Weekly Rainmaker Activity 11/24/09: Give thanks for referrals
It is, perhaps, a bit of a cliché to focus on gratitude during the United States Thanksgiving week. Nonetheless, the theme is so important to business development that, cliché or no, that’s the focus for this week’s Weekly Rainmaker Activity. I’ll begin today’s lesson with a story. After I’d been in practice for several years, […]
Don’t blow it!
Lawyers who are or aspire to be leaders must learn to self-manage. Especially when stressed or under pressure (and who isn’t, at least part of the time?). It’s easy to let self-management slide in the face of provocation. Some attorneys I know offer a blanket apology to staff and colleagues — something like, “I’m feeling […]
Weekly Rainmaker Activity 11/16/09: Get accountable
Last week I was in Greenfield, CT, attending my business mastermind meeting. Once a quarter, I meet with 12-16 other entrepreneurs and business owners working in a variety of fields, and we spend time working on our businesses. These meetings have helped me to look beyond the day-to-day work and have prompted the development of […]
High Altitude Leadership: What the World’s Most Forbidding Peaks Teach Us About Success (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership)
High Altitude Leadership: What the World’s Most Forbidding Peaks Teach Us About Success (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) by Chris Warner and Don Schmingke Hardcover High Altitude Leadership, published late last year, seems to have hit the market at precisely the right moment. Drawing on observations made during mountaineering expeditions (including Mount Everest ascents, the authors […]
Writing for Rainmaking Success
Before you agree to speak or to write an article, you must ensure that your time will be well invested. Ask yourself the following questions: Am I writing for the right audience? Writing for the wrong audience (meaning, an audience composed of people whom you do not serve) will not bring enough benefit to justify […]
Weekly Rainmaker Activity 10/25/09: The holidays are coming!
The holidays are just around the corner, and today’s WRA calls for you to begin planning ahead. Do you send cards or gifts to your clients to mark the holidays? As you no doubt know, current clients and referral sources are your most immediate route to more business. Because business development is all about growing […]
Explaining a tragedy
Back in April, a much-respected lawyer in Washington, DC committed suicide after being laid off. I didn’t post the story at the time because, quite simply, I couldn’t figure out what to say. Friends and colleagues remember Mark Levy as a true professional who had little use for the business of law. The article suggests […]