Archive for category: Coaching for lawyers

Most businesses do some sort of year-end review and lay plans for the next year. Many client-based businesses slow down a bit this time of year, and you have two choices:  coast along, or use the downtime to your advantage.  Surely you can guess which approach I’d advise!

When you sit down with pen and paper or cozy up with your computer, what’s the best way to look at where you’ve been this year and where you’d like to go next? Or, for those of you who are new in business, what should you be considering as you lay your plans?

You may have heard of a SWOT analysis, which stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. SWOT analysis is taught in business schools and elsewhere as a model to distinguish your business from competitors.  It’s a helpful model, but it’s never felt like a fit to me.

I don’t find “threat” to be a helpful concept — and it isn’t because I’m an overly optimistic Pollyanna who never sees a threat. Certainly, there are situations and circumstances out there that can pose a challenge to your business, some of which can be fatal if they’re ignored.  But focusing on “threat”, in my experience, tends to call forth a defensive response, which sets up a reactive, rather than a creative, approach.

A more powerful perspective recognizes that where an obstacle exists, there’s almost always an opportunity. Sometimes it’s exploiting a particular market condition or a news story that’s put negative focus on something you or your clients are doing.  That’s an opportunity to turn lemons into lemonade, meaning that the opportunity isn’t one you would necessarily seek out under other circumstances.

But sometimes spotting an obstacle leads you to recognize an opportunity that you would have dismissed as a problem. A few months ago, I was talking with a lawyer whose practice centers on family law and who wanted to work with a certain slice of the celebrity market.  She’d identified a big obstacle:  she wasn’t a part of the celebrity lawyer crowd.  She described a group of lawyers known to one another and to that market, and even though she had many celebrity contacts, she was an outsider to that world.  And there’s the opportunity.  Much as politicians campaign on having the “outside the beltway” perspective, she could position herself as someone who wouldn’t have the same old, same old approach already known to others in the crowd.  She could use her outsider status as a positive differentiation.  Do you see it?  Obstacle… Opportunity.

Another example:  I worked with a consultant whose business was exploding at the seams. She had a unique process to solve a particular problem, and she had a deep connection to the community of people who were struggling with the problem.  Obstacle: not enough time and energy to work with the clients beating down her door.  Opportunity: she was able to raise her fees so that she could work with fewer clients one-on-one, and she certified some associate consultants in her process, so clients who didn’t want to pay her new fees could still work with someone she’d personally trained to apply her unique process.  The result?  She continues to serve a large community and to help them solve their problems, but she now does so in a way that provides more income without draining her energy.

What’s your biggest obstacle? You know, the one that keeps you up at night.  The one that you find yourself worrying about even when you didn’t intend to think about business.

Turn that obstacle on its head.  Look for the (as yet) unappreciated opportunity that exists within it. Sometimes it’s difficult to see the opportunity if you’re too close, so ask for help from creative colleagues.  Or call on me.  Opportunity-spotting is one of my favorite things to do, and I’d be delighted to help.

111 Ways to Streamline Your Time:  An Inside View of Outlook® by Mary Scott

The author of 111 Ways to Streamline Your Time, Mary Scott, is a friend of mine, and just about every time we’d talk I’d learn something new about getting the most from Outlook®. I was thrilled when Mary shared that she’d decided to put the tips together into a book.  If you use Outlook®, you must pick this one up.

A few of my favorite tips (and note that although Mary’s focus is Outlook®, these tips can be adapted for any system):

