Three resources you should check out
A few resources to bring to your attention this week… Always looking for a better way to manage your time? Check out the Storyline Productivity Schedule. Designed to help you focus on what matters most (no brownie points for clearing your in-box of e-mail you didn’t need to read) and to arrange your days in […]
How to make conference attendance worthwhile
This is a longer article than usual, but if you’d like a step-by-step outline on how to get value from attending meetings and conferences, it’s worth your time to read. (1741 words, about five minutes to read) Attending a conference can be of high value for business development, or it can be an expensive undertaking […]
Observe yourself to improve
As a young litigation associate (about a million years ago!), I found tremendous benefit in getting feedback from a more senior lawyer who routinely observed my performance. The same was true as I moved into coaching, and even now, after more than ten years of coaching others, whenever I get feedback following observation, I always […]
Design meaningful follow-ups
You know that one-off meetings are likely to do little, so you always plan your follow-up strategy, right? It doesn’t matter whether you meet someone through formal networking, at a CLE seminar, or while you’re waiting for hours at the DMV… The best connections mean nothing if you can’t cultivate a relationship. (Unless, of course, […]
Is it about them… Or you?
I had a conversation with a new acquaintance recently, to discuss opportunities for collaboration and to explore the potential for making referrals to her. I was looking forward to learning more about this person and her work. What I got was almost a monologue about what she’d done and how well things had turned out […]
Why billable work outweighs biz dev work (but shouldn’t)
You are likely aware of the distinction between urgent and important tasks in the context of time management. Assuming you have enough work to keep you reasonably occupied and compensated (even if that means doing work for someone else’s clients rather than your own), business development tends to be an important task, but not an […]
A valuable diversion
Today’s newsletter may feel like a bit of a diversion. If it seems so to you, don’t worry: “pure” biz dev will return next week. Last weekend, I read When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Kalanithi was a neurosurgeon who was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer at age 36. This book is his memoir, […]