Leadership for Lawyers

Visioncasting in Turbulent Times

These are tough times for law firm leaders.  Many firms have had one or more rounds of layoffs.  Attorneys are pressured to bill more hours and bring in more work.  Staff are being asked to do more work with fewer resources.   Attorneys and staff alike wonder if they'll still have a job next week, month or year.  Anxiety is high, even in the best of firms.  While there is a light at the end of the tunnel, some wonder if it is a freight train. 

Managing partners and firm leaders have a lot to think about now, including changing client expectations, fee pressures and increased convergence, not to mention internal issues of compensation, talent management and profitability.

Casting vision is probably one of the last things they are thinking about.  Sure, in good times, communicating a compelling vision of the future for an ever growing firm is standard, but today it seems risky, even fool-hardy. 

But attorneys and staff need vision more now than ever before.  People want to know how they are going to get out of this mess.  They want to know that the firm has a plan and is working hard on it.  They want to know  how they can  individually contribute to make the vision a reality.  They want to be part of creating the future of the firm.  They want to be part of the solution and have confidence that their contribution will be recognized, appreciated and remembered. 

Lawyer leaders need to articulate a clear and compelling vision of the future.  They need to describe, with confidence, what the firm will look like next year and beyond.  They need communicate how the firm will be different from others and why they will have a competitive advantage.  They need to outline the specific steps the firm will take to get there and the specific contributions and actions needed by every individual to realize the vision.  They need to identify the key metrics the firm will measure to track their progress, and promise to share them with the firm as they move forward.  The vision needs to forward-looking, positive and compelling, yet practical and realistic.

Survival is not a compelling vision.  Nor is maintaining status quo till the market gets better. 

A compelling vision is one that gives people a reason to come to work early on Monday morning and creates hope in the hallways.  A compelling vision inspires innovation and creativity.  A compelling vision motivates and doesn't discourage.  A compelling vision is transparent, open, honest and trustworthy.

Vision casting is a lot like fly casting - you have to cast over and over and over again before you get a bite.  Constantly communicating your vision and connecting individual and group contributions to the vision is critical for people to 'get it'.  Lawyer leaders need to continually connect the firm's vision to the firm's activities, goals and metrics. 

As  you enter this season of annual review and strategic planning, consider how you will communicate  your compelling vision. 

Eight Ways Staff Can Participate in Business Development

 

While the burden of business development falls primarily on attorneys, staff members such as secretaries, administrative assistants, paralegals, technologists, librarians and directors can and should make significant contributions to the firm’s business development efforts.   Here are eight ways staff can make a difference.

 

1. Provide remarkable client service:  For many clients, an attorney’s secretary or assistant is their lifeline to the firm.  Attorneys rely on staff to help them be responsive to phone messages and email while they are busy with cases and deals.

 

Staff members, especially assistants, need to take the time to get to know their clients.  Have your attorney introduce you in person.  Get to know the client’s voice when they call.  Do some research on their business and the details of the matter.  Understand what is at stake for the client professionally and personally.  Learn their communication styles and preferences.  Develop a relationship with the client’s administrative assistant and other members of their team (especially the accounts payable folks). 

 

Remarkable client service is defined differently by each client.  Remarkable client service will open the doors to new and interesting work, and retain profitable clients.  Remarkable client service will drive referrals and word of mouth advertising. 

 

Look for ways to WOW your clients in an individual and person way. 

 

2. Create a Verbal Business Card (VBC):  A verbal business card is an effective way to introduce your firm to other people.  It is often used in social and professional networking situations.  Some people call it an elevator speech. 

 

How would you answer these questions at a cocktail party?  “So, where do you work?  What do you do?”

 

Many of us might answer in lawyerese, “I’m a litigation support specialist for a PI firm that handles med-mal cases.” 

 

What???? 

