Here’s a secret about coaching: it is both an art and a science and the science side of it is based in large part on NLP or Neuro-Linguistic Programming. As you are probably aware, coaching is about growth and development, and that generally means change. If it feels challenging to break an ingrained habit, that’s [...]
Coaching concepts for professionals can come from anywhere and for me, such ideas are frequent inspired by articles or tidbits I read in publications like the Harvard Business Review. For example, in the side bar of a page of a recent edition I found a small article on the importance of sleep to our focus [...]
Very few partnerships are operating at full throttle. Most have a lawyer or two who are performing under expectations. This blog offers suggestions for fixing this issue. There are many possible reasons for declining productivity: An area of law may become commoditized, often resulting from excessive competition; A lawyer may let too much time go [...]
Attention all social media-phobes: LinkedIn has become one of the easiest, cheapest and most productive marketing tools at your disposal. If you don’t have an active LinkedIn profile, invest in the next two minutes to find out why it’s important and how you can take advantage of this remarkable business tool. (Today I welcome guest [...]
My focus is on small to medium-sized businesses (often law partnerships) and many of those don’t have internal marketing expertise. So when I contact them to ask if they have a strategic plan or an annual business/marketing plan, most of them groan. They know that they should have these key business tools in place; but [...]
It doesn’t matter how much money the professions spend on programs to keep their people – good people are still leaving in droves. We need a change of strategy. Professional services attrition rates are atrocious, in two ways. First, far too many professionals leave a firm before or in the early stages of partnership. For [...]
Professionals might not think that high school debaters could teach them anything, but parents know that often, some of our greatest lessons can come from those much younger than us. This past weekend I served as a judge for the Provincial High School Debating Championship, called the Law Foundation Cup. Stakes were high as the [...]
When we propose a strong solution to a commonly agreed upon issue in our firm, it can be a shock to then be faced with resistance to that solution. But a little pushback can be a very good thing. If you’ve ever been to a massage therapist after an injury, you’ve probably experienced the magic of [...]
We know in our gut when we need to make a change; but we don’t always have the guts to make that change. This post offers words of advice for those who need to embrace change. A large component of my executive coaching practice is working with highly intelligent, capable professionals on identifying and overcoming [...]
Lawyer attrition is a reality of our industry. Unfortunately, so is a significant lateral hire failure rate. It doesn’t need to be. There are simply, effective ways to protect your investment. A 2013 American Lawyer/LexisNexis survey found that over 70% of respondents identified lateral hires as part of their talent management strategy over the coming [...]