¶ Introducing the Leadership in Law Podcast
Welcome to the Leadership in Law podcast with host Marilyn Jenkins . Cut through the noise , get actionable insights and inspiring stories delivered straight to your ears your ultimate podcast for navigating the ever-changing world of law firm ownership .
In each episode , we dive deep into the critical topics that matter most to you , from unlocking explosive growth to building a thriving team . We connect you with successful firm leaders and industry experts who share their proven strategies and hard-won wisdom .
So , whether you're a seasoned leader or just starting your journey as a law firm owner , the Leadership in Law podcast is here to equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to build a successful and fulfilling legal practice .
Welcome to another episode of the Leadership in Law Podcast . I'm your host , Marilyn Jenkins . Please join me in welcoming my guest , Mario Issa , to the show today
¶ Mario's Journey from Cairo to Communication
. I'm excited to have you here , Mario Welcome .
I am super stoked to be here . I don't know if you can see it , but I'm super stoked .
Nice . I know you have a really interesting journey that started back in Cairo , Egypt , about your leadership . Tell us a bit about your journey and how you ended up where you are today .
My goodness , I'll try and keep this concise for the sake of this interview , because let me tell you , in about seven months from now , I'm going to be 43 years of age , really old , 43 years of age , really old . I love the laugh , I appreciate that I'm still young and I appreciate it .
So I was actually born and raised in Cairo , egypt , and I was born to a mother who did not even go to high school , but she was amazing with numbers and communication , interacting with people and cultivating customer service you know , interacting with customer service and a dad who was a monk before he got married , so he did not care so much for the world , he
lived at church and all , and he got married to my mom . What I'm trying to bring up here is I have had the experience of two polar opposite parents in such a way , and 25 years ago I had the chance to come to the US to study English and communication . And fast forward 25 years .
From 2000 to now , I have published three books about communication intrapersonal , intrapersonal and group communication and I actually literally traveled the world to speak about this .
In fact , coming up in March 21st , I'll be traveling to Middle East and North Africa for about four years to just talk about that intentional communication and understanding ourselves and our clients and customers .
Okay , and that's
¶ Defining Communication as Vibration and Creation
fantastic , and so communication . And so what do you teach ? You said there's three factors that you build into healthy leadership .
Absolutely so . First of all , we need to be aware . So when I do , I also do workshops and I call ICE it's just funny in the US , but I call it ICE workshop . It's a good name , it's Interactive Communication Experience . Okay , and one of the things I share Sorry , what's with my voice ? One of the things I share is what is communication ?
Okay , this is crucial , at least for me and many of the workshops that I do . So when I do a workshop , let's say I have 50 attendees and I ask them tell me what is your definition of communication ? I give you 30 seconds , your definition of communication .
I give you 30 seconds and if I have 50 different attendees , I get 50 different definitions and ideas of what communication is Okay . The interesting part is none of them is wrong . They just see it how they see it .
So , based on my almost I've been saying 17 years of research I have been saying this for the last two years , so now it has been like 19 years as a researcher you get to a point in your life where where you actually find your own definition of specific terms and fields .
So from listening to thousands of people , interviews and workshops , I got to a point where I cultivate my own definition of what communication is with issues . It's really crucial . A lot of us see communication as like oh , I talk to you , you talk to me , oh , I don't communicate with you . That means we don't talk anymore .
The way I see communication is a non-stop voluntary and involuntary process of exchanging information , knowledge and vibration . And oftentimes , when I bring this up this definition of like it's nonstop , voluntary and involuntary process of exchanging information , knowledge and vibration people go like communication knowledge and vibration . People go like communication Vibration .
What's up with that no-transcript ? And just speak out your name or say something . You will feel vibrations in your hand . Communication is vibration , whether we are aware of it or not . Every single word , intention and sentence that we create it has a ripple effect .
And that's actually the core part of what I'm doing Traveling world to remind people that words do create .
And words matter . We've heard that before and it does it Absolutely .
I love that you say that words matter , but I really have to take it to another stage and say words do create . If we stay silent for like four or five seconds , we don't say anything . Once we start speaking , we are creating . So I appreciate that you say words do matter , absolutely A hundred percent .
In the meantime , words do create emotions , situations , feelings , connections .
So yeah , so how do you thinking about obviously being very purposeful about your words and your communication ? Use that to build a better , healthier leadership .
¶ Three Factors of Healthy Leadership
Absolutely so . The moment I hear the word leadership , I think of clear distinction for me as healthy or unhealthy leadership . What does it even mean ? Healthy leadership ? Healthy leadership , based on three important factors . One is creating intentionally . Being aware that when I exhale , that's when I create , that's when I speak .
Most people are not aware that when we exhale , that's when we speak . If I try and inhale and speak , it's not possible . It's not like trying to inhale and speak , it's just not really possible . So when we exhale and use words , we are actually creating . When we exhale and use words , we are actually creating .
So this is very important to realize that we are creating something that did not exist before .
Number two , to realize that our creation it will be much healthier to , as we are creating words , opinions and sentences , to be responsible for this creation , to be accountable , not just to say , oh , he made me say this , she made me say that , they made me react this way . I am responsible for what I am creating .
And number three is I actually learned this from my dad a long time ago and it became a lot more influential for me from my research is that every pingo person , that every single person , human being , is doing his or her best in how they communicate , and I think this is like perfect key point to plug in , especially for , like , a lawyer .
That's why , like some people need lawyers to like , whatever thoughts and ideas you have , you need someone to interpret them and express them in a like , a better way in court , and so forth .
So to realize that we are creating intentionally , to err subconsciously , and to realize that we are responsible for what we are creating , and realize that we are responsible for what we are creating , and also you be aware that our best can get better . Every person is doing his or her best , whether myself , my clients or even in a workshop .