 

Legal Marketing Conference Announces Speakers for Denver 2010

I am pleased that the 2010 Legal Marketing Conference will be held in Denver, Colorado from March 10-12, 2010.  This year the program will be a bit different from previous conferences.  American Conference Institute (ACI) has been hired to develop and manage the conference.  Recently they announced (on LinkedIn.com) a very interesting faculty, including:

• Sarah Andeen, Legal Business Analyst, Greenberg Traurig
• Jeff Baron, Director, National Pursuit Team for New Business Development, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
• Steven B. Bell, Director of Sales, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC
• Harris E.Berenson, Esq., Assistant Vice President/Chief Counsel, Liberty Mutual Property
• Lindley J. Brenza, Partner, Barlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP
• Susan Brelus, Chief Development Officer, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P.

What's in the Marketing Budget for 2010?

Greenfield Belser asked CMOs at Amlaw 200 firms what they are planning for next year.  Here's a summary.  Read the full article here. 

• The top two marketing/business development projects are investing in social media (92%) and investing in client loyalty interviews (92%)
• When asked what marketers plan on doing differently, they indicated that they will "Focus on business development efforts" (15.6%) and "Client Centered business development efforts" (12.5%).  Taken together, they represent the largest category of "innovation".  "New enhanced ways of marketing" (18.8%) and "Using Social Media" (12.4%) rounded out the top four.
• 50% of law firms are looking to redesign their website.  Belser suggests that firms, "Convey what you want the visitor to do, create a dialog and position the firm as important, confident and a leader in the field."
• Surprisingly, "Alternative Billing Arrangements" were on the bottom of the "To-Do List". 
• There seems to be a paradox between the 92% who say they are investing in client loyalty interviews but only 6% say that conducting client satisfaction interviews would be "radically different" next year.   Perhaps most of the Amlaw 200 think that they already have sufficient client visit programs.

Authors Burkey Belser and Sue Allison conclude:

"Fortunately, there is life after Lehman Brothers and the panics and declines across the market over the past year. Law firm marketers are making concrete plans for reaching out and cooking up new business, even though in some cases they have to do it with one hand tied behind their backs. (Read slashed budgets, decimated staffs and gun-shy partners.) Many firms and lawyers now seem to realize that their business development and sales efforts cannot be successful without strong support from marketing. And that’s a cause for hope among true believers in marketing."  -  Greenfield Belser

The Integration Imperative

Suzanne Lowe has recently published her new book, The Integration Imperative: Erasing Marketing and Business Development Silos - Once and For All - in Professional Service Firms.  In it, she featured a dozen case studies of how law firms, accounting firms and other professional service organizations have knitted together the marketing and business development functions.  Suzanne interviewed the staff and leadership of Holland & Hart about two years ago for the book, which resulted in one of the case studies.  A summary of the case study is the feature of her latest newsletter, which you can read here.  The case study focuses on how we (I was the CMO at the time) created an internal marketing agency, treated our lawyers like clients, and realigned our services to adjust to changing market conditions and the needs of the firm.  If you are considering restructuring your firm's marketing and business development functions, I encourage you to read her book. 

Four Strategies to Thrive in a Downturn

The Boston Consulting Group has four videos on "Winning in a Downturn, Accelerating in the Upturn" on the Wharton @Knowledge site.  The focus on (1) Generating Cash, (2) Finding Strategic Opportunities, (3) Managing in Turbulent Times and (4) Seeking New Sources of Growth. 

A few take-aways:

-  Leaders must listen (like never before) to employees, clients and the market to identify opportunities and possible land mines.

-  Leaders must focus on maintaining trust (like never before) to keep key talent and teams together.  People may stay with a troubled company in a difficult time when the job market is down, but when it picks up, they may bail for other opportunities.  Leaders must act with integrity and transparency.

-  Leaders must focus on improving morale (like never before) to keep people focused and motivated to perform. 

Preparing Associates to Sell

The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog has an insightful post on "Do Law Firm Associates Fear Rainmaking?" It articulates the paradox of associates (and perhaps most lawyers) reluctance to engage in sales and the obvious necessity of building one's individual book of business and attracting clients to the firm. 

