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Spotlight Interview: How Andrew Delory Took A Degree In Communications And Built A Law Empire

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The world has been in the middle of a pandemic for much of 2020, and it is undeniable that many industries have been adversely affected. Despite the struggles, of the economy, the real estate industry has consistently strengthened, supported by the combination of interest rates and inventory both being at an all-time low. In these trying times, Andrew Delory has been a beacon giving buyers faith in the strength of the market. 

Andrew Delory is the second part of the dynamic father-and-son duo behind Delory Law, a legal firm that specializes in helping people buy & sell real estate. They handle a range of legal affairs including zoning, development, condominium conversions, leases, evictions, and some civil litigation. 

I got a chance to catch up with Andrew recently, and he goes deep into his story and how he became the successful attorney we all admire today.

How did you make the decision to become a real estate attorney? What was your educational journey?

I went to a small Catholic High School where I was the Captain of 3 varsity sports teams, Junior Class President, and a co-anchor of the school’s own morning news show. I was really into Journalism. Coupled with my love of sports, I thought for sure I would work on ESPN one day.

I enrolled in the University of Rhode Island in the fall of 2005 seeking a Communications Studies major specializing in Journalism. Halfway through college, Journalism got its own school separate from Communications.  Instead of having to retake many of the same general elective style courses to get a Journalism degree, I turned my attention towards using my Communications Studies background to focus on marketing/advertising.  

I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies in 2009, then enrolled at the Massachusetts School of Law in the fall of 2010 as a night student because I was working full time during the day as a paralegal.  I worked extremely hard and successfully completed my studies in May 2013. Then I took the bar exams, passed, and was sworn in as an Attorney in November 2013.

So you run Delory Law alongside your dad. Was it always clear that you were going to join the family business?

I never intended to work with my dad, the circumstances just kind of presented itself. I enrolled in law school as a night student in the fall of 2010 and continued to work full time during the day. Unfortunately, after I completed my first semester I was laid off from the firm I was working at.

While I was searching for a new job, my father, who is an attorney, offered me the opportunity to start working in his office part-time, allowing me to transition to a full-time law school student. The rest is history. 

By working together, we are able to deliver better service to his existing clients while also having the tools of the trade necessary to attract a new and younger generation of clients. This is critical for our growth as an office because Millenials are now reaching their prime life stage to purchase their first home, and our office is ready to serve them!

You mentioned working as a paralegal and eventually getting laid off. What was that experience like?

I graduated from college with a plan to leverage my Communications Studies degree to land a job in the advertising/marketing field.  Unfortunately, in 2009 we were in the midst of a brutal economic recession that made it really difficult to find even an entry-level job. 

A friend of mine reached out and said she worked at a law firm that had an opening for a paralegal. I interviewed and got the job!

The firm specialized in mortgage foreclosures but the job itself was very mechanical. After a few months, I had basically learned everything I could. The lawyers I was assigned to work for basically started rubber-stamping my work without even really reviewing. That’s when I decided I wanted to take control and get into business more for myself. 

I decided that law school was the best option for me because I could venture into business for myself but could use my legal background to write strong contracts.

Do you have any final advice for anyone who wants to grow and succeed in their life right now?

If you want something in life, you have to go after it.  Wake up every day and work towards your goals.  Enjoy what you have accomplished but remember nothing is promised.  You can’t get to the next level by spending all your time celebrating that you’ve reached the level you’re on.

You can follow Andrew’s journey on his IG, Facebook, and Twitter: @delorylaw

The idea of Bigtime Daily landed this engineer cum journalist from a multi-national company to the digital avenue. Matthew brought life to this idea and rendered all that was necessary to create an interactive and attractive platform for the readers. Apart from managing the platform, he also contributes his expertise in business niche.

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Business

The Ultimate Guide to the Essential Social Skills in Business

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Effective communication and strong relationships are essential for success in the workplace. One factor that can greatly influence these qualities is emotional intelligence, often abbreviated as EQ. EQ refers to the ability to identify, understand, and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. Research has shown that individuals with high levels of EQ are better equipped to handle stress, communicate effectively, and work collaboratively with others (Chamorro-Premuzic & Sanger, 2016).

