Read The Room (The Friday Ficks S5 E39)

“You don’t have any cross-examination, do you Mr. Ficks?” asked the senior U.S. District Court judge.

I paused, shuffled a few papers, and then replied “No, your Honor. I think I’m all set. Thank you.”

The plaintiff’s own witness had just torpedoed his case. The testimony was so damaging it nearly assured me a favorable verdict. When direct examination ended, I rose, ready to launch into a “real” cross.

Fresh out of law school, I was eager to prove myself in my first trial in federal court. I’d noticed how veteran trial lawyers found subtle ways to build rapport with judges - common ground, shared stories, and even shared alma maters. I tried the same, and occasionally it worked.

On this day, the subtlety worked in spades.

Before I could speak, the judge, a fellow Providence College alumnus, cut in with his question. He knew that anything this trial rookie asked would only muddy the waters.

The smartest move for me wasn’t to flex. It was for me to sit down.

So that’s what I did.

That was one of my first lessons in a truism many never learn: knowing when not to act is just as powerful as knowing when to act.

We live in a noisy world - people talking over one another, chasing attention, rushing to be heard, filling silence with sound.

But wisdom, leadership, and influence often come from restraint. From paying attention. From reading the room.

We need more of that right now.

Own the day. Own the weekend.

Carl