idealawg

Advice for Gen Y from a partner at Steptoe & Johnson

Excerpt:

Seldom do people succeed by sheer luck. "Luck" occurs when opportunity meets preparation. Take this time to prepare yourself for future opportunities.

Several key areas exist on which to focus your preparation.

Communication is one. Technology has created a prime opportunity, but not in the manner in which you might think. Technology has created a large communication gap between you and the Baby Boomers.

Baby Boomers are accustomed to and demand direct, face-to-face communication. They place a high priority on relationships. Before they "do business" with you or accept you, they want to know you.

They want to see you, size you up and develop a rapport with you.

Often, Baby Boomers will say, "I have a good feeling about that person." An online exchange in a chat room or a text message does not fill this need. Baby Boomers prefer direct, personal communication. For most Baby Boomers, technology is a means to complete a task, not a way to create a business relationship or socialize.

I realize that you cannot imagine a world in which technology is not essential to your lives, but you need to recognize this divide in perceptions and adapt to it. Text messaging and twittering with friends, families or Generation X is fine, but your Baby Boomer boss or clients probably won't care for it.

Click to read the rest of "Generation Y, prepare for professional opportunities" (San Bernardino County Sun).

Article about a presentation on generational differences: If only it were this simple

I am guessing and hoping that the program described in this article was not as simplistic as it might appear from reading. Nevertheless "In-House Lawyers Discuss Pitfalls of Generation Gaps" (In-House Counsel) reminded me of how easy it can be to fall into mindless stereotypes of the generations.

From the article:

Ben F. Johnson III, the recently retired managing partner of Alston & Bird who has been with the firm for 37 years, didn't buy all of the talk about generational diversity. He took exception to being lumped into a category with everyone born between 1900 and 1945. "What do Dick Cheney, Jane Fonda and Joan Baez have in common?" he asked. "Well, they were all in the '60s."

While stereotypes can sometimes be helpful, it is very important to be alert to triggering confirmation bias, that is observing only that which confirms what we already believe. And part of avoiding confirmation bias is to examine our stereotypes on a regular basis. What do you believe about each of the generations now in the legal workplace?

Today (May 31, 2009) is the 8th annual What You Think upon Grows Day

This holiday was declared to remind people to pay attention to what they are paying attention to. More about the power of attention.

Image credit: Image*After.

Los Angeles attorney and comedian Kenny Kahn dies at 66

I was very sad to read today of the death of Kenny Kahn, a man with whom I have spoken on the phone and e-mailed. He was a character and had an open attitude towards life. His background was very unusual as you can learn if you read his autobiography The Carny Kid: Survival of a Young Thief. From "Kenneth Kahn dies at 66; L.A. defense attorney moonlighted as a comedian" (Los Angeles Times):

Kenneth Kahn, a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who had a side career as a briefcase-toting comic in a double-breasted suit who irreverently poked fun at the legal system, has died. He was 66.

Kahn, a Santa Monica resident, died Wednesday in a hospital in Cuzco, Peru, after suffering massive internal injuries in a fall while climbing the mountain above the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu alone, according to information provided to Bob Mazza, Kahn's public relations consultant.

...

"Kenny was a unique blend as a lawyer and comedian," attorney Robert Shapiro said in a statement. "He grew up in a horrific childhood and achieved tremendous success in the legal profession. He will be missed by all of us."

Note (added June 1, 2009): Another article "LA Lawyer and Comic Kenneth Kahn Dies After Falling from Mountain in Peru" (ABA Journal).

Note (added June 3, 2009): A video about Kenny Kahn. Hat tip to Jonathan Turley.

A good review of a Jeffrey Schwartz/Henry Stapp talk

Excerpt:

“Unfortunately, I don’t think the idea is crazy enough,” Albert Einstein said in reply to one of his colleagues who had praised a student for his incredible and “crazy” idea. What Jeffrey Schwartz, a leading expert in brain plasticity and obsessive-compulsive disorders, and Henry Stapp, a renowned quantum physicist and a former student of Werner Heisenberg and Wolfgang Pauli, the latest presenters within the series of talks organized by UCSF Postdoctoral Scholars Association, managed to demonstrate was the necessity of an imaginative “craziness” for reaching the peak of scientific excellence.

...

