Leaders face a tall task in planning for 2021. With hopeful light at what appears to be the end of the Covid-19 tunnel, it’s going to be tempting to try to make up for traction lost in 2020 in an effort to get back to “normal.” This temptation is likely to result in multiple “strategic” … Continue Reading
(This is an update to a March 2018 article originally published on Forbes.com.) The role of leadership in any enterprise is fraught with a number of legitimately urgent distractions — especially in a volatile marketplace. A single projection missed, one team assignment blown, a silver bullet misfired can wind up costing precious resources. In short … Continue Reading
When things don’t change, there is typically one reason. Change is simply not a priority. Wherever there is a lot of talk, but very little action…when progress is painfully slow (without regard to how essential we say it is) it is almost always due to one thing. The prescribed movement isn’t important enough to command … Continue Reading
If your firm is puzzling over conversations like inclusion, mental health in the work place, succession, stability or any aspect of how to grow, take it as a warning sign: critical areas of your organization may not be aligned. Not that these topics can’t be plenty challenging. Indeed, any one calls for the best a … Continue Reading
Does your firm regularly wrestle with measuring return when it comes to business development efforts? If so, you’re far from alone. At least one reason is that for many firms, the pursuit of new business is not aligned with any overall, longer-than-this-year strategic plan — one that is guided by a set of core principles, … Continue Reading
If your firm is like most, the pursuit of lateral partners is a critical piece of your growth plan, and you invest in it disproportionately. But unless yours is an exception, the effort under-delivers. Consider data highlighted in a January article from ALM, authored by Nicholas Bruch, Michael A. Ellenhorn and Howard Rosenberg. In the … Continue Reading
In 2001 Erik Weihenmayer reached the peak of Mount Everest — an impressive feat in-and-of itself. But one thing should be noted: Erik is blind. I first learned of his story several years ago, and was reminded of it thanks to a recent story on NBC’s Today Show. But Everest is only part of the story. … Continue Reading
Title, office location or size, number of direct reports and not even hiring and firing authority guarantees that one is a leader. The greatest leaders we encounter are not defined by trappings. This reality often hits hard at the peak of disruption or crisis, when what is needed is leaders who have what it takes … Continue Reading
In his book Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek sets the bar for what defines a leader. The book as well as Sinek’s TED Talks should be required for anyone aspiring to a leadership role. In short, the author suggests that the real measure of an effective leader is the degree to which she inspires a … Continue Reading
It is much easier to be a critic than a creator; less risky to respond and react than to innovate and initiate; less costly to follow than to lead. Charting new territory — innovating, establishing relationships and building solutions — requires a vision for the future and a measure of courage . . . an investment of blood, sweat and … Continue Reading
When I met Henry Gilchrist he was in his mid-seventies. Those of us that came along in those days weren’t around when he was doing deals for Texas oil man Clint Murchison; or as he conceived and structured a unique funding deal to create Texas Stadium; or while he was point person on high profile … Continue Reading
Countless hours are about to be spent in meetings, on conference calls, and in early morning or late night hand-wringing sessions among law firm and professional service leadership. The focus? Identifying strategies and creating plans that solve a glaring deficit in business development progress. Risking sounding negative this early in January, here is what will … Continue Reading
The setting was a roundtable session. The floor belonged to an Am Law 100 law firm leader. And the question she posed was clear: “what must we do to get the highest value from our marketing / business development investments?” The context for her question was the all-too-familiar drill. Plans are drafted. And they gather … Continue Reading
Stepping down from anything that might resemble a high-horse, we should stipulate that succeeding at enterprise is not a piece-of-cake. There are far more ways to false-start, stumble and falter than one could enumerate — and many of us have first-hand experience with at least a few. That said — and notwithstanding the lessons to … Continue Reading
Bill Taylor’s HBR Blog post today — “Don’t Let What You Know Limit What You Imagine” — strikes at the heart of a strategic planning challenge for professional service organizations in today’s marketplace. Begin with bright business minds, add expertise and deep experience, blend with volatility, unpredictability and a touch of fear, and you have … Continue Reading
To the degree that one life intersects with another – at home, on the job, socially (yes, even via social media) – few things are more central to progress and success than the art of dialogue. Whether a political agenda, the endeavors of enterprise, social awareness and reform or a family’s pursuits, progress is impossible … Continue Reading
No one likes change. Those who say they do are most often talking about variety (like changing cars or upgrading laptops); or perhaps about improvements that make life easier — though initially, even the idea of change for the better is often met with disdain. I ran across this Networking Exchange blog post by Alan … Continue Reading
Several weeks ago I was part of a discussion on marketing in the legal industry. In the course of the conversation a successful, respected law firm leader looked around the room and announced, “I just don’t get this whole CMO thing.” His pronouncement wasn’t argumentative or confrontational. He wasn’t lobbying against marketers. He was giving … Continue Reading
