“Marketing is an ethical landmine.” That’s what the lawyer said to me. The attitude is “everything is dangerous.”

That’s the way some lawyers live. They spend their time examining every move and determining how much risk a particular activity poses to their law license.

Is that any way to run your business?

Will that mind-set help you grow your practice?

First off, I don’t mean to minimize your professional responsibilities required by the ethics rules in your state. It’s always a good idea to have a working familiarity with the rules and know an attorney you can call with questions. I’ve had run-ins with the regulatory people, and it hasn’t always ended well. It’s essential that you abide by the rules.

But it’s critical that you grow your practice. You’ve got to keep a steady flow of business walking through the door (physical or virtual). Fear isn’t good for marketing. If you spend all your time worrying, you won’t be out taking action to keep the new business coming.

Here’s the scenario I dislike the most:

Older lawyer, who hasn’t really done much to grow his practice, talks about the dangers of marketing. This lawyer pontificates about social media being a trap, advertising being unprofessional, and any marketing, other than doing good work, as the enemy of “professionalism.” One wonders whether the older lawyer really believes everything he’s saying or whether he simply wants to discourage competition.

Younger lawyer, hearing the tirade, backs off from undertaking marketing activities. Younger lawyer is scared and worries about being poorly regarded by the established attorneys. The younger lawyer can’t think about  new ways to delight clients, spread the word, and draw more people to his practice because the old lawyer has him in a panic. The young lawyer is broke and locked in a state of inaction.

Don’t let it happen to you.

Yes, we’re trained to identify and assess risk. We’re well suited for predicting all of the fallout that might come from every action. Focusing on consequences leaves us hesitant to act.

But our skills, our ability to analyze risk and reward, can also help us identify opportunities. We can see the positive possibilities right alongside the potential risk.

The key for us is to stay focused on the possibilities. We can see the path to avoiding risk and obtaining benefits. When it comes to marketing our businesses, we’ve got to stay focused on the rewards and refuse to allow the risks to paralyze us. The first step toward seeing things as they really are is to gain an awareness of how driven we are by fear. Open your eyes. See the fear. Now you’re halfway toward overcoming it.