• Tip 2 (Add content from an email to a Contact): Relationship-building is easier when you’re able to remember information about your contacts and don’t have to fumble around with names and important dates.  Mary shows you easily how to copy something from an email — a spouse’s name, perhaps, or a favorite author — into the Contact record for easy retrieval.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have these reminders at your fingertips when you’re preparing to meet with a contact?
• Tip 19 (AAA Rule:  Always Attach Attachments): Some systems (Gmail, for example) have safeguards to make sure you remembered to attach the file mentioned in your email — but typically only if you use some variation on the word “attach”.  Without that safeguard, it’s easy to forget the attachment (especially if you’re in a hurry), forcing you to spend extra time resending the email with the file.  Mary’s AAA Rule suggests attaching the file, then typing the email, and finally addressing it, thus eliminating the risk of hitting send and then realizing the mistake.  (Tip 21 is related and helpful — make addressing the email the last step of all messages to prevent premature sending.)
• Tip 51 (Save Each Other Time) could revolutionize email communications. Mary points out simple time-saving ideas that we should all use in email, such as “Save the reader the time and frustration of trying to figure out what you want — indicate the action you want taken in the first lines of your message.  Don’t bury it in the content.  Don’t assume that everyone will read to the bottom of your message.”  (Emphasis mine.)
• Tip 81 (Use Contacts for more than people): Mary suggests using contacts for static lists, information like clothing sizes and books to read, etc.  For example, Mary describes that one of her clients uses this approach to save packing lists for various kinds of trips, under “Contact” names like Packing List – Business, Packing List – Family, and Packing List – Skiing.  Save the relevant information in the Notes (or “white space”) section of the Contact record, and you’re ready to go.
• Tip 104 (Recurring tasks) is a time-saver and memory aid. If you have tasks that recur on a regular basis (quarterly reports, for instance), set the task to recur on the appropriate basis.  Before this tip, I’d always run late (or worry that I had) in remembering to draft reports that are always due in mid-January and mid-July; now I set recurring tasks for January 1 and July 1 and I know I’m covered whether the due date is a little early or a little late in any given year.

Mary’s book is a must-purchase for every Outlook® user (especially since she specifically addresses both 2003 and 2007, so you never have to wonder how to adapt a particular tip to your system), and I strongly recommend it for everyone who’d like to make the most of their email/contact/task system, even if you don’t use Outlook®. While not all of the tips will transfer to other systems, Mary includes plenty of ideas and approaches that transfer easily to non-Outlook® products.

Working on a professional association committee or project is a good way to get leadership experience quickly. The reason is simple:  because of the number and variety of professional associations (such as the ABA and local bar associations, the International Coach Federation, Professional Photographers of America, Licensing Executives Society, etc.) and the number and variety of sections and committees within each, leadership opportunities are numerous.

Why should you consider involvement in a professional association?

1. To grow your professional network. Having a broad group of colleagues will prove useful over the span of your career in ways you probably can’t even imagine right now.  Networks are useful if you need to refer a client to someone in whom you have confidence, if you’re visiting another part of the country (or world) and need business resources, if you’re looking for a new position, on and on and on.
2. To contribute to the profession. The work produced by each group will vary, but you may have an opportunity to contribute to a report studying the challenges faced by women attorneys of color, the latest revision to substantive or procedural rules of your profession, or to track legislation that effects your clients.  You can use your skills and develop them further through this work.
3. To advance your business development goals. If your practice is supported by referrals from colleagues, professional associations can create the opportunity for you to become known by your potential referral sources.  (But note:  if referrals from colleagues are uncommon in your field, don’t hide out in a safe professional group and pretend you’re going to get new business there.)
4. Because it’s fun. When you find a group that’s a good fit for you, networking and conferences become a time to reconnect with friends and accomplish something of professional benefit.

So, how do you get started?

1. Identify the groups that might be a good fit for you based on your goals and interests. Do you want to be involved with a local group or a national group?  (If you’re looking to create a referral network, this is probably the #1 question you’ll need to answer.)
2. Next, identify a subgroup of that organization that you find interesting. Look through the sections, committees and subcommittees, or the list of projects that the group maintains.  Your goal is to identify a small working group that will be a good fit for your skills, your interest, and your goals — in that order.
3. Working groups almost always need help. Perhaps you’re already a passive member of a group, receiving information and maybe attending CE programs.  To reap the benefit of membership, you must be active.  Decide how much time you have available and what kind of assistance you’d like to offer.  You may be able to get a feel for current projects from the group’s website.
4. Contact the leader of the subgroup you’d like to join and volunteer. For all but the most prestigious groups, I can almost guarantee that a committee chair’s favorite words to hear are, “I’d like to help!”  Find out how you can make a contribution.  Look for something fairly short-term, so you aren’t boxed in and you can prove yourself quickly.  And, of course, do a great job.
5. Attend the business meetings of your select group. Most professional organizations meet at least annually, and those who attend are the leaders.  If you want to become a leader, meet them.  Learn more about the group’s activity, who’s involved, what its history is, and how things operate.  Ask about the leadership track — how might you become a committee leader, a section leader, or an association leader?  Contribute to the conversation and volunteer where appropriate.  Show your interest and your ability.
6. Once you’ve taken on a few projects and done well, you will start to advance. Depending on the group, you can probably expect to become a subcommittee vice chair (or some equivalent title) within a couple of years, and sometimes much faster.  Should you choose to advance in leadership, you’ll know much more about how to do so in your selected group; if not, you can probably continue at your current level of involvement and accrue additional benefits.

