What’s the difference between leadership and management – and why does it matter?
In listening to conversations about leadership development, I’ve noticed a tendency that at first I attributed to a slip of the tongue. People say things like, “So good management – I mean, leadership – requires [this that and the other].” Some people even suggest that management and leadership are really the same thing and that […]
Present!
Think back to elementary school. My guess is (depending on your generation), when the teacher called roll most students responded by saying, “Here!” And usually, especially by 5th grade or so, one wise guy (were there gunners in elementary school?!) would respond by answering, “Present!” The other kids would snicker and the teacher might look […]
Internal client development
Generally speaking, law firms use the phrase “client development” to refer to the process of signing clients that the firm will represent in litigation, transactions, etc. Today, I’d like to consider another type of client development associates must consider: internal client development. As an associate, particularly a junior associate who receives work from more senior […]
A favorite relationship-building tactic
A few days ago, I posted on the difference between strategy and tactics and recommended identifying strategy first and then move to tactics. Selecting effective tactics depends, of course, on the strategy and the ultimate goal. Building relationships almost always comes into play, though. Strong client relationships form the foundation of a healthy practice; strong […]
What’s your strategy?
Following on last week’s post examining the roles of strategy and opportunity in career planning and business development, today considers strategy vs. tactics. Assuming that you find value in applying strategy to your own efforts rather than drifting along and hoping for the best, step one is to set the strategy. Obvious, right? Well… We […]
Strategy or opportunity?
I recently read a sentence (in a non-public email, so I won’t cite the source) suggesting that most lawyers and law firms are opportunists, not strategists. That brought me to a dead stop. Lawyers are trained (and generally self-selected as well) to think logically and analytically, and most lawyers put a high stock on strategic […]
Lessons at an airport gate
I spent nearly two hours sitting at an airport gate today. I’d assumed that between business travel and people headed home after the Easter weekend, the airport would be jammed, but I got through security in an astonishingly short time. So, I sat about 5 feet behind a Delta American Express table. You’ve probably seen them: […]