This Legalweek.com eludes that lawyer's training focuses on academic performance and not necessarily the people skills and risk tolerance required for success in sales.  It reminds me of the work of Susan Daicoff, who wrote the book, Lawyer, Know Thyself, in which she discusses how law school literally changes the way people think. 

Perhaps we need to consider law school education to focus not only on the study of law and ethics, but also on people and business skills.  Business and medical schools have dramatically changed their approach to give their graduates better "bedside skills".  It is no wonder that law firms, despite significant budget cuts, are still investing in business development training and coaching.

Good Lawyers, Good Leaders?

I want to thank Janet Ellen Raasch for her article on lawyer leadership, based on my keynote address for the Legal Marketing Association's Rocky Mountain Chapter in September.   Janet is a legal ghostwriter that reports on all of the chapter's programs, writing a summary in the form of an article, and distributing it to various legal media outlets.  She maintains a terrific blog, Constant Content.   This week she'll be a guest moderator on Martindale Hubbell Connected, hosting a conversation in the Legal Marketing Group Forum.

You can read Janet's article, Good Lawyers. Good Leaders. Are They Mutually Exclusive? on her blog, or download it here. 

Leadership Lessons from Senator Bennet

The Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation held its annual Leadership Forum for alumni of their various programs, including Leadership Denver.  United States Senator Michael Bennetspoke on the topic of leadership, calling on his experience in both the private and public sector over the past 20+ years.   Senator Bennet is lawyer, who at one time was an associate for an amlaw 100 firm.  Here is a sample from my notes:

• Know the budget better than anyone else, because the budget is the #1 management tool.  If you can understand the budget, you can control the process.
• Learn the substance of the business before you try to lead the business.  If you are leading a school district, learn the teaching business.  You can't rely on others who know the business if you don't.
• Spend time not in your office, but in other peoples' offices, on porches, in coffee shops and in the field.  Meet with people on the front line.  Build a team so you can work towards a collective goal.
• No job is too small.  Everyone can do anything to get things done. 
• Get measurements right.  Measure the right things that will lead to meeting your goals.
• It is the leader's role to put the organization on the path to continuous improvement.  Get the systems in place to improve.
• "When I interviewed for an associate job in big law firms, I was staggered - utterly staggered - by the lack of diversity in law firms.  And it hasn't changed in 20 years."
• You are not effective when you are trying to do other people's job.  Find people who are great at what they do and empower them to do it.  Focus on what you do best and delegate to your team.
• Leaders need to develop a coherent theory of action and enlist others to make it happen.
• Focus on people. 

Eight Ways Admin Staff can Participate in Business Development

While the burden of business development falls primarily on attorneys, staff members such as secretaries, administrative assistants, paralegals, technologists, librarians and directors can and should make significant contributions to the firm’s business development efforts.   Here are eight ways staff can make a difference.

 

1. Provide remarkable client service:  For many clients, an attorney’s secretary or assistant is their lifeline to the firm.  Attorneys rely on staff to help them be responsive to phone messages and email while they are busy with cases and deals.  

Staff members, especially assistants, need to take the time to get to know their clients.  Have your attorney introduce you in person.  Get to know the client’s voice when they call.  Do some research on their business and the details of the matter.  Understand what is at stake for the client professionally and personally.  Learn their communication styles and preferences.  Develop a relationship with the client’s administrative assistant and other members of their team (especially the accounts payable folks).  

 

Remarkable client service is defined differently by each client.  Remarkable client service will open the doors to new and interesting work, and retain profitable clients.  Remarkable client service will drive referrals and word of mouth advertising. 

 

Look for ways to WOW your clients in an individual and person way. 

 

2. Create a Verbal Business Card (VBC):  A verbal business card is an effective way to introduce your firm to other people.  It is often used in social and professional networking situations.  Some people call it an elevator speech. 

 

How Essential is a CMO?

