Leadership for Lawyers

Leadership Toolbox: Storytelling

John Kotter penned a column in Forbes on the Power of Storytelling that is worth reading. 

Storytelling is a valuable leadership tool, especially for lawyers.  Attorneys are trained to use stories in court, to create a narritive that makes sense to judge and jury. 

Consider how you can use stories to:

• Communicate values, especially by invoking stories of founders or heroes of the firm.
• Model behavior:  use stories to illustrate good or bad behavior, habits, client service skills, business development tactics, etc. 
• Empathize:  use stories to illustrate your vulnerability and insight into a situation without being arrogant or self-righteous.

Stephanie Kane facilitates a workshop on storytelling for lawyers.  She lists five components to a compelling story:

• Character: Who is the story about? Stories communicate human experience.
• Conflict: What do these people want? Stories happen when expectations and reality collide.
• Causation: How do the characters act under pressure? Stories relate a cause-and-effect sequence of events.
• Context: When and where did it happen? Stories place events in a compelling context.
• Coherence: Why is this meaningful? Stories teach how to make sense out of life.

Source: www.lifeinlaw.com

Action:  What stories do you tell?  What stories can you develop to put in your leadership toolbox?  What stories are told about you that teach others?  Are they all positive? 

Maraia on Marketing:NQA

Mark Maraia and John Mitchell gave an energetic presentation to the Rocky Mountain LMA Chapter this week.  Here are some take-aways from the presentation and Mark's book, Rainmaking Made Simple:

-  Think NQA when developing a relationship with a client or prospect:

        NEEDS:  What are the personal needs and fears of this person?  They could be needs of control, power, feeling understood, to save time, industry knowledge, to look good to boss, have fun, get respect, develop chemistry or rapport, or to avoid surprises.

      QUESTIONS:  What questions can I ask?  What information can I glean? How can I listen (rather than talk). 

     ADVANCES:  What is the next step that we can agree on?  Another meeting?  A phone call?  A meeting with someone else in the company?  A meeting with you, this person, and someone else at the firm?

Mark also handed me a card during the presentation with these tips for working "for the" room:

• Put people together for their mutual benefit
• Engage in High-Energy Questions (see below)
• Act as host rather than guest. 
• Find a specific person - someone you hope will be there or that you have never met face to face.

He gave some examples of "High Energy Questions":

•   What do you love most about your work?
•   How would I know if I were talking to someone who would be an ideal client for you?
•   What is the most notable trend in your industry?
•   How did you get started in this business?
•   Which of your competitors do you fear the most?
•   What is the most exciting project you are involved with now?
•   How has the economy affected your business?
•   What is the most interesting book you have read recently?  Why?

Artistry of Leadership

Congratulations to Kevin Asbjornson of PianoOne for being named a finalist in the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) Annual Awards.  Kevin inspires and teaches leaders about themselves and leadership concepts.  Kevin explains his "Artistry of Leadership" program as:

"Creating meaningful connections, an interactive, dynamic professional development exercises and keynote event that awakens business leaders to their powers of focus, interpretation, visioning, listening and innovation.  Artistry of Leadership embraces the principles of the Inspired Learning Model (TM) of which Asbjornson is both master facilitator and practitioner."

I encourage you to read Kevin's Eight Keys to Inspired Leadership from his web site, www.pianoone.com.  I would reproduce them here, but I would probably violate copyright laws.    Last year I took my marketing staff to one of Kevin's sessions and we all found the experience eye-opening, challenging, relaxing, and fun. 

Kevin is one of several artists that use music, drama, poetry or other art forms to illustrate leadership concepts and stretch our mind.  How can you use the arts as a professional development tool in your firm?

P.S. - Kevin is a wonderful composer and pianist.  Buy his CD's.  I listen to them often.

Marketing vs. Sales

In the latest edition of Law Practice Management, I answer the following question:

One of my partners thinks we don't spend enough "face time" trying to grow our business. But if we spend good money on our marketing program, shouldn't that accomplish the goal without our sacrificing billable hours?

Read my answer here. 

Also, Michael Wells has 12 great tips for originating new business.  Read his advice here. 

Read the entire issue here.  Great stuff this month by Sally Schmidt, Ann Lee Gibson, Phillis Weiss Haserot, Linda Hazelton, Diane Hamlin, Patrick McKenna, Peter Darling, Marcia Pennington Shannon and many others. 

Defending Dominance

Ed Weseman gives advice on how law firms can stay "king of the hill", if they are careful and strategic:

1.  Attack:  an aggressive frontal assault on the competitor that will eliminate the other firms as effective competitors while solidifying the dominant firm's position.

2.  Increase Breadth:  taking the critical mass, capabilities, name recognition and stable of clients that provide a firm with dominance in one market and using them as a base to create dominance in another.

3.  Refocus:   refocus the firm toward its areas of strength by reducing or eliminating weak areas of practice.

Great article, Ed.  Read his post here. 

-  Mark Beese

New Directory of Legal Blogs

A taxonomy of legal blogs:

http://3lepiphany.typepad.com/

has a wonderful list of legal blogs.