Leadership for Lawyers

Courageous Conversations

David Perkins, in his book, "King Arthur's Roundtable:  How Collaborative Conversations Create Smart Organizations", defines organizational culture as the sum total of all conversations in an organization.

David Whyte (www.davidwhyte.com) recently spoke to the Colorado Leadership Collaborative.  He talked about five courageous conversations leaders need to have within their organizations, and with themselves.  He summed them up as:

"5.  What is the courageous conversation we are not yet having with the unknown future - the world that lies over the horizon, but has not yet been fully articulated?

4.  What is the courageous conversation we are not having with our clients or the society of which we are a part?  This in effect is the future, now, the currents of people and events that flow around the organization and the endeavors of the individuals who make it up.

3.  What is the courageous conversation we are not having between the different divisions and international cultures within the organization?  What prevents us from taking another step in working together?

2.  What is the courageous conversation I am not having with my immediate workgroup, or with my immediate supervisors, associates and subordinates?  What is the courageous conversation I can personally initiate to start things moving in this immediate circle?

1.  (The private conversation) What is the courageous conversation I am refusing to have with myself, in my own heart and mind with regard to my work, and the present life threshold on which I find myself?  What is the courageous conversation I am not having with my partner or spouse, my children or loved ones? 

This last question, though asked privately, is an essential foundation for all the other courageous conversations.  It is very difficult to be passionate or sincere about the outer, more abstract questions, if a leader has neglected his or her own primary questions with regard to work and the part their work plays in the drama of their own story"

-  Copyright, David Whyte.

Resonate with you?  Read David's Book, "Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity"

I am sorry

It sounds pretty simple.  It's what I tell my kids to say to each other almost every day.  Three of the simplest but most powerful words you can imagine.   Why is it so hard to admit that you are not perfect and that you regret how you handled a situation or hurt someone? None of us are right 100% of the time.

A new organization called "The Sorry Works Coalition" (www.sorryworks.net) is trying to get doctors to apologize in order to reduce medical and malpractice litigation.  Their slogan is to "recognize, respond, and resolve" medical errors.  Examples of apologies are discussed in an article by Deroy Merdock here.  Sorryworks claims that they have resolved many conflicts and avoided costly and painful litigation through this process.

Recognize, Respond, and Resolve is a good recipe for apologizing and moving on.  From the recipient's point of view, it is important to know that the other person recognizes that their action caused pain, that they take responsibility for their actions, and that they suggest a way to resolve the issue.  Sounds like common sense to me.

Gratitude

I've been thinking a lot about gratitude lately.  I believe it is an essential character of leadership.  Internal gratitude is the attitude we chose that sees the richness and blessing of life; the realization that nothing should be taken for granted.  Externally, expressing gratitude is a recognition of the role others play in the drama of life, the contribution they make to work, family or community, and a form of encouragement.

Ben Stein penned an essay on gratitude  that one of the leaders in my firm circulated to many in our firm.  It is a must read, and you can read it here (NY Times) or click on "Continue Reading..."

Summer Peace Camp

Renaissance Lawyer Kim Wright has a few bunks left for Summer Peace Camp.  If I had a week, a bottle of bug spray, and extra frequent flyer miles, I'd join them....

The Role of the Peacemaker in Healing Polarization
Summer Peace Camp for Lawyers
July 28-31, 2005
Black Mountain, North Carolina (NC CLE Credit Applied For)
$100-$500 Sliding Scale

After the last election, are you careful about raising political issues in public places? Do you find that those attempts seem to be met with discussion with one group on one side of the discussion and others on the opposite? Do you have a lingering sense of anger at the inability to seeming bridge the gap of polarization? Do you find that you have few opportunities to engage in constructive dialogue with the other end of the spectrum? Are you wondering how you can be a peacemaker in this polarized country when you're having a hard time applying what you know and believe about being a peacemaker to your own political life?

Teamwork in Law Firms

More than a decade ago, Stephanie West Allen wrote an article (pre-internet - sorry - no link) on why law firms struggle with teamwork.  While corporations, non-profit organizations and even some accounting firms have evolved and become more sophisticated in working together in virtual and real teams, most law firms have a death-clutch on "silo" individual practices. 

Christopher Avery has been teaching "Teamwork is an Individual Skill" for years.  His website is Partnerwerks.com and is affiliated with the Agile Project Leadership Network.  Avery has some good articles on teamwork and leadership, including his definition of Team.  His archive of TeamWisdom Tips is also rich. 

Stephanie West Allen also consults in the areas of teamwork and leadership.  Her website is allen-nichols.com.

Lighten Up Already!

People who make us laugh at work are to be treasured.  Too often we are too damn serious about life, each other and ourselves.  Once in a while we get an opportunity to hire or work with a former class clown, irreverant practical joker, or closet stand-up comedian.  If you have a chance to hire a competent clown, don't hesitate. 

