All posts by : Lawyers With Purpose

Have you ever been to a coaching program that got you motivated, inspired, and excited? I've been in coaching for 14 years, and I always look forward to my quarterly days out of the office to reset my mind and declare a new path or continue to work on the path I've created. Last week I had the privilege of running my quarterly nation-wide program. How exciting! Over 75 people were in the room, but what made it compelling was not just the lawyer members, but their entire law firms came with them, and this was the third meeting.

Those who have not had the benefit of good coaching might wonder, what is the purpose of such a program? To make you think about things you would not ordinarily consider, that is, those things right in front of you that might be sabotaging or supporting your success. It’s meant to make you ask a powerful question: Why? Why am I not getting where I want to be?

This quarter's theme was perspective. Whose perspective are you in, and where does your perspective come from? Interestingly, it was a hardy conversation, but what many discovered that ultimately led to many great tears was how much we allow our past to impact our present and future. A simple bad or unpleasant experience paints us in so many ways that it prevents us from seeing some of the beauty that might be right in front of us. Being free of these past experiences allows a whole new possibility and a whole new vision of what can be. And it all came out from asking "Why?"

So, as you pause and reflect on your past and think of the things that draw energy from you rather than give you energy, take time to let go and understand that it was just a moment in time. It was just a series of circumstances that brought this issue about, and it was by no means a definition of who you are or what you are meant to be. So why do we have these conversations? Because asking why works. In fact, for a great read, I highly recommend the book First Ask Why. It is one of the most powerful books, leading you to find your purpose and value in life.

David J. Zumpano, Esq, CPA, Co-founder Lawyers With Purpose, Founder and Senior Partner of Estate Planning Law Center (aka – estate planning attorney – just like you).

What is the greatest success you’ve had since joining LWP?

Increased confidence. Basic estate planning has long been a part of my practice and I have wanted to make it my primary practice for several years. I took simple wills, powers of attorney, health care directives and trusts, but often turned away more sophisticated work because I felt I did not have the time to learn how to handle those cases with competence. Now, I know there is nothing that I can’t handle, especially with the LWP listserve at my back. Additionally, LWP has given me the confidence and tools to direct my marketing toward the kind of practice I wanted, but did not know how to execute.

What is your favorite LWP tool?

The Estate Plan Audit combined with the Vision Clarifier, because it focuses the client’s attention on their needs and wants–and then presents options. Typical estate planning results in the attorney collecting some information and then presenting the plan to the clients. In contrast, the vision meeting really does enroll the client rather than sell to the client.

How has being part of LWP impacted your team and your practice?

LWP has given us a way to quantify what we do and has improved our communication with one another. We are now conscious of, and intentional about, the way we spend our time and how that impacts our practice’s efficiency. We now work together to stay on task.

“A thank you would be nice.”

“If he is going to show up 15 minutes late and then check his email during our meetings, why even bother?”

“I’ve worked here 7 years and he doesn’t even know my daughter’s name.”

64% of Americans who leave their job say they do so because they don’t feel appreciated. Something deep within the human psyche cries out for appreciation. The number one factor in job satisfaction is not the amount of pay but whether or not the employees feel appreciated and valued for the work they do.

Everyone always talks about communication — The best way to communicate, how to effectively communicate, yadda, yadda, yadda. Communication doesn’t mean a hill of beans if you aren’t communicating in the right language of appreciation.

We’re not talking about a touchy-feely concept here.

A book titled “The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace” does a great job of explaining how feeling appreciated provides employees with confidence and security. And employees desperately need that confidence and security. Working in a small business is an ever-changing world of constant uncertainty. Most team members are responsible for making sure things are followed up on and completed. They run around behind their business owners trying to catch things before they hit the ground and are often frustrated by the reliably inconsistent flow of information. To have confidence and security to brave the whirlwind that is working for an entrepreneur, team members must be communicated with in their language of appreciation.

This book identifies five languages of appreciation: words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, receiving gifts and physical touch. Everyone leads in a different language; the key is to know your team members’ language so you can tap into it. If you are giving a gift card to a team member to acknowledge their hard work on a project, but that person’s language is quality time, they may be appreciative, but it won’t resonate and improve their confidence and security. Instead taking 30 minutes to sit down with a cup of coffee at Starbucks and just talk to them, without checking your email on your phone, would mean so much more.

The concept of languages of appreciation is simple to implement and essentially takes no time. All of us already try to show our employees, bosses and co-workers appreciation. Understanding this concept simply means that you will use the time you already devote to showing appreciation in a more effective way.

If you want to increase your team’s confidence and security, knowing that 64% of Americans leave their jobs because they feel unappreciated, read “The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace” by Gary Chapman and Paul White. It’s a quick, easy-to-read book. You can also take a quick quiz to see what your language is.

Laney L. Richardson, Implementation Coach at Lawyers With Purpose and author of Don’t Be a Yes Chick: How to Stop Babysitting Your Boss, Transform Your Job and Work with a Dream Team Without Losing Your Sanity or Your Spirit in the Process.

We’ve all had the uncomfortable experience of adding team to the bus. Those first few weeks and months of fumbling around, learning the dynamics of your new workplace, navigating coworkers’ (often competing) expectations of the team leader as well as the new hire – the uncertainty is uncomfortable, at best. At worst, if you don’t provide the guidance to progress, then the whole experience can be damaging if not destructive

It’s a difficult problem for an employer to navigate, and it’s arguably more difficult in the legal world. You are probably looking at an office full of Type A personalities, and simply tossing a new one in the mix is begging for conflict, and ultimately heartache.

The best firms, of course, have a plan to prevent this. They will thoroughly orchestrate a newly hired attorney’s first several months of training, often in well-thought-out phases that monitor progress toward the goals that have been established. The plan will cement the firm’s tools, processes, priorities and rules firmly in place within the first 90 days. If this sounds like your firm, then read no further; but if you could use such a plan, or if you need improvement on the training plan you have, email mhall@lawyerswithpurpose.com for a Complimentary Associate Attorney Training: 90 Days At-A-Glance™. Here are a few areas covered in our four-phase approach:

* Company culture: How to rapidly sync your new attorney into the workings of the company.
* “Going live”: How to involve your new Associate in daily meetings and other interactions.
* Marketing and relationship-building:

Getting your new hire on the track to producing revenue. Getting your new hires off to a good start is key to a well-run, productive practice and could be very costly if you’re not taking the right steps to incorporate your new associate into your team.

Molly L. Hall, Co-Founder, Lawyers with Purpose, LLC, and author of Don’t Be a Yes Chick: How to Stop Babysitting Your Boss, Transform Your Job and Work with a Dream Team Without Losing Your Sanity or Your Spirit in the Process.