The monument pictured here marks a spot where Thomas Edison camped in 1878.  While camping, Edison threw a broken bamboo fishing pole on a fire and noticed that the frayed pieces glowed and resisted burning.  He later tested a fiber derived from bamboo as a filament for the incandescent light bulb and came up with a bulb that would burn for over 1200 hours.  (An earlier version burned for only 40 hours.)  Someone else used a bamboo filament in 1854, but legend has it that it’s the camping experience that prompted Edison to use bamboo.

You may be thinking, so what?  Edison’s story (whether it’s pure truth or a nice legend) illustrates something that is critical to your professional success.

Looking outside a single box brings benefits — whether that’s knowledge from one field to another, an “out of the box” idea that leads to innovation, or drawing support (literal or metaphorical) from one area to another. Getting a jolt of “new” can stem from just about anywhere, if we create the opportunity for it.

And yet, when we specialize in a particular area, we tend to limit our attention to that area. One of my clients recently confessed that she reads plenty of information that’s directly connected to her photography business, but she rarely reads anything else — not even for pleasure.

When I was practicing patent litigation, I read in two primary areas:  patent law and litigation.  When I began to read business articles and magazines, however, I started to pick up tips on topics ranging from marketing to client service.  Occasionally, I’d even see a discussion that would in some way bear on one of my cases or a client’s business.  Even good information can leave us with stale input when it’s more of the same.

Here’s your challenge for the week:  pick up a magazine that you’ve never read before. Try Inc., Fast Company, Kiplinger, Forbes, or Entrepreneur. If you read those, consider a political magazine or even The New Yorker — just something that’s well outside your norm.

Much of what you read will be interesting but inapplicable to your business.  Look for the “zingers” that you can transfer into your own field or that spark a new idea.

I took this photo of Oregon Trail ruts near Guernsey, Wyoming.  On this section of the trail, appropriately known as Deep Rut Hill, the route deviated away from the river and went over sandstone hills.  The wagons spread out to minimize dust across much of the trail, but thousands of wagons followed precisely the same path in this area.  The result?  Ruts that are up to five feet deep.

When I visited this spot, I imagined what the scene must have been:  mile after mile of emigrants traveling one after another.  And imagine the view — unless you were lucky enough to be in the lead, all you’d see for several miles would be the wagon in front of you.  Pretty dull, no?

As I imagined that scene, I started to think about “me too” marketing. It’s the safe route:  find the approach that’s worked for someone else and do it yourself.  If your mentor is a “never met a stranger, never ate a meal alone: kind of person, you might try to do the social butterfly act.  If your mentor touts the magic of public speaking as a mode to land new business, you might try that act even if you’d rather be stung by an entire swarm of South American killer bees.  (Remember, many polls show that the fear of public speaking outranks even the fear of death!)  If your mentor believes that a leadership role in an industry organization is the key to success… Well, you get the idea.

But notice the key word here:  ACT. If it isn’t you, if you’re just following someone else’s path, you’re just performing an act.  And let’s face it, most of us aren’t skilled actors.  Instead, we know that we’re playing a role, and others sense that something is off.  The end result is that we’re uncomfortable and usually don’t get good results.  So what’s the answer?

Innovate.  With authenticity.

Figure out your strengths and your interests, and adapt those for business development purposes. If you hate public speaking, don’t do it.  Find something else you do enjoy, figure out how to fit it into your strategic plan, and go to town.  When you innovate and build in activities that you truly enjoy and that build on your abilities, you get to be authentically yourself instead of pretending to be someone else, and you’ll find that potential clients respond much more favorably.

Your assignment:  List your current business development activities and note which match your unique abilities and which put you in the role of imitator. And then, find ways to innovate yet further so your marketing really reflects who you are.  Don’t get stuck staring at the wagon in front of you.