Leadership for Lawyers

Wandering

I love e-mail. E-mail has revolutionized communications in law firms. I’m amazed by how e-mail has opened doors to group collaboration. I’m addicted to how e-mail allows us to quickly gather information, distribute documents, solicit ideas and recognize accomplishments. It has radically changed how we communicate, manage and work. And it is perhaps the single most dangerous threat to law firm leaders today.

Recently, I’ve found myself engaging in lengthy e-mail exchanges with people just a few doors or floors away when a face-to-face conversation would have been easier and more effective. For many lawyers, particularly introverts, e-mail offers a way to interact without the nasty distractions of body language, voice inflection or personal interest.   Our work identities can sometimes become a collection of e-mail expressions – like a folder in Outlook – rather than the complex beings that we are.

Enforcing the "No Jerk Rule"

Bob Sutton, author of "The No Asshole Rule:  Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't" was interviewed on NPR yesterday talking about how to deal with disruptive employees'. 

I've always admired (and worked for) firms that enforce the 'no jerk rule'.  Sutton, on NPR, tells of a firm that hired a professional that brought in $500,000 in revenue, but because of his bad behavior, cost the firm $200,000 a year in replacing secretaries twice a year, executive coaching and anger management counseling.  Jerks don't pay, with one exception, Sutton mentions in a video essay on www.50lessons.com.  Keeping a tolerable jerk around can show the other people on the team/company exactly what bad behavior is and what the consequences are for misbehaving. 

In my opinion, enforcing the "No Jerk Rule" is one of the most productive tasks a leader has in a law firm.  Sutton comments about one firm that failed to enfoce the rule.  I'll let you read the post, and the linked story, but he summarizes with,

"This is the kind of thing that gives lawyers the reputation for being assholes, especially males. I will refrain from a summary: You have to read it yourself.  By the way, a few years before this incident, the firm was bragging about their "no jerk rule."  I guess they were using talk as a substituite -- or perhaps a smokescreen -- for action"

Sutton gives three suggestions for how to deal with a jerk:

1.  Use the opportunity to change or re frame firm norms and mores to exclude jerk-like behavior, then attempt to make the jerk behave better under the re-defined rules.

  2.  Fire them.

  3.  Learn to ignore them, and get on with your life.

There has to be more options than that, so follow Bob's blog called Work Matters.  It's new, and talks a lot about weird ideas that work, and more on jerks (although, he uses another phrase.)

Herding Cats: Is Leading Lawyers Really Mission Impossible?

Do you remember that EDS commercial that aired during the Super Bowl a few years ago?  The scene was the Wild West, compete with rugged Stetson wearing cowboys riding galloping horses.  A young man with leather gloves and denim jacket points to a faded black and white photo and says in a

Montana

drawl, “This man right here is my great-grandfather.  He’s the first cat herder in our family.”  The minute-long commercial shows thousands of cats being wrangled over the prairie, crossing rivers, and off into the sunset, interspersed by cat-herding quotes, such as, “Herding cats – don’t let anyone tell you its easy” and, “Anyone can herd cattle.  Holding together ten thousand, half-wild, short-hairs –now that’s another thing altogether.” A man with a handlebar mustache and a black hat says, “Being a cat-herder… that’s probably the toughest thing I’ve ever done. Not everyone can do what we do.” 

The last cat-herder says, “It’s not an easy job, but when you bring a herd into town and you ain’t lost a one of ‘em, there ain’t a feeling like it in the world.”

I love that commercial.  If you google “herding cats video” you can watch it on the internet.

Merrilyn Astin Colors Blank Sheet

Merrilyn Astin Tarlton joined the community of blawgers with Blank Sheet of Paper and a Box of Crayons this month.  Merrilyn is the current editor of Law Practice Magazine, president of the College of Law Practice Management, and former marketing director of my firm, Holland & Hart, LLP.  She is also a founder of the Legal Marketing Association.

Merrilyn opens her blog with,

  "There is something frightening about a blank sheet of paper.  Even to the artist. . . .who, frankly, loves it like he loves death.  The blank sheet waits for you, beckons you, tempts you to take a risk. . .to use it up.

What is a blank sheet of paper to a lawyer?  A risk?  A threat?  A space within which to squeeze more words?  Perhaps to some it is an opportunity to carve beautiful text from nothing.  For others. . .a great place to start cutting and pasting."

Blank Sheet of Paper is a blog you will want to bookmark, add to your RSS feed, or just visit often.  Merrilyn has wonderful insights into the world of law firm management, marketing, creativity, innovation, business development, training, professional development.......

Thank you, Merrilyn, for sharing your thoughts with the rest of us. 

Leadership Survey

Stephanie West-Allen has an interesting survey of leadership beliefs on her blog:  www.idealawg.com.

Stephanie also has a few interesting stories on:

-  Associate Boot Camp

-  The neuroscience of leadership

-  The powerful tool of storytelling

Lisa Simon Nominated to Lead LMA

Congratulations to Lisa Simon, who is the sole candidate on the ballot to be the President-Elect of the Legal Marketing Association.  Lisa is the Chief Marketing Officer of Brownstein Hyatt in Denver, Colorado.  Lisa was President of the LMA Rocky Mountain Chapter when I came to town in 2001, and we co-chaired the LMA Your Honor Awards together.  Lisa is a terrific marketer and will be a strong leader of LMA.  Congratulations Lisa!

First 100 Days

Patrick McKenna has written a clever and insightful 'e-book' on what managing partners should consider during their first 100 days in office.  The book is more of an article, with advice from managing partners from some of the world's largest and most influential law firms.  The article offers advice like:

- Establish an advice network
-  Pay attention to personal habits
-  Negotiate specific metrics for success
-  Identify one burning imperative
-  Get partner buy-in.

Words of wisdom from managing partners include:

-  Trust your C-level staff . They are usually right.  (I really like that one)
-  Don't micro-manage
-  Listen
-  Give credit to others
-  Become an advocate for one important change
-  Little things (gestures) make a big difference
-  Did I mention, Listen?

The e-book is in an interesting format - not your typical pdf.  Read:  First 100 Days by Patrick McKenna - it is short and full of wisdom for any leader. 

Great Company

Congratulations to Ann Lee Gibson, Diane Hamlin,  Phyllis Weiss Haserot,  Linda Hazelton, Nikki A. Rovito,  Sally J. Schmidt,  Bob Weiss, and  Milton W. Zwicker for winning the Annual Edge Award.   I have the honor of being part of this amazing group that jointly penned an article titled, “Is Your Marketing Stuck Inside the Box?” that appeared in the March 2006 issue of Law Practice Magazine.   

Each year, The Edge Group sponsors the Edge Awards for  "outstanding written works most likely to have a practical influence in shaping the actions lawyers take to manage their practices" that appear in the ABA Law Practice Management Magazine. 

Ross Fishman won second prize for his history of legal marketing, “‘First, Let’s Sell All the Lawyers’: A Personal View of Legal Marketing’s Long, Strange Journey”  and Sally Schmidt won a second time for her column, “The New Generation of Lawyers: Planting the Marketing Seed”.

You can read our article here (ABA registration required).  Click (continue) below for my section of the article on 'marketing vs. sales':