Transformative Change - Shift to Change the Status Quo

Leading with Empathy - Step #3

Once we are authentic to ourselves and transition to a place where we are not afraid to be vulnerable, we can begin to change the status quo of our case.  We adopt the mindset of creating culture and shift away from a technical mindset to a transformative view of our situation.​

We make a pivot from a matter that appears to be black and white to others and embrace the many shades of grey; we cannot just manage the case from A to Z, we must take control of the culture, and adopt a leader's vision on what is possible to change the status quo.

By shifting our mindset to a transformative change, we can trigger new growth; growth that can transcend the case.  We don't ignore what has happened to bring us to this moment in time, but we shift to enlarge the pie; to bring out all the grey; we add chapters and pages to your story.

The judge, prosecutor, police and probation will adopt a mindset that your case is "out of business" and you're about to fail and go under in your life; reject the status quo and shift to a love of learning and insight and create passion for others to learn more about you.

We control the present and the future; we must be empowered by transformative change in order to empower others to adopt our path of growth.  It takes a lot of work for this to happen, and we should expect resistance and detours, but if we are passionate about change, others will follow, because we are change leaders.

Resist the mindset that you're "out of business"; you have not failed; you are human and can shift the entire case to a learning opportunity.  Embrace the challenging moment, because you are in complete control of your GPS; choosing your path allows you to influence others and write the next chapters in your story.

Real life example of a Shift to Change the Status Quo

I have worked with thousands of clients over the years, and one of the most common types of cases I work on are retail fraud cases, which in more common terms is shoplifting. 

I work with successful people, who hold good jobs, get paid well, and even hold professional licenses such as a teacher, nurse, doctor, lawyer, CPA, and no matter their profession, it does not prevent them from shoplifting.

To an outsider this makes little sense, because these folks can afford the items they are stealing, which is the most telling aspect of these cases; why are these folks stealing?
It's not because they can't take the alternative route of paying; it must go deeper and go beyond the item itself.  Nine times out of ten my client tells me they didn't even need the items; most people just steal things without regard to what item they are stealing.

This is a great opportunity to be authentic, be vulnerable and seek understanding of the moment and adopt a transformative change impact to change the status quo. 

I once had an FBI special agent get caught stealing from a store; common sense says if retail fraud went on their record, they may face issues holding their unique profession.  Should an FBI agent be treated differently based on their profession?

Absolutely not? Same goes for a teacher, nurse, doctor, lawyer, etc., but how do we keep hard working people who are great at their jobs in those roles and being positive members of our community.
If we focus on the transactional and technical part of the case, they were caught red-handed; no matter how sorry they are, they cannot go back in time and undo what happened.  This is the perfect opportunity to make the pivot to a transformative view of the case and adopt a leader's mentality to educate and influence the judge, prosecutor, police and probation to come along for the ride.