That's why , when I ask 50 different people what is their definition of communication , none of them is wrong because they're doing their best and they see it as how they see it , based on their experiences .
So how do you help people to get clear on their communication so that , like say , if they're leading a team , everyone knows where they stand ? Is that what we're ?
is that kind of a team , everyone knows where they stand . Is that what we're ? Is that kind of Absolutely , Absolutely . So it's really crucial to understand this , is it sounds so simple ? I think you might be familiar with that . KISS principle K-I-S-S keep it simple , stupid . I have no idea how old this principle is , but it's still effective .
The reason why I bring this up ? Because to realize that we are dealing and communicating with other human beings . It helps us to cultivate and compassion those two Empathy and compassion . As a leader I think most of us are familiar with this
¶ The Swan Fallacy: Authentic Leadership
phrase I think you might be familiar with it as well as like leading like a swan . So as a manager , as a boss , you're just like you know your feet are like pedaling down , but swan looks so beautiful . Like you know your feet are like pedaling down , but Swan looks so beautiful and you know content and I understand and I like the idea behind it .
Yet I have experienced for my own self from the managers and bosses that I've had in the past , when they show me their true side , the true human side of them , it brings me closer to them . So the idea of leading like a swan , like your feet , like pedaling down , but on top you look so calm , that's misperception .
Most people want to see boss or leader struggle once in a while .
They don't know how to fix something and they don't know how to face it and they need some help on the outside , when we are like managers which I have been in a position like this before when we behave like manager or boss and just like pretend , in a way that's actually doing disservice to our team as a manager , that I can show up to work and maybe on
my face you can tell that I'm not having a good morning , or less . No , I don't know . I did not start my day on the right foot , as some people say , and I'm trying to get out of this for the next couple of hours . When I get to work , my team can ask me like hey , mario , you look a little different today , you look different this morning .
What's going on ? I can just like put a smile on and go like , oh , nothing is wrong . I can just like put a smile on and go like , oh , nothing is wrong , everything is all right , which is , I'm denying them the opportunity to connect with me as a human . For me , I say well , thank you for asking , thank you for noticing .
I just I did not sleep enough last night . Or , I don't know , my car like , I don't know , I had a flat tire this morning , or whatever my issue that might be . Or , oh , my boss , I'm a boss , but my boss get angry at me . I did not meet the expectation or something .
I think showing the humanity part of who we are and how we connect with other people is like super glue . And how we connect with other people is like super glue and I am not speaking this just from hypotheticals and my research . I actually I've had managers in the past who showed me what that means and that it didn't really lift . Mark me .
Yeah , I think you're right when it comes to showing your human side , being compassionate and empathetic not necessarily sympathetic depending on the situation , but being empathetic and that would be certainly a way of being able to communicate better with your team members and the people that work for you .
I like that . You . I'm just gonna if you don't mind me , I'm gonna have to capture this really quick because you said to help us to communicate better with our team . I have no problem with that . Yet I feel like it's not necessarily communicating better , but I feel like it's communicating authentically .
It's a little bit different for me , communications by field right , the interview word really matters honestly , from my heart , as a service provider or even a customer or client or even a team member , to connect in a way that really , truly shows our humanity . Yes , let's be crystal clear . Some people might take advantage of that . It's very true .
If you go to a car dealership , some people might take advantage of you being vulnerable and honest . We need to have a true , concrete and clear connection and communication as we are working on . Can I share with you something really quick ? So I traveled India for like a year and a half ago . Sure , north Freaking 2000s .
It's like eight years ago and it's a really simple story . Ago and it's a really simple story , the story was there were a few people that were working on building a really amazing palace
¶ The Stone Chiselers: Perception Shapes Reality
, okay , so someone walked by the workers and he asked the first worker who's working like chiseling the stones to build the palace , and they were asked what are you doing ? And the first person said I'm just chiseling rocks , stones , that's all I'm doing . They said okay , and the person went to the next worker and asked like what are you doing ?
And they said oh , I'm doing what I'm doing to do . I was told to do this to just chisel stones and rocks . And the person who was asking the other two people as a third person , like what are you doing ? And the same person , different person , doing the same job , chiseling stones and rocks .
And the third person said I am helping to create the best castle that ever existed in this country for my owner . So the point of this is yeah , so the point of this is like the same job , the same task , different perception . We need to be aware of that .
Whatever we are creating for ourselves or connection with other people , how we label it which I'm very certain , you know of this how we label it , how we frame it , how we brime , it creates energy around it .
Right , very interesting . Yeah , that's deep . That's the way people look at it , and we want all of our team members , especially looking towards clients , to have that sense of pride and sense of like the third guy there .
That really makes sense , because when people come into law firms , they're having one of their most likely lower moments of their life , and so that comes into the communication Absolutely Well . Very interesting , mario . I really appreciate you being with us and having this conversation today .
If anyone wants to reach out and connect with you , where would be the best place for them to reach you ?
Well , here's the good news I am out and connect with you . Where would be the best place for them to reach you ? Well , here's the good news If people type Mario Wisa , m-a-r-i-o , w-i-s-a .
On Google , all my networking social websites will come up and also my direct website , mariovisacom , where people can book like 30-minute session with me , free session 101 , and other awesome stuff to do on my website . So I'll keep it simple for now .
Excellent
¶ Closing and Contact Information
. I'll make sure that that website is in the show notes and , again , this has been very enjoyable . Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us today .
I appreciate the opportunity . Thank you .
Thanks for joining me today for this episode . As we wrap up , I'd love for you to do two things . First , subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss an episode , and if you find value here , I'd love it if you would rate it and review it . That really does make a difference in helping other people to discover this podcast .
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Until then , as always , thanks for listening to Leadership in Law podcast and be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss the next episode .
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