In today's AMLaw Daily, reporter Zach Lowe posits the question,"How Essential is a CMO?"  While his article doesn't attempt to answer the question, here are my two bits:

In many companies, the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) is responsible for all things marketing, public relations and business development. S/He is the key strategist and implementation leader, and part of the executive team rounded out by other C-level folks in finance, accounting, IT, etc..  The CMO reports to the CEO, who typically reports to a board of directors, representing shareholders or owners.

In law firms, the role of CMO is often muted, in part because of the relatively young profession of legal marketing and in part of the unique and inefficient management structure of law firms.  In most cases, the owners or shareholders of law firms serve on its board of directors, serve in the role of CEO, are the firm's key sales people, and craft or approve the firm's policy, strategy and budget for marketing and business development.  The CMO plays the role of internal brand and strategy consultant, traffic cop, team leader, vendor manager, coach and occasional change agent - all within a structure that makes decision making difficult, at best.

So, how essential is a CMO?

Regardless of what you call it - CMO, Marketing Director, Chief Business Development Officer - law firms need leaders who can:

1. Brand - help their firm and lawyers communicate the character, personality and value of its people and services.  Marketers get this.  Clients get this.  This doesn't mean expensive ad buys, but it does mean paying attention to basic rules of communication.  Creativity helps. CMOs lead the efforts to assure a consistent and accurate brand.
2. Train and direct staff -  Llawyers are best utilized when they are working for clients, not when they are writing a proposal or seminar ad copy.  Firms can increase profits by leveraging marketing, communications and other tasks by letting marketing professionals do it.  This is not rocket science, but firms do need marketing staff that understand the legal issues, the business issues of their clients, and the applicable rules of professional conduct.  They also need staff that have the emotional intelligence and people skills to work with lawyers.  CMOs train and direct staff to effectively and efficiently conduct marketing projects, allowing lawyers to do what they do best.
3. Motivate and engage -  Let's face it - working for lawyers is no walk in the park.  A successful law firm marketer will see increased revenue and profitability for the firm, but because marketers are rarely partners or shareholders, rarely do they share in the financial success.  Granted, some CMOs have been well compensated of late, but many front-line marketing staff are compensated below what they would make in other industries.  How do you motivate a marketing manager to help a millionaire litigator to make another $500,000 this  year, when she is making $60,000?  CMOs find ways to make work meaningful for their staff.  They motivate and engage them to work hard to fulfill a mission that may not include financial reward. 
4. Spark Change - In some ways, the legal profession is slow to change, but many of the practice management changes over the past 20 years have been driven by marketers:  client satisfaction surveys, CRM, seminar (content-based) marketing, advertising, branding, business development training and coaching, web and e-marketing. I'll be the first to admit that not all of these changes have been effectively implemented industry-wide. CMOs borrow, steal and innovate to help their firms be recognized as thought leaders in their field and effect cultural change to make business development more effective.
5. Coach Lawyers - Many CMOs come from other industries or professions, bringing insights, processes and models that help lawyers and law firms achieve their business development, marketing and management goals.   CMOs help lawyers, often one-on-one, find their path to balancing billable work, business development, personal brand/reputation development, management responsibilities and their personal lives.  Sometimes CMOs do this themselves; often they do it in partnership with their top staff.  Frequently it is done over a cup of coffee or bottle of beer.

So, how essential is a CMO?  Can  you run a marketing/business development function without a competent leader?  Can you effect lasting change without a C-level champion?  Can you expect law firms to be managed like a business without a chief marketing officer being responsible for all things marketing and business development?

Alternative Fees = Alternative Delivery

The Denver Business Journal quoted me in an article on ACC's Value Challenge and alternative fees,Law field seeks alternatives to billable-hours system.  I'm glad that the reporter got the idea that alternative fees mean changing how firms deliver service:

“The question is which firms are more agile and flexible to come up with fee systems that best meet the needs of their clients,” Beese said. “It’s not easy; it’s a huge cultural change. And there are questions on how it affects compensation and profitability. If it’s done well, it’s not just a change in how you bill for the service; it’s also how you provide the service.”

A Client's Poem

April is National Poetry Month, so I thought I'd share one of my favorite client service poems by Felice Wagner, former consultant, now CMO of Sutherland.

