Nossaman Healthcare Partner Mary Antoine Quoted On Leadership in Law Practice Magazine

Mary Antoine, a Partner in Nossaman’s Healthcare Practice Group, Administrative Partner of the Firm’s Sacramento office, and former Chair of the Firm’s Healthcare Practice Group, was quoted in the Law Practice magazine article Women Law Firm Leaders.  The article provides an overview of best practices for women in leadership positions in the legal industry.  The article quotes Ms. Antoine on the most important leadership lesson she learned, which was to listen very carefully to what’s being said (both verbally and nonverbally), to hear all the messages, including the subtexts flowing through the comments, and to make sure the person speaking really feels heard.  To do this effectively, I had to examine my motives and expected outcomes with an objective mind before I approached a conversation.  Simply taking a step back and considering all sides before firing off a response doesn’t take much time, and it helps avoid spending more time explaining decisions.  In describing her leadership style for the article, Ms. Antoine said that she [tries] to keep people focused on the big picture and our long-range goals, and encourage[s] people to take on projects that play to their strengths rather than focusing on weakness.  For women coming up in the legal world, she recommends that they Develop a thick skin [and] don’t take things personally even if they are intended that way (you are not defined by the opinion of others).  Avoid gossip, [and] always be seen as the person who cans help solve the problem rather than creating one.