The Invisible Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘worklife balance’

A friend suggested that I interview lawyer Sean MacDonald and I’m glad that I listened. Sean’s honesty, passion and humility shines through his interview. I think that it takes a certain type of individual to take the time to defend the wrongfully convicted because in many instances the accused cannot pay the legal fees. Sean’s focus is not about money, and after you have read his entire interview you discover his love for life. He lives every day as if it’s his last, how about you? What lessons can you learn from him?

YouTube Video of David Moran Speaking About Wrongful Convictions in the US. If you cannot view the video click here.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

I practice law in Toronto and my focus right now is wrongful convictions and basically that means getting innocent people out of jail.

What’s a typical day like for you?

My days are never typical and they depend on what’s going on and what my case load is. It can range from a day where I review transcripts, prepare submissions for cases that I am working on, or I can be on the phone with forensic investigators, or with private investigators and different lawyers across the country and around the world. It really varies. But typically my day comes back to people who are wrongfully convicted.

How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated?

I think life is a gift, I’m always motivated. I don’t have a problem being motivated. I love life and every day brings a new challenge and I like that.

If you had to start over from scratch, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?

I don’t think that I’d do anything differently. I’ve been pretty fortunate so far, I don’t think that I’d change anything.

What’s the most important business or other discovery you’ve made in the past year?

My focus is really on social justice and the criminal justice system, so in terms of business I know that comes along with it but I do not focus on that. I’ve had many learning experiences over the last 10 years that relate to my work and my ability to get people who are innocent out of jail, for me that’s more important than the business aspect of.

What’s one of the biggest advances in your industry over the past five years?

I think the biggest advance is the general public awareness that there are times when the justice system doesn’t work and the ability to accept that as an inevitable consequence of the way things work and to recognize that the wrongfully convicted deserve justice.

What are the three threats to your business, your success, and how are you handling them?

1. If I were to pick three threats, the first one would be the lack of resources for people who find themselves victims of the miscarriage of justice.
2. The second would be the reluctance of governments to address these issues.
3. The third threat would be the reluctance of governments across Canada and the United States to provide remedies for people who are innocent and locked in jail.

What’s unique about the service that you provide?

It’s a unique area because it combines legal theory with investigation and forensic technology. I think for me it’s unique because it’s unlike any other area. You are a fact finder and at the same time you are a lawyer.

What do you observe most people in your field doing badly that you think you do well?

There are a small group of people in Canada who do what I do and to be honest I do not observe any of them doing anything badly. They are highly dedicated and skilled, and if anything I learn from them.

Describe a major business or other challenge you had and how you resolved it.

I think every time I take a case is a major challenge. You have someone who has been investigated, charged, gone to trial and been convicted and sentenced, and winds up in a federal maximum security penitentiary. Every case is a challenge because you are working to reverse that, so I think that every case that I take is a major challenge because you are trying to swim upstream.

Every case is different, but if there was a commonality it would be the fact I roll up my sleeve and start with the first piece of paper and I begin to read to get an understanding of the facts, then I read it again and again. Once I have read every thing a few times I start to get my own facts, I hire my own investigators and forensic experts, pathologist, wound pathologist, maybe fire arms experts, ballistics experts, and stuff like that then I begin to create my own investigation, then I fold that into the original investigation and see where that takes me.

What lessons did you learn in the process?

1. You have to be patient and these things never come easy
2. Have faith and keep that faith

I’ve been lucky to reverse almost sixty years of wrongful incarceration or wrongful conviction time and I know on the other end how gratifying it is, and that helps me to stay patient and keep the faith.

Tell me about your big break and who gave you.

I don’t think that there was ever any one big break for me. I think it was a series of small accomplishments that came as a result of extremely hard work and having the good fortune of being around some of best in the business. I try to work very hard, to keep making gains and get better at what I do.

Describe one of your biggest failures. What lessons did you learn, and how did it contribute to a greater success?

One of my biggest failures if I can characterize it that way, was not being smart enough to begin practicing law with my father, instead of staying in Nova Scotia, I moved to Toronto and articled on Bay Street. When I think back, I lost the opportunity to learn from the smartest person I know, and moved here instead. As a result, that was a failure in a broad sense. From this experience, I’ve learned to appreciate how brilliant my father was and how much he has impacted my life.

What has been your biggest disappointment in your life – and what are you doing to prevent its reoccurrence?

My biggest heart break was losing my father, and there is nothing that I can do to prevent that.