Research has consistently shown that emotional intelligence (EQ) is an important predictor of job performance and success in the workplace. EQ is comprised of a set of skills that allow individuals to recognize, understand, and regulate their own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. In addition, individuals with high EQ are better able to communicate effectively, build relationships, and navigate complex social situations. As a result, they are often viewed as effective leaders and collaborators, and are more likely to achieve their personal and professional goals.

In fact, a number of studies have demonstrated the significant impact that EQ has on job performance and success. For example, one study of 85 upper-level managers found that those with higher EQ scores were rated as more effective leaders by their subordinates (Law, Wong, & Song, 2004). Another study of 151 employees found that those with higher EQ were more likely to be promoted within their organization over a five-year period (Carmeli, Brueller, & Dutton, 2009). These findings highlight the importance of EQ in the workplace and suggest that developing these skills can lead to significant benefits for both individuals and organizations.

According to a study conducted by TalentSmart, a leading provider of EQ assessments, EQ is responsible for 58% of success in all job types (Bradberry & Greaves, 2009). In contrast, IQ only accounts for about 4% of success in the workplace. This suggests that EQ is a crucial skill set for individuals in any professional field. Fortunately, EQ is a skill that can be developed and honed over time with practice and awareness.

There are several key components of EQ that are particularly important for success in the workplace. These include: 

Self-Regulation: This refers to your capacity to recognize and control your emotions. Sometimes treating them when they arise may be necessary. Understanding how to manage your anger is essential. However, it can also cover how to control the feelings you’ll experience.

Self-Awareness: This implies recognizing and understanding your own feelings. Do noisy places make you nervous? Do other people talking over you make you angry? Knowing these truths about yourself shows that you are working on your self-awareness. Being conscious of yourself is necessary for this phase, which can be more complex than it sounds.

Socialization: This category focuses on your capacity to manage social interactions and direct relationships. It doesn’t entail dominating others but knowing how to work with others to achieve your goals. This could entail presenting your ideas to coworkers, leading a team, or resolving a personal disagreement.

Motivation: Strong motivators include external forces like money, status, or suffering. Internal motivation, however, plays a significant role in Goleman’s concept. By doing so, you demonstrate your ability to control your cause and initiate or continue initiatives of your own volition rather than in response to external demands.

Empathy: It’s equally critical to be sensitive to others’ feelings. This may entail learning to identify different emotional states in individuals — for example, can you tell the difference between someone at ease and someone anxious? — but it also requires comprehension of how other people may react to their current situation. Empathy is one of the essential traits in business and business leadership.

A thought leader in this space, Michael Ventura has built a career advising organizations on the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace. In his book, Applied Empathy, Ventura highlights the value of empathy in business and provides strategies for developing and applying this skill set. With two decades of experience as a leader, facilitator, and educator, Ventura’s work has made impact in with prestigious institutions such as Princeton University and the United Nations as well as corporate clients such as Google and Nike.

Through his work, Ventura advises leaders to focus on the development of EQ in order to help individuals improve their communication, collaboration, and leadership skills, ultimately leading to greater success in the workplace. Experts like Ventura continue to support the growing body of research on the value of EQ in business, and the evidence that organizations who invest in the EQ of their teams help to create a more empathetic and successful professional environment.

And it’s worth noting that EQ isn’t just important for individual success in the workplace, but also for overall organizational success. A study by the Center for Creative Leadership found that EQ was a better predictor of success than IQ or technical skills in the workplace, and that teams with higher levels of EQ tend to be more effective and productive (Boyatzis, Goleman, & Rhee, 1999). By cultivating a culture of empathy and emotional intelligence, organizations can improve their overall performance and create a more positive work environment for their employees.

In conclusion, emotional intelligence is a crucial component of success in the workplace, and individuals and organizations alike should prioritize the development of these skills. The ones that do not only develop a leading edge in their category, but also become a meaningful place to work for their teams. And in today’s rapidly changing talent landscape, the retention of highly capable, emotionally intelligent leaders is one of the greatest keys to unlocking success.

References:

Boyatzis, R. E., Goleman, D., & Rhee, K. S. (1999). Clustering competence in emotional intelligence: Insights from the emotional competence inventory (ECI). In R. Bar-On & J. D. A. Parker (Eds.), Handbook of emotional intelligence (pp. 343-362). Jossey-Bass.

Bradberry, T., & Greaves, J. (2009). Emotional intelligence 2.0. TalentSmart.

Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Sanger, M. N. (2016). Does employee happiness matter? Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 3(2), 168-191.

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