Originally published in ABA Journal on March 4, 2026. Reprinted here with permission.
A couple of months ago, I had an unexpected exchange with my 15-year-old daughter that perfectly captured some of my hopes for the future.
“Act chalant,” she said to her friend. My ears perked up.
“You mean ‘nonchalant,’ right?” I said. “It’s an unpaired word; I imagine you learned that term in English class. There’s no such word in English as chalant.”
“Mom, I mean chalant. It’s the opposite of nonchalant. It means attentiveness. Please don’t furrow your brow at me. It’s part of my lexicon,” my daughter responded.
I was poised to push back on this but after all, I am married to a cybersecurity engineer, and I am a Gen X’er. Neither cybersecurity nor Gen X were added to the dictionary until I was in college.
Chalant.
Paying attention. Being attentive.
I checked, and it’s not officially in a dictionary yet.
She got me thinking about how easy it is to disconnect, to isolate, to not pay attention to others, in this era. And about the nature of what it is to which we pay attention, and what that means for us all.
Technology has quietly usurped aspects of our lives for decades. And, recently, it has gotten even louder. It has changed every task in our orbit. AI is changing how we work, and while it enhances collaboration in some ways, it also enables us to withdraw from each other and challenges our ability to connect.
In the two months since my daughter taught me the importance of being chalant, I have resolved to make the remainder of the year all about increased connection and collaboration.
As a chief marketing officer, I oversee teams, define strategies, build processes, and solve problems.
My day is filled with devising and executing strategies. I have many calls and meetings related to “getting things done.” The technology we rely on every day has made many new things possible. But change is always filled with tradeoffs.
In 2026, I am taking my teams on a new journey. In fact, it’s already begun, and it’s working.
Daily Stand-Ups – Creative Exchange to Improve Legal Teams
At year-end, I typically ask team members to prepare a one-page memo in addition to their annual review. Each team member proposes a project to lead and test in Q1. This approach has previously delivered strong results.
I have decided to go further.
To foster transparency, build trust, and expedite connection, I have started daily stand-ups with a team. People are required to be on-screen or in-person where possible. These short, 15-minute “dailies,” or gatherings at a set time, have allowed team members to resolve issues, identify roadblocks, summarize, and share progress.
In the past month, there have been some remarkable exchanges that I believe will enhance our shared work management tools.
Connecting and communicating are like muscles—they grow stronger with regular use. These small meetings and one-on-ones with team members have led to them getting to know one another, becoming familiar and more comfortable with each other.
Instead of fear, obfuscation, anxiety, or stagnation, we have begun to foster clarity and transparency, creating an environment where people can and want to help one another grow and improve. Instead of team members being responsible only for their piece of the marketing and sales funnel, they have begun holding individual meetings to learn about what others’ campaign metrics mean, and to connect on potential growth strategies next year.
In an era where AI and technology are making us more independent, we need to build in real-time interaction, feedback, and exchange. It takes sustained effort, but these dailies are similar to icebreakers at events. They are already allowing people to get to know each other and begin to share their work and ideas.
While the way we work is changing and will continue to, and AI will change our tasks and how we perform them, people still need to communicate, manage, make decisions, determine objectives, lead, and collaborate. Sharing ideas and time—paying more attention to each other—is a valuable part of the process.
Let’s get chalant.
Jennifer S. Bankston is Chief Marketing Officer at DiCello Levitt, a complex issues and trial law firm.