This week our firm said goodbye to one of our most creative clowns.  Alan Schuchman has lead our firm's FITPOLCOM (Fun In The Practice Of Law Committee), penning party announcements in puns and taking the point in the Associate Skit, which is more of a partner roast than anything else.

Not to disappoint, he left us with this resignation letter (given with Alan's permission).

Download RESIGNATION.doc

Thanks for the laughs, Alan.  We were blessed to have a clown like you around.

Leadership Skills

How do you teach leadership?

Beats me.  Perhaps it is learned, coached, directed, but unteachable. 

There are skills, however, that good leaders call upon to lead others.  The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) identifies seven leadership skills that participants have an opportunity to learn in thier programs:

1.  Expedition Behavior:  Cooperation and conflict resolution, teamwork, keeping yourself and others motivated, and getting along with a very diverse group of people.  Under pressure.  NOLS trainer Andy Cline told me that Expedition Behavior (EB)is what they try to teach astronauts who are heading to the International Space Station.  EB is keeping your cool and focusing on resolving the problem without burning bridges. 

2.  Competence:  Knowledge and skills, organization and management skills, technical ability, and confidence in your competence.  Competence is a basic ingredient of Trust.  In law firms, competence goes beyond legal skills to one's ability to manage a team.

3.  Communication:  Using timely, specific and clear feedback.  Listening actively.  Having the courage to state what you think, feel and want.  Trying to put yourself in other people's shoes during conflicts.  Ouch.  That's a tough one for lawyers.   Good communication means being able to both give and receive feedback.  Passive aggressiveness doesn't work.  Listen first. 

4.  Judgement and Decision Making:  Situationally-appropriate decision-making, using your experience to develop good judgement and harnessing the strength and knowledge of other group members to solve problems.   Lawyers pride themselves on having good judgement, but struggle with connecting with others to call upon their experience and insight to solve problems.  We need to develop a second sense to know when to make decisions individually or in a team setting.

5.  Tolerance for Adversity & Uncertainty:  Learning to endure, even enjoy, hard work and challenge.  Adapting to changes and unknowns.  Turning challenges into opportunities.  Using humor to keep things in perspective.  Making focused decisions under stress.  Choosing your attitude.  There are big differences in how different generations of people approach life and work.  A 45 year old partner may view hard work, challenge and adversity very differently from a 29 year old associate.  Life is tough sometimes.  We don't always get to choose the situation, but we do get to choose our attitude.

6.  Self Awareness:  Knowing yourself and your strenghts and weaknesses.  Learning from experience.  Being aware of your own leadership style and how you influence others.  Realizing how your words and actions impact others.    How we view ourselves is not always (in fact, rarely) how others view us.  "Know thyself" through soliciting feedback from others and understanding the connection between our actions and how we interact with others is a critical skill.

7.  Vision and Action:  Seeing the possibility in any situation and finding creative ways to move the group forward.  Motivating and initiating action.  Using group goals to guide your actions.  Your vision vs. the firm's vision. 

For more information on NOLS, go to http://www.nols.edu.

p.s. - NOLS instructor Andy Cline told me about the concept Expedition Behavior.  Having been on several long-term backcountry trips, the phrase resonated with me.  It's also the same attitude one needs to have in the stressful environment/matrix organization of a law firm.  Here's one article and another about how Andy teaches EB to astronauts.  I've used Andy for leadership retreats.  He's great.

Law Firm Heroes?

I've heard people call lawyers all sorts of names.

"Hero" is not one of the most frequent monikers, but that is what Gerry Riskin chose to call lawyers at Holland & Hart for a recent controversial decision to take on a new Pro Bono case.   Read Gerry's post here.

Disclaimer: I am the marketing guy at Holland & Hart.

Leadership vs. Management Training

Law firms - especially large firms - are beginning to catch on that in order to WOW clients, they need to change their culture.  For some, mega-mergers force a change of culture.  Leadership determines the quality and direction of that change.  Not just from the top either - change in the middle ranks is critical for merger integration, cultural change, and implementing client service programs. 

Firms like Nixon Peabody, DLA Piper and Seyfarth Shaw are turning to institutions like the Center for Creative Leadership,  Harvard University and the Kellogg School of Management for direction and training.  Read a recent NLJ article about the trend here.

I am glad to see law firms investing in leadership and management training.   It is particularly valuable when a firm invests in sending a broad range of current and emerging leaders.  If the goal is to change culture, which affects everything from compensation to client service and teamwork to tiered partnership, it is critical that the firm shares the vocabulary, expectations and models learned in leadership training.

Still, change is slow, especially in law firms.  Look for a new generation of law firm consultants to help firm leaders implement what they learn at Harvard.  More firms are quietly engaging leadership and management coaches to help lawyers one-on-one and in small groups.