When I shifted from practicing law to consulting and coaching, I realized that it’s critical for me to protect my own time and energy. I began to get a deeper understanding that in a very real way, I am my own product and I must protect my product. The irony, of course, is that the […]
Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life By Steward D. Friedman Spurred by conversations I’ve been having with clients recently, this month’s book review focuses on “work/life balance” or (as I prefer to call it) work/life integration. As I’ve previously written, self-management is a critical skill for leaders. That it’s also a […]
I went shopping a few weekends ago. I’m in the market for a new car, and I need a dark rose or burgundy tablecloth for my dining room table. I haven’t purchased either just yet (though I’m moving closer), but two very different sales experiences have offered plenty of insight. Saturday afternoon, I went to […]
What a week we’ve had with weather on the East Coast: if it isn’t an earthquake, it’s a hurricane. And for us east coasters, there’s nothing natural about that sentence. Long-time readers know that I think Seth Godin is a brilliant thinker, and he hit it again with his insight into earthquakes and human nature: […]
In this “fifth week”, I thought I’d share notable blog posts from the last few weeks. Enjoy! There Has Never Been a Better Time to Be a Lawyer (make your own opportunities and enjoy the changes that the new economy is brining) Your Bio is Not an Obituary! (Read this, then re-read your bio and […]
Lawyers often ask me: Where should I start with business development? How do I make the best use of my rainmaking time? Are you out of your mind to suggest I spend that much time on business development? (The minimum is an hour a week, and the time commitment rises as your years in practice increase. […]
A client recently confided that he had never actually asked for business from a potential client. Surprised (since I knew that his $275,000 book of business hadn’t just happened), I asked what he meant, and he responded that asking for the business means saying something like, “I’d like to handle that for you.” A flat, […]
The Power of Professionalism The Seven Mind-Sets That Drive Performance and Build Trust Lawyers and those who work with lawyers have taken to debating whether law is still a profession or whether it’s “just” a business. The substance of the debate matters deeply: without attention to the business aspects of a legal practice, the practice […]
Studies show that happy clients tell very few of their friends about great client care experiences, while unhappy clients tell (on average) seven other people about problems they experienced. I’d like to share three client stories that I’ve labeled the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly, each with lessons you can learn about […]
Several potential client consultations over the last few weeks have put me in mind of the old story about the tortoise and the hare. We all know the lesson, that slow and steady wins the race, and the same is true in business development — though consistent is a more accurate word here than slow. […]