A Client's Poem

If only you'd ask, I'd be happy to say
I wish you would do things more often my way.

If only you'd ask, I'd be happy to say
I don't like that new partner that calls everyday.

If only you'd ask, I'd be happy to say
I'd like you to bill me in an alternative way.

If only you'd ask, I'd be happy to say
We have four new matters that came in just today.

If only you'd ask, I'd be happy to say
Being responsive to me means you call back the same day.

If only you'd ask, I'd be happy to say
There are three other law firms we're considering today.

If only you'd ask, I'd be happy to say
I expect your budget to reflect what I'll pay.

If only you'd ask, I'd be happy to say
When you go over budget, I see my career slip away.

If only you'd ask, I'd be happy to say
I wish you would do things more often my way.

by Felice C. Wagner
October 2003

HR.Com: Growing Law Firm Leaders

Here's an interesting article based on a recent survey of law firms' approach to leadership development.  Some high (low) lights:

• There is no consistent process among law firms on how emerging leaders are identified. Executive Committees, Practice Group Leaders and Managing Partners may all have a role in identifying potential talent. In nearly a quarter of firms, no individual or group formally takes on that responsibility.  While in comparison to other industries, the CPP study reported that 53% of companies surveyed globally (and 60% in North America) have a formal leadership development process in place.

• By far, the preferred choice for developing leaders in law firms include “on-the-job leadership experience” and the use of “internal mentors.” Though these methods have become the norm in many firms, they remain, now more than ever, incomplete. In relying on basic, default methods, firms continue to miss the bigger picture in developing more evolved leaders.

• There can be costly mistakes or missed opportunities from learning-on-the-job. If those emerging leaders are not given ongoing, concrete support, they may miss vital opportunities to reflect on their learning, enhance their skills and gain new insights – all of which help to accelerate an individual’s readiness in assuming a key leadership role.

• With outside guidance from a trained executive coach, this support is reinforced with fresh perspective. Executive coaching is still a rather new phenomenon in law firms; yet, in the CPP global HR survey, over 40% indicated their companies have a formal executive coaching program in place, trumping most law firms who fall behind in this proven approach to developing leadership talent.

Alltop Leadership

I want to thank Guy Kawasaki and Neenz Faleafine for including Leadership for Lawyers on their "Alltop Leadership" page.  Alltop is a aggregation of top news and blog sites, fed by RSS feeds.  Guy, Neenz and have created pages focusing on topics from Africa to Zoology.  Alltop Leadership has feeds from some of the best web sites on leadership.  If you are interested in leadership topics, I'd encourage you to visit http://leadership.alltop.com/ daily. Thanks Guy and Neenz!

COLPM Futures Conference

For the first time (that I know of) the College of Law Practice Management is opening part of their annual meet to non-members.  The "Futures Conference" will be held September 25 & 26, 2009 in Denver.  

The Futures Program will feature leaders in our profession interacting with Fellows of the College in thought-provoking dialogue. As the name implies, conference attendees will address how changes from outside and within the legal profession might unfold to impact the future of the profession, and the resulting challenges to law firm leadership and management.

Watch their website (www.colpm.org) for more information.

InnovAction 2009 Deadline is June 1, 2009

The College of Law Practice Management has opened is call for entries for the 2009 InnovAction Awards.  InnovAction recognizes law firms world wide for implementing truly new ideas in the practice of law.  Here's COLPM's description:

"The InnovAction Awards is a worldwide search for lawyers, law firms, and other deliverers of legal services who are currently engaged in some extraordinarily innovative efforts. The goal is to demonstrate to the legal community what can be created when passionate professionals, with big ideas and strong convictions, are determined to make a difference. Each year, we present the coveted InnovAction Awards to those unsung heroes and rising stars within the legal profession who dare to think differently and succeed by doing so."

The 2009 InnovAction Awards (NoVa, for short) will be awarded at the College's annual meeting in Denver in September.  For more information, go to:  www.innovactionaward.com.  Visit the web site to read about some of their past winners and read their innovation e-zine (worth the download and read!)

