77 JUN 2022 | WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM EXPERT INSIGHT sectors is that they both rely on data. For example, in the legal sector, lawyers use data to research cases and find precedents and metrics such as billable hours. In sports science, athletes and coaches use data to track performance and identify areas for improvement. Over the last decade, many sporting teams have transformed their performance through tracking data. The same can be done in the legal sector when focusing on lawyer and team performance and wellbeing. I believe the legal sector can learn a lot from sports science, and many parallels for performance optimisation can be brought across to the legal sector. Going off our previous conversation, you mentioned the idea of “emotional fitness” as important to both athletes and lawyers. How would you define this quality? The ability to maintain focus, intensity and composure in the face of stress is a critical ingredient for success in lawyers and athletes since both operate in highpressure environments. Maintaining emotional fitness is not just about mastering negative emotions like stress and anxiety. It is also about cultivating positive emotions like happiness, joy and excitement. I use the term “emotional fitness” because it is more empowering than “emotional intelligence”. Intelligence can be limiting, whereas fitness is something we can build, improve and master. Emotional fitness is in being able to identify the event triggers, preconditions and perceptions that influence your emotions and then choosing a constructive response to your situation. When you are emotionally fit, you understand your own emotions and how they affect your and others’ performance. Being better able to manage emotions effectively allows you to stay in control under pressure. This helps you achieve excellence both on and off the playing field or courtroom. Emotional fitness is our ability to understand and manage our own emotions and the emotions of others around us. It directly affects how we behave, make decisions and form relationships. Emotional fitness is the single most significant predictor of performance in the workplace and the most vital driver of leadership and personal excellence. How can emotional fitness be identified and courage in legal professionals? Maintaining excellence in the legal field requires emotional fitness. Like an athlete who needs to win, lawyers need to understand and manage their emotions to achieve excellence and confidence in their work. I believe the legal sector can learn a lot from sports science, and many parallels for performance optimisation can be brought across to the legal sector.
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