What does a musical suite have to do with coaching? As the Beattles would say, it's all about a little help from your friends. My clients are very capable and intelligent lawyers, so they don’t engage me because they are unable to run a business. They simply want their efforts to result in a better business. [...]
Many lawyers don’t have a productivity problem, they have a discipline problem. Here’s how to overcome it. Ancient Greek philosophers focussed on understanding how the mind and body works developed special words to describe unique human states. For example, the word “Akrasia” refers to the state of knowingly acting against one’s best interests. It’s that [...]
Better business results can only be achieved by a change in process or behaviour, so change management is mandatory in law firms. Yet ironically, partners are the ones who most often stand in the way of change. Law firms hire me to help create a strategic plan for their future. They also hire me [...]
For those who have to do BD but don’t like it (or don’t do it well), here are seven steps to help you do it better. Some of my coaching with lawyers is around business development techniques, which is essentially “selling”. Many lawyers hate that word and the concept generally, but most admit that it’s a [...]
A guest post from PR and communications expert Deborah Folka - on how to deal with particularly difficult external communications issues... While there are many times you seek attention from your community, the media and the greater public, there are also times when you just don’t want to talk about it. When your organization has a situation [...]
There are three trends I learned last week that should fundamentally reshape your marketing strategy right now. Last week I attended Social Media Camp, the national Social Media conference held in Victoria, B.C. each year. There, Social Media (or “social” as the in-crowd calls it) gurus from around the world gathered to discuss the latest [...]
Is your mind encouraging you to evolve, or stopping you from doing so? You might be shocked at the degree to which your state of mind may be sabotaging your progress. I’m a certified executive coach but I’m also a certified soccer coach, and I can tell you that the roles are not that different. [...]
Unhappy lawyers don’t hate the law; it’s often that they suffer a lack of ability in one or more of the many other areas that are required of a great lawyer. Here’s an inventory of the capabilities great lawyers need. Spring is the season for planting. We prepare the soil, we put in seed, we [...]
This week, a guest post from Vancouver-based communications expert Deborah Folka who explains what’s newsworthy, and how to ensure your topic gets strong coverage. Many professional service firms produce news releases about ‘news’ that isn’t of interest to anyone beyond their own front doors. Hint: news of someone making partner isn’t of great interest to [...]
Now that many law firms have woken up to the value of strategic and marketing plans, it’s time to adjust their compensation systems to motivate lawyers to help achieve those business goals. It makes sense that if you want a group of people to achieve a goal, you reward behaviours that are most likely to [...]