Leadership in Law Firms - LMA September Program

I will also be speaking at the Legal Marketing Association meeting in Denver on September 8th at 11:30 am.  The topic is leadership in law firms.   Here's the blurb: 

Being the Leader You Would Want to Follow

 

Why is it hard to lead lawyers?  How can I get lawyers to act, instead of just talk?  How can I be a leader when I lack authority (and I don’t have a J.D.?)  How can I help lawyers lead effective teams?  How can I turn conflict into opportunity for positive change?  How do you build consensus and commitment for projects?

Visit RockyMountainLMA.Com for registration information. 

Speaking at LegalTech West 2009

 I will be speaking at LegalTech West Coast on June 25th with Vanessa DiMauro on the topic of leveraging Web 2.0 tools like blogging, linkedin, facebook and twitter for business development purposes.  If you are planning on attending, drop me a note or "tweet" me at http://twitter.com/mbeese.

Advice on Weathering the Storm

 Every day I read about law firm layoffs and the effect of the recession on our profession.  Rarer are insightful articles about what to do about it.  Here are a few that I found helpful:

Surviving the Slide:  What Firms Should (and Shouldn't) do to Ride Out the Economic Storm.  Panelists Ed Flitton (former managing partner of Holland & Hart), Merrilyn Astin Tarlton, Karen MacKay and Gerry Riskin participate in a prescient panel moderated by Dan Pinnington for LawPro Magazine.  The panel offers insightful and sometimes counter-intuitive advice on matters of leadership, human capital, employee engagement, client relationships, marketing and finance.  Read the abbreviated article here and the full discussion (worth the read) here. 

Weathering the Storm.  Gerry Riskin and fellow Edge Group Consultant Robert Millard offer these seven admonitions to law firm leaders in this article.       

1. Display Strong Leadership
2. Ramp up frequency of financial data reporting
3. Make the hard decisions quickly and humanely
4. Focus client and practice team leaders on short term action plans
5. Involve your clients
6. Manage internal expectations
7. This too shall pass:  Keep a balance with your long term strategy

On law.com, we find ACC's Susan Hackett's advice to GC's on getting through the storm.  Her advice focuses on how to set matter and project budgets for outside law firms.  Her comments are from ACC's new songbook, the ACC Value Challenge.

Lee Altenberg discusses business development in a National Law Journal article from last May in this article.  Gail Cutter offers some personal professional development advice for lawyers in a recession, in this New York Law Journal article, Think Like an Olympian. 

Peter Zeughauser discusses four pillars of a strong law firm culture in hard economic times in the American Lawyer Article,Four Essential Elements of a Strong Law Firm Culture.  They are:

1. Hard Work
2. Rewards for Rainmakers
3. Knowing who you are (and aren't)
4. Transparency, with discretion.

Zeughauser is always a must-read.

Finally, I opine on a new e-zine, Originate, focusing on relationships with key clients.  Read the article here.

LawDragon Names Top 100 Legal Consultants

  Late last year LawDragon.com named "100 Legal Consultants You Need to Know".  You will find names like Brad Hildebrandt, David Maister, Jay Jaffe and Ann Lee Gibson - all experts in our profession.  I'm pleased (and very surprised) that the Dragon also listed me among these luminaries.  You can read the entire list here.  Thanks Law Dragon! 

New Year, New Gig

Since starting this blog in 2005, I've worn several hats, including my day job as Director of Marketing/CMO of Holland & Hart, a 450 attorney law firm based in Denver, Colorado.  Earlier this month I left Holland & Hart to consult full-time.  My website, www.leadershipforlawyers.com and this blog have been a venue to communicate ideas about marketing, business development and leadership. 

Now I am helping a wide variety of firms, from AmLaw 100 firms to firms of 50 attorneys with marketing, business development, client feedback,  client service and leadership development projects.   I am particularly interested in helping law firms develop closer and more profitable relationships with existing clients.