But on the other hand, equally exciting was not the what, but the how of their lecturing. In emphasizing the importance of this “how,” Jeffrey showed us what an inspiring way of lecturing is, as he literally leaped with excitement with every idea pronounced. He acknowledged jazz, particularly John Coltrane, as an inspiration that helps him outline always partly improvisational schemes of his talks. The lecture resembled a comedy show at moments (the duo actually has performed in a New York City theater), being hilarious and yet emanating with a profound depth, with Henry spaced out in his own world, quiet and meditative, carefully picking word by word, and Jeffrey bursting with a breathless movement and juvenile energy.

Click to read the rest of "Jeffrey Schwartz and Henry Stapp on the Quantum Nature and Plasticity of the Brain" (Synapse).

Here's a video of that talk.

Well-known neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux writes about why the right brain/left brain dichotomy is "wrong-headed"

I have to say I may have found this pop psych right brain/left brain division valid back in my earlier days before I started learning about neuroscience. As I learned more, I drew back when I heard about the popularized right/left brain split. Yesterday neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux posted an easily-understood explanation of the right brain/left brain mythology at Why the "Right Brain" Idea is Wrong-Headed (Huffington Post).

Excerpt:

As someone who studies the brain and also tries to disseminate information about the brain in a user-friendly, but scientifically accurate, way, I cringe when I read some pop accounts of brain research. For example, I recently saw this CNN headline: "Will right-brainers rule this century?" Clicking on the link took me to OPRAH.com, which promised, less hesitantly, to explain "Why right-brainers will rule this century." At least CNN considered the possibility that there was some question about the veracity of the statement. Oprah's headline implied it's a done deal.

The current right brain craze was triggered by Daniel Pink's best selling book, A Whole New Mind. In the interview with Oprah, Pink, a former speech writer for Al Gore, says "in many

Blog Glob: "Neuroscience: Make meditation your business"

Excerpt:

TO STAY on top in the cut- throat world of business, big or small, it helps to be fit and healthy not just in body, but in mind. You need to be able to focus instantly, pay attention to detail and the moment (known as mindfulness), not be easily distracted, and have a really good memory.

Neuroscience suggests that Zen meditation — a centuries-old Buddhist practice aimed at mental, physical and emotional balance — can help you achieve those goals, and more.

In the last decade, there has been a growth of scientific studies into meditation, due in part to the increasing availability and sophistication of a variety of brain-scanning techniques.

Click to read the rest of "Neuroscience: Make meditation your business" (Business Day).

YouTube channel on meditation

From the channel Web page:

This channel features the meditation teachings of Shinzen Young. Shinzen is a Westerner who has trained extensively in Asian monasteries. He was ordained as a Buddhist monk at Mt. Koya, Japan. He lectures and leads retreats across the United States and Canada. His deep understanding of both eastern philosophy and western science makes his teaching of Vipassana unique and easily accessible to the western mind.

You can also go to www.shinzen.org where you'll find info on Shinzen's retreat schedule, many excellent articles and other resources ... .

On a related note, click for mindfulness and the law resources.

What's Next? Dispatches on the Future of Science

In the coming weeks, Edge will publish some of the essays from the new book What's Next? Dispatches on the Future of Science. See book contributors here.

If these authors are the future of science, then the science of the future will be one exciting ride! Find out what the best minds of the new generation are thinking before the Nobel Committee does. A fascinating chronicle of the big, new ideas that are keeping young scientists up at night.
— Daniel Gilbert

Note (added June 9, 2009): Article about the book: "Top scientists predict the future of science" (New Scientist).

One of these articles says the generation behind Gen Y are "more loyal, smarter and harder working"

The media are full of programs and articles about the Millennials. Here are just a couple of the most recent articles and posts. The first one listed describes the generation coming along after Gen Y.

• "Advice for the gen Y brigade: heads down, bums up" (Sydney Morning Herald)
• "Managing millennials: speed, openness, balance" (Globe and Mail)
• "Panelists Trade Barbs at Debate on Work Ethic of Millennial Generation" (ABA Journal)
• "Tips for managing the Millennial Generation (Office Politics Examiner)
• "The death of one-size-fits-all benefits: Tailor rewards to generational differences" (Business Management Daily)
• "Generations in the work place" (Explorer)
• Five Ways Millenials Can Prepare to Change the Legal Industry (Fearfully Optimistic)