Bell Nunnally Partner R. Heath Cheek authored The Texas Lawbook article “Ted Lasso Season Two Playbook Offers Mental Health Strategies for Attorneys.” The piece is a follow-up to Cheek’s previous Lawbook article on season one leadership lessons from the Apple TV+ program.
Where the theme of season one was empathy, season two’s theme is clearly about mental health. This message could not be timelier for attorneys. Mental health has become the hottest topic in the legal profession right now. The reasons are threefold. First, with “work from home” being normalized during the pandemic, many attorneys feel that the line between home and work has been eviscerated. Second, there are changing generational attitudes towards work/life balance among the millennials who form the junior ranks of most companies. Third, working remote increases a sense of isolation for attorneys and is not conducive to a normal feedback loop regarding performance or job satisfaction. Between these factors, the legal profession is seeing a dramatic increase in burnout and turnover. This issue is not exclusive to the legal profession and is a hot topic of conversation among our peers in investment banking, accounting, consulting and other similar practices.
Here are excerpts from a few of Cheek’s takeaways, minus spoilers:
It may not work out how you think it will or how you hope it does, but believe me, it will all work out.
While a particular event (i.e., a closing or a hearing) can cause stress in the moment, when I look back at all the times I’ve felt that in the past I realized how foolhardy it was to stress by something which eventually works out (albeit oftentimes with a lot of work). Take a breath. It’s all going to work out.
I think things come into our lives to help us get from one place to a better one.
The experiences, trials and tribulations we go through shape who we are. Think of how many doors have opened or closed for you in the past that you were stressed about at the time but ended up being for the best (e.g., jobs, relationships or educational opportunities).
Doing the right thing is never the wrong thing.
It’s simple and perfect. You can put it on a t-shirt or a bumper sticker and make the world happy.
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R. Heath Cheek