I was with Holland & Hart for nearly eight years, and am glad to continue my relationship with the firm as a consultant.   If you know of a firm looking for business development or marketing help, I would appreciate the referral.   For more information, visit www.leadershipforlawyers.com.

A Thanksgiving Story

When I was a boy, I went to the Mid-Winter festival on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation, near Buffalo NY.  Dan, one of the Boy Scout leaders in town, managed to get an invitation from the religious leader.  Dan's adopted son is Seneca.  He was too young to spend several days sitting around the longhouse in the middle of winter.  Dan successfully claimed that he wanted to learn Iroquois traditions so that he could pass them on to his son.    Dan, a 40+ year old scoutmaster and I were interested in native culture and were thrilled at the invitation to observe and participate in the festival.

An Outstanding Example of Sharing Vision

Denver Welcomes the DNC

The Democratic Party arrives in Denver today, along with 15,000 members of the media and countless corporate executives and lobbyists hoping to connect with the political elite during this historic week.

It seems to me that the key word for this event is party.  I recently saw an unofficial party list that went on for more than 20 pages.  I've been getting calls from the media for weeks now, asking, "So, what is your firm doing for the DNC?  Any parties?  Who's coming?"

Many of the major firms are hosting parties this week.  Brownstein Hyatt has been planning their fete at the Denver Art Museum for more than a year.  They expect more than 2,000 in attendance, including former Presidents and politicians of all sorts.  Holland & Hart, Kamlet Shepherd, Patton Bogg and other firms are either throwing their own parties, or hosting events for clients. 

Stars are everywhere.  Getting tickets and access seems to be the buzz this week.  As an e-town listener, I got the jump on their DNC taping at the DPAC, featuring James Taylor, David Crosby and Graham Nash, Ani DiFranco and others.   Many are still scrambling to get tickets to the Green Sunday at Red Rocks concert tonight, featuring Dave Matthews and Sheryl Crow.   I hear there is still room to play poker at Coors Field with Ben Affleck later this week. 

If  you are in Denver for the convention, drop me a note and tell me about your experience.  See you in Denver.

A Russian Truck Driver and the Olympics

 I once met a consultant who helps cities bid for the Olympic games.  As part of the bid preparation, he conducted surveys of the general public to determine their attitudes and opinions about the Olympic Games and the prospect of them being hosted in their country. 

He told me about a Russian truck driver who essentially said,"I love watching the Olympics on TV.  It inpires me.  I am too old to compete, and I don't have any sporting talent, but to see the Olympicans work so hard to meet their goals, it inspires me to be the best truck driver I can be."

While citizens' opinions vary about whether they want the games in their city, he found one common thread -people are attracted to the Olympics because it inspires them to reach for their goals, to be the best truck driver, the best fast order cook or the best lawyer they can be.    

While the individual performances of the 2008 Olympic Games have been sensational and inspirational, I know that behind every Olympian is team of professionals all focused on maximizing performances at the games.  For every gold medal swimmer or sprinter, there is a team of coaches, a national governing body that provides many levels of competition and training opportunities, sponsors and funders, family and friends, National Olympic Governing Bodies, and a host of other people and organizations that provide the structure and support for Olympic success.  In fact, many sport governing bodies (like USA Swimming or USA Track and Field) have research and training departments that just focus on maximizing performance - finding the strategy or tactic that can give the athlete the split-second advantage that sometimes separates a medalist from fourth place.

What inspired you from the 2008 Olympics?  One inspiration, for me, was Michael Phelps' comment, "Eat. Sleep.  Swim."  For a kid with ADHD, the focus on his goal and the discipline to practice inspired me to focus on my goals and the disciplines I need to reach them.

Who is your coach?  What infrastructure have you developed or benefitted from to be a better leader?  Have you considered starting a leadership development program in your firm, or sending your practice group leaders to the Center for Creative Leadership?  Does your firm make available leadership coaches to their managing partners or other key leaders? 

Who are you coaching?  How are you sharing your experience, insight and encouragement with others?