What’s one of the toughest decisions you’ve had to make and how did it impact your life?

I think it goes back to moving to Toronto. I think that was the toughest decision that I had to make. I had an articling job on Bay Street, and I also had an opportunity to practice with my father, and I chose Toronto. If I had the opportunity to make this decision again, I probably would have stayed with my father.

What are three events that helped to shape your life?

1. When I was a teenager I worked as a processor or bailiff serving court documents for a variety of lawyers including my father basically providing litigation support, and that impacted my life because I got the chance to be exposed to a court house at a young age and I got to work with different lawyers during the trial process.
2. I started a private investigating company soon after. That impacted my life because it got me more involved in the trial process, and I had the ability to inject myself even deeper into the preparation of cases that go to trial, and it gave me the opportunity to be around the trial when it was happening, take statements from witnesses, go to crime scenes and take pictures, and gather evidence to assist lawyers who were conducting trials and that really impacted my life.
3. The above events led to my further development, which was going to law school and getting more involved in the trial process.

These three things have shaped the way I look at my profession. I had the opportunity to have the slow and steady evolution from the time I was about 16 years old.

What’s an accomplishment that you are proudest of?

The accomplishment that I’m proudest of was walking out of the courtroom with a client in 2008, who was dying of cancer, who was exonerated from murder after 30 years.

How did mentors influence your life?

Mentors influenced my life in many different ways. I am lucky enough to work with many of the greats, and I’m lucky enough from the time I was probably eight years old to have my father as my biggest mentor. He was the most brilliant trial strategist that I have ever seen, so I had an opportunity to learn from him every single day. We talked about his cases, his theories about the cases and what he was doing, what he thought, what I thought, so I learned from him. There wasn’t a day when he was alive that I didn’t call him three or four times and talk to him about different things that related to what I was doing. I have other greats like Phil Campbell who is the best wrongful dismissal lawyer in Canada and probably in the world. I’ve worked with him, I’ve worked with James Locklear, who again is one of the best in the world at what he does so I’m very, very lucky to be exposed to some of the best wrongful dismissal lawyers in the world.

What’s one core message you received from your mentors?

I can’t say there is a core message. The way I approach it is to keep my eyes and ears wide open. I mean they have wisdom, and every time I speak to them I learn something. I guess the core message would be to listen.

Which resources (books, movies, training etc.) did your mentors recommend to you?

My father recommended a book called The Art of Advocacy written by John Monkman. It’s an old English book written by an English barrister, and it sets out the fundamentals of being a lawyer, it’s not complicated, and it’s laid out to teach lawyers the basics. My father read that book every two to three years, and he practiced for thirty-plus years.

As an Invisible Mentor, what is one piece of advice that you would give to readers?

The world is filled with infinite opportunities. If you believe in yourself, whatever goals you set for yourself you can achieve them. That’s the single most important piece of advice that I could give to anybody.

What are your thoughts on this interview? What was expected and what was unexpected? Do you capitalize on the opportunities that come your way? What are 10 takeaways? How can you apply this information? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentorand subscribe (top on the right side) by email or RSS Feed.

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Tell me a little bit about yourself.

I am in the prime of my life, putting all my life experiences together to do the impossible.  Living in Kathmandu for 3.5 years and running my own business that provides an income generated in internationals sales into the hands of the people that labor to produce the products.

What’s unique about the service that you provide?

Traveling to and living in Nepal for 25 years, as well as working outside of my own culture has made be astute to cultural dynamics and my communications skills help me to facilitate new transactions.  I am accepted on both sides of the transactions.

What do you observe most people in your field doing badly that you think you do well?

I don’t assume I know.

What’s an accomplishment that you are proudest of?

That I have lived an interesting life way beyond my expectations

How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

I keep in touch with my friends 100% of the time.

What’s a major regret that you’ve had in life?

None

What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

1. Feel the fear and do it anyway
2. I will understand sooner or later
3. Life is like water, impermanent
4. I need empty space in my life.
5. Being loved by someone keeps me young

When you have some down time, how do you spend it?

Writing reflective emails to friends

What process do you use to generate great ideas?

Mind mapping, talking over my ideas with others, ask myself what I do know, not what I don’t know.

What’s your favorite quotation and why?

They have varied: I find them I put them up on my computer.  My current one is “Security is an illusion.”

How do you define success?

Wanting to get out of bed every morning to embrace the day.

In your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Doing the best you can with every opportunity you are given.

Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply? Did you have an emotional or intellectual attachment to this book? Why?

