CLE
Scott Mason
Scott Mason Scott Mason, LLC
Taming High-Performing Nightmares A Leadership Survival Guide
Taming High-Performing Nightmares: A Leadership Survival Guide

In this program, Scott Mason, Transformational Coach for Attorneys, teaches how to survive one of the most treacherous traps a new lawyer-leader might encounter: dealing with the toxic superstar.

While a high-performing individual may initially appear as an asset, their interpersonal or ethical issues can jeopardize not only the team but also the leader's own career.

This program provides a comprehensive framework to effectively manage such situations, which can be adapted to handle other complex legal leadership challenges. It also offers strategic and detailed, practical tips tailored to both novice and seasoned lawyer-leaders.

This program is an indispensable resource for aspiring law firm and legal unit leaders looking to minimize the risk of becoming unwitting accomplices to unethical behaviors, preemptively address legal and reputational risks that toxic superstars can present, and maintain the confidence and authority to guide their team to optimal performance and success.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the risks associated with tolerating toxic behaviors within a firm or other legal environment.

  • Identify and dispel common myths surrounding high-performance leadership, especially those that may lead attorneys to tolerate toxic superstars.

  • Gain a deeper understanding of the true nature of toxic leadership behaviors.

  • Connect core values and ethical grounding to leadership, re-establishing credibility lost via the toxic superstar.

  • What is needed to build a plan that both manages the employee and rebuilds your firm’s culture.

Agenda:
  • Introduction
    • Why this course is important for lawyers
    • Ethical considerations and risks
      • Model Rules of Professional Conduct 3.5, 4.4, 5.1, 5.3, 8.4

  • Who This Course Is For
    • About the instructor
    • Agenda and overview

  • How & Why Great Leaders Get Held Hostage by Toxic Employees
    • Toxic myths
    • Toxic roles
    • Putting it all together

  • Rebuilding Your Credibility
    • Reconnecting with your values (corporate & personal)
    • Connecting values to your purpose as a leader in the organization
    • The role of charisma

  • Build an Action Plan
    • Purpose of the plan
    • Five key elements

  • Key Takeaways

  • Questions & Answers
Duration of this webinar: 60 minutes
Originally broadcast: October 08, 2024 11:00 AM PT
Webinar Highlights

This webinar is divided into section summaries, which you can scan for key points and then dive into the sections that interest you the most.

Introduction
Scott Mason, the speaker, is an attorney and leadership coach, focusing on helping lawyers enhance their careers and leadership skills. Scott shares a story about a COO whose toxic behavior, despite high performance, led to significant organizational issues. The story illustrates the risks of tolerating high-performing nightmares and sets the stage for discussing leadership challenges.
Understanding High-Performing Nightmares
Scott defines a high-performing nightmare as someone who excels in key performance metrics but lacks interpersonal skills, causing organizational disruption. He emphasizes the importance of addressing such individuals, especially for lawyers, due to ethical and reputational risks. Scott discusses the ethical implications for lawyers, referencing ABA Model Rules and the potential consequences of tolerating misconduct. He highlights the legal risks associated with high-performing nightmares, including anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws. Scott stresses the elevated expectations on lawyer leaders to manage these challenges effectively to avoid career damage.
Ethical and Leadership Challenges
Scott elaborates on the ethical challenges posed by high-performing nightmares, referencing specific ABA Model Rules. He discusses the importance of maintaining professional integrity and the risks of assisting misconduct. Scott emphasizes the need for careful navigation of interpersonal relationships and performance metrics in leadership. He introduces the concept of leadership dependency, highlighting the importance of followers in defining a leader's success. Scott identifies the target audience for the webinar, including lawyers seeking to grow their firms or move into leadership roles.
Addressing Toxic Myths and Roles
Scott discusses how toxic myths and roles can hold leaders hostage to high-performing nightmares. He explains the concept of professional myths and their impact on leadership outcomes. Scott identifies common roles in toxic myths, such as the victim, bystander, and fool, and their detrimental effects on leadership. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing these roles to regain control and credibility. Scott highlights the need for leaders to inspire and motivate their teams, avoiding fear-based management.
Rebuilding Leadership Credibility
Scott outlines steps for rebuilding leadership credibility after dealing with high-performing nightmares. He stresses the importance of acknowledging mistakes and committing to change with a growth mindset. Scott recommends documenting values and aligning them with organizational goals to rebuild credibility. He advises using accountability partners to ensure follow-through on commitments and changes. Scott emphasizes the need for clear communication and concrete actions to demonstrate commitment to change.
Action Plan for Cultural Change
Scott presents an action plan for cultural change, focusing on eliminating dysfunction caused by high-performing nightmares. He outlines five elements of the plan, including setting specific goals for the nightmare and the organizational culture. Scott advises separating emotions from desired outcomes and aligning actions with values and purpose. He emphasizes the importance of identifying success metrics and timeframes for cultural shifts. Scott highlights the role of HR and legal experts in ensuring ethical and effective implementation of the plan.
Key Takeaways and Q&A
Scott summarizes key takeaways, emphasizing the tension between business expectations and ethical imperatives caused by high-performing nightmares. He warns of the reputational and ethical risks of ineffective handling of such individuals. Scott advises embracing a growth mindset and publicly committing to change to rebuild credibility. He highlights the importance of aligning personal and organizational values and developing charisma to lead change. Scott encourages creating a step-by-step action plan to address the nightmare and improve organizational culture.

Please note this AI-generated summary provides a general overview of the webinar but may not capture all details, nuances, or the exact words of the speaker. For complete accuracy, please refer to the original webinar recording.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Credits

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California CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: June 30, 2026

South Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 General

Difficulty: All Levels

Earn Credit Until: December 31, 2025

North Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: February 28, 2026


This presentation is approved for one hour of General CLE credit in California, South Carolina (all levels), and North Carolina.

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At this time, Justia only offers CLE courses officially accredited in certain states. Lawyers may generate a generic attendance certificate to self-submit credit in their own jurisdiction, but Justia does not guarantee that lawyers will receive their desired CLE credit through the self-submission or reciprocity process.

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Speaker
Scott Mason
Scott Mason Executive Leadership Coach

Scott Mason is the Myth Slayer: an attorney and transformational executive leadership coach for lawyers looking to uplevel their careers or leadership skill — and have a future that is epic. Based on his trailblazing signature framework, Scott will help you or the leaders in your firm/organization become:

  • More connected to themselves, each other, and your mission.
  • Creative — leading to innovation and consistent achievement of organizational goals.
  • Resilient, especially when times are tough.
Read More ›
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