Susan Kostal

Be the Best: Winning Award Submissions

By Susan Kostal • May 24, 2016 •Careers,  Other Career Issues,  Issues,  Mentoring and Networking,  Features,  Superwomen JDs and What You Can Learn From Them

How do you know who’s doing the best work in your industry? By “Best Of” lists, of course! At least, that’s the idea behind them. Done right, they are an important piece of marketing collateral. Award submissions to those “leader” lists can be an overwhelming amount of work. To manage the process, pick the most well-known and respected lists in your field. Then attack them strategically*. I favor Chambers and those run by media outlets, such as the National Law Journal, because they are trusted brands that have a vigorous vetting process. You also get great electronic exposure that other…

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Stop Saying “I’m Sorry.”

By Susan Kostal • May 17, 2016 •Issues,  Balancing Private and Professional Life

I recently received some sage advice from a valued mentor. She said to stop saying “I’m sorry.” In emails, in person, on the phone, no matter where. You are a busy, successful professional. Just. Stop. Saying. It. Here’s the thinking. “Sorry for the delay,” “Sorry for missing this,” “Sorry for not responding earlier” is for your benefit, to assuage your guilt, not theirs. You need a mea culpa release, but they don’t. Unless they are a client with a pressing need, they probably HAVEN’T EVEN NOTICED that you haven’t responded, because they are also busy, successful professionals. By interjecting “I’m…

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