What had a more profound impact on my life was being without books and learning to deal with the empty space where I could not occupy or distract my mind with a book.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are five books that you would like to have with you and why? Summarize the book in two sentences.

I would not take a book, but I would open my life to a monk’s life and being present to the gift of the absence of everything and be present to the senses.

Have you read any books that inspired you to start a business, service or invent “something”? If yes, which book?

I believe my brain seeks integrative thought – so a book would likely cause me to link to another idea.  Now I am reading Water for Elephants and love the vitality of the mind of the 93 old narrator. He writes about how his life in the assisted living home is designed to render him mindless.  It makes me think about how there are many structures in life that remove the grains of sands that could inspire us all.

What one music CD and movie would you like to have with you (on the deserted island) and why?

None: Don’t want the distraction.

If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, whom would you choose? And what would you say to them?

I have met many famous people; I would just be present to what is in the moment.

What excites you about life?

Coming up with new models that make business possible that incorporate and respect the obstacles.

How do you nurture your soul?

When I can, I will trek and I will walk for 12 hours a day, and completely exhaust my mind and body so that my soul can soar.

If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for? Or, if I gave you a magic wand, what would you use it for?

The elimination of human greed and that we each seek to make another’s life easier.

Complete the following, I am happy when…

At the end of my day, I can say I did the best with what I was given.

Which aspects of this interview can you apply to your situation? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab your personal copy by clicking here.

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These interviews are meant to provide you with useful information that you can use. In this segment of the interview, Shannon shares the three threats to her business, why her service is unique, how she integrates her personal and professional life, five life lessons she has learned so far and a whole lot more.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

I am married, with five children, two of which are getting married within the next 6 months. Lately I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night “angsting” over table centerpieces, floral arrangements and crash diets.

What are the three threats to your business, your success, and how are you handling them?

Three threats to my business and success would be

1. Not placing God first.
2. Lack of discipline
3. Getting distracted (can you spell f-a-c-e-b-o-o-k?)

I handle these threats, more or less, depending on the day, by starting it with God, keeping a day planner and working through the tasks I set for myself one at a time. Keep on doing the next thing.

What’s unique about the service that you provide?

I like to weave a story around a real issue, not normally in our radar, that will hopefully, not only inform and entertain, but also lead readers to compassion and empathy. Information dumps have caused us to shut down to the need, because we are intimidated by the enormity of the situation—especially in the third world arena. I believe touching hearts through the power of these stories can pull one out of that inertia into a state of true identification and hope.

What do you observe most people in your field doing badly that you think you do well?

OK. Tricky question. I am new to the whole “published author” thing, so cannot speak with experience, but I constantly pray that I do not lose sight of the importance of my relationships with my husband and kids in the light of being published and the extra demands it brings to my life.

How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

Relationships are more important to me than business. By choice. I have found, possibly due to the decision to put people first, a greater interest in the issues I am writing about and the professional aspects of my life from those closest to me.

What’s a major regret that you’ve had in life?

Causing pain to others; to see family splinter and break apart and not be able to fix it.

What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

1. Ask God for help, the sooner the better.
2. Forgiveness is always easier than resentment—and healthier.
3. I can forgive myself all I want, but unless God has forgiven me, I get no peace.
4. Nobody is free from insecurity or dysfunctions. Some are just better at hiding it.
5. Life doesn’t last forever so speak the truth.

When you have some down time, how do you spend it?

With a good book. And I love to listen to great music and just move to it…

What process do you use to generate great ideas?

I ask God to give me His ideas, which are better than mine all the time. Then I wait. Eventually something begins that I can only describe as brain percolation. It’s this craziness of ideas and connections that bubble up and spill over into story.

What’s your favourite quotation and why?

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me.” –Jesus (John 14:6)

I don’t like being lost, lied to or living without a purpose. In this quotation I find the remedy.

How do you define success?

Success is more than good living; it is living in agreement with God’s purpose for your life.

In your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Without a doubt it is to trust God and obey Him.

What excites you about life?

Watching God

How do you nurture your soul?

Same as above

If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for? Or, if I gave you a magic wand, what would you use it for?

To pay off the mortgage

Complete the following, I am happy when…..

I’m just moving through normal and then something happens that is so perfect and surprising and good, like autumn leaves falling or a baby’s toothless smile or the first taste of a mandarin orange, and I think, “Thank You.”

How might you apply the information from this interview? Let’s keep the conversation going, please comment.