Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome is one of those areas where the practitioners who actually do the work are usually too busy to write about it, and the ones who write about it tend to do less of it. This piece tries to split the difference.
Written for mediators thinking about how to position around Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome for the next three to five years, not the next quarter.
Mediation involving Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome often benefits from explicit education for both parties on the substantive issues before negotiation begins. A mediator who spends 20 minutes walking both parties through the basics of Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome levels the information asymmetry that often blocks productive discussion. This is education, not advocacy — and it’s a core mediator skill.
Scoping is the first move
Scope creep in Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome is the most common source of fee disputes. The matter starts at one defined scope and gradually grows as the client identifies new questions and adjacent issues. Practitioners who notice this in real time and either decline the additional scope or paper a new engagement protect both their economics and the client relationship.
Scoping is the single highest-leverage moment in a Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome engagement. Practitioners who treat the engagement letter as paperwork rather than as the most important conversation of the matter end up either doing more work than they’re paid for or producing deliverables their clients didn’t want. A scoping conversation that takes an hour upfront saves dozens of hours later.
Build the case file with discipline
Build a third-party document tracker for every Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome engagement. What you’ve requested, when, from whom, what’s arrived, what’s still outstanding. This kind of tracking is unsexy but it’s the single most common reason matters run over timeline.
Case-file discipline matters more in Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome than in general practice because the matters are denser, the third-party records are more complex, and the matter timelines are usually longer. Practitioners who run organized case files complete matters faster, defend their work more effectively if challenged, and produce reusable templates from each engagement.
The case team and how to run it
When co-professionals on a case have different views about the right analytical or strategic approach, the mediator’s role is to do their own work well and present their conclusions clearly, not to relitigate every disagreement. The attorney or client makes the final strategic call; the mediator’s job is to make sure the analytical inputs are sound.
The protocol for coordination matters. Some matters require frequent multi-professional calls; others require occasional written updates; others require near-silence between the mediator and other professionals on the case. Set the protocol at scoping with the client and the other professionals so nobody is confused about who’s expected to do what.
Stay current with the field
Reading the trade publications that cover Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome matters more than most practitioners give it credit for. Thirty minutes a week, sustained across a year, produces a working sense of where the field is moving. Practitioners who do this find themselves citing relevant developments in client conversations and case strategy; those who don’t fall behind quietly.
Peer review of your work, even informally, improves it faster than solo practice. Find one or two other practitioners working in Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome who will review your draft deliverables and give honest feedback. Reciprocate.
Close engagements well
Build a closing checklist for Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome engagements and use it consistently. The deliverable, the closing letter, the case file archived, the engagement marked complete in your billing system, the client’s referral source thanked. Practitioners who run a clean closing process produce a steadier ongoing flow than those who let the back end of each engagement get sloppy. For deeper reference, see ABA Model Standards of Conduct for Mediators.
Some Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome engagements end without producing the outcome the client hoped for. Closing those engagements well — being honest about what the work produced and why — matters more than closing the successful ones. The client may not feel great about the outcome, but they’ll remember that you were straight with them, which produces referrals over time even from disappointing matters.
None of this is shortcut work. The practitioners who own Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome in their markets earned their position the slow way — consistent attendance at the same conferences, careful case work compounding over years, relationships built deliberately.
How VennBoard fits in
Practitioners who handle Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome repeatedly find that the back-office infrastructure is the difference between a practice that scales and one that absorbs the practitioner. VennBoard provides the structured workspace that lets you focus on the substantive work — the part that actually compounds.
For mediators ready to see how VennBoard supports Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome engagements, visit VennBoard.com.