoned the courage to finally acknowledge that it was there.

In your CLNC® business, have you ever brought an elephant into a meeting with an attorney-client? You may have dropped the ball and, like Matthew, need to own up to it but can’t seem to summon the courage to do so. Even if the attorney doesn’t mention it, the elephant won’t go away on its own, and the pain it causes you will be much greater than the pain of acknowledging you made a mistake. Plus, every second that the elephant is in the room without acknowledgment is a strain on your professional relationship.

I could write a book on just the mistakes I’ve made. The person who makes no mistakes usually makes nothing at all. I can pretty much guarantee that at some point in your career as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant you’ll walk into a meeting with an attorney-client followed by a large, relentless elephant. You’ll have a choice: fess up or let the elephant take up all the space. You decide!

Success Is Yours, (but the elephant shouldn’t be)!

P.S. Comment and share your legal nurse consulting experiences with elephants in the room and how you have dealt with them.