Bigstock-Success-target-16975154

More Than Your KOLBE

by with No Comment Coaching & ImplementationTeam Building

I’m a Fact Finder, which makes it a sure bet that I’m fascinated by all things KOLBE and how a KOLBE A index can predict levels of success in any given position.  As a CC&I Implementation Coach, I review KOLBE scores with teams on a regular basis.  I’m always particularly interested (and generally amused) when I have a husband and wife working together and review their KOLBEs. 

Bigstock-Success-target-16975154Occasionally I have a business owner tell me that they’ve had to let a team member go, and in several instances, we’ve found that the team member simply did not live up to the expectations the KOLBE index had indicated.

For example, a Client Services Coordinator with a high Follow Through was found to be trashing prospect contact information because she ran short of time to enter the information into the firm database.   Her attorney totally depended upon her Follow Through and her sense of integrity to get the job done.

What does it mean when a team member … or an attorney … doesn’t get the job done?

Unfortunately, I’ve been hearing from a number of frustrated attorneys who went on vacation this summer, only to return and find their team had dropped the ball in their absence. 

Just to keep the record straight – I’ve also heard from frustrated team members as well.

It was summer.  A time when we’d like to slow down just a bit and stop and smell the roses.  Play with the kids while they’re out of school, or feel the need to tackle some of those home improvement projects that went left undone when you were so focused on the business.

The good news is the kids are back in school, summer is over, and it’s time to focus on making up for lost time.

The bad news is that this issue may not just be seasonal. 

Enter the Strength Finder.

The Strength Finder is an additional tool that can supplement what the KOLBE tells us.  It measures 34 different areas to identify and rank your top strengths.    The results can be enlightening and life changing.

For example, I discovered that while my KOLBE Follow Through is not incredibly high, my Strength Finder lists one of my top strengths to be “FIXER.”  I am literally driven to “FIX” or complete what is incomplete.  My “FIXER” strength boosts my unimpressive KOLBE Follow Through.

The Strength Finder, when coupled with the KOLBE and the Language of Appreciation, provide great insight into talents, strengths, willingness and passions.

You can discover your strengths, free of charge – click here.  You can discover your Language of Appreciation, free of charge here.  The KOLBE A retails for $49.95 (click here) but a $10 discount is currently offered at http://www.kolbe.com/pages/special-partner/jkw/.

I must warn you that using these tools is no substitute for holding each other accountable in your office.  One way to “check in” and be held accountable is through the Weekly Team Meeting.  A Weekly Team Meeting, led by the Client Services Coordinator, with an agenda that promotes the accountability of each team member in front of the team, including the attorney, is a way to systematically inspect the moving parts that operate your business.  Internally publishing notes with dated assignments is also an accountability tool.

If you would like to schedule a team evaluation using the KOLBE A, Strength Finder and Language of Appreciation, please contact me at ncatale@lawyerswithpurpose.com.

There are still a few days left to register for our Practice With Purpose Program in October.  If you want to grow your business with Medicaid, VA & Asset Protection by year end, show up!  You can see the full agenda and register here.

Nedra Catale – Coaching, Consulting & Implementation, Lawyers With Purpose

 

Bigstock-Many-colorful-speech-bubbles-w-17121674

I’m Sick Of Finding Myself Repeating The Same Things & Feeling Unheard

by with No Comment Team Building

I’m sick of repeating the same things over and over to my team! I feel like they don’t know what to do!  Sound familiar?

Bigstock-Many-colorful-speech-bubbles-w-17121674Does your team truly know their role day in and day out? Is it clearly defined? Clearly defining roles must be step one to an engaged employee. Why? Because it helps them plan for the work anticipated and more importantly for the work NOT anticipated. The nature of the beast in most law firms.

If you’re personally experiencing any of the below symptoms register for the 90 minute focus session “You've Defined Roles…Now What?”

  • Blaming others for the job not getting done
  • Out of balance workloads
  • Lack of action because of ineffective communication
  • A “not sure” so “take no action” attitude
  • A reactive work environment
  • Poor morale
  • Multiple stops needed to find an answer

During our time together we’ll look at each role in the firm and work on a recipe for success owning roles in your practice. To attend the 90 Minute break-out session at the LWP Tri-Annual Practice Enhancement Retreat, “You've Defined Roles…Now What?”

Contact Marci Otts at motts@lawyerswithpurpose.com to reserve your seat. All registration closes September 29th, 2014.

Bigstock-Happy-couple-on-the-beach-of-s-49742783

Rules of Vacation

by with No Comment Coaching & ImplementationSystems & ProcessesTeam Building

I’ve had a few implementation calls with a team that is 100% committed to reaching their revenue goal.  They’ve got all they need in their pipeline, marketing is producing leads, workshops are getting filled, production is keeping up as much as possible with the growth, etc.  They have such determination to reach goal that it’s been inspiring to participate in their conversations, anchor them to the LWP tools and support them.

Bigstock-Happy-couple-on-the-beach-of-s-49742783At this point, the key to their success lies in creating and committing to the old 40-40-20 time split.  You know, the “40% lead generation/lead conversion, 40% revenue-producing activity, 20% firm development” ratio.  The hardest part is the reality of making it happen AND holding each other accountable that they are doing what they committed to on their time template.  So, to make sure they were on the same page, communicating and setting standards and ensuring that their intentions were set in stone, they created their firm's “Rules of Engagement.” 

This had such an impact on the team that they decided to take their rules a step further.  When talking together and planning for the upcoming vacation for the attorney, the team created some “Rules of Vacation” to make sure he took some much-needed time away without having to worry about the office during his absence.    

What’s great about it is they had fun, but they also set standards for what will and will not take place on vacation.  They gave permission to check in with the office, but only at certain times and for specific reasons, and that leads to boundaries and standards.  The rules also make certain that he is present with his family during the time away.  My favorites are #’s 7 & 8:

ATTORNEY RULES OF VACATION 

  1. Vacation means vacation – trust your team – you have the right people in the right places – they have your back when you are in the office at all times – they will have your back when you are out of the office at all times!!!
  2. Vacation begins at 5:01 P.M. on ________, 2014.  Your spouse has permission to call at 5:02 P.M. to make sure you are on your way home.  You have permission to work until 9:00 P.M.  on the day prior to your vacation starting, if you choose, in order to “clear the decks.”
  3. Attorney may not call the office unless it is in response to a 911 text, email or voicemail from the team.
  4. Attorney may check and respond to emails at assigned times approved by spouse once in the morning and once in the evening so that they don’t have anxiety about it throughout the day. 
  5. Attorney MUST at all times be on vacation.A
  6. ttorney MUST at all times have fun.
  7. Attorney MUST at all times be present to the family.
  8. The family MUST make attorney put on either Mickey Mouse ears or a princess crown and send that picture to the team for future blackmail and accountability purposes.
  9. Attorney MUST tell himself or herself every day that this vacation will not be a repeat of any dreaded prior vacations and remember what a great workplace we have created to permit such a vacation. 
  10. Attorney MUST not call the office 100 times a day!
  11. The family MUST hold attorney accountable for any deviation from items 1 through 10 and attorney MUST be willing to accept and suffer the consequences for breaking any of the rules.  (The team suggests letting the grandchildren make grandpa into their favorite princess, including putting on make-up, and sending those pictures to the team to provide ample incentive to obey rules 1 to 9.)
  12. Attorney MUST get the initials of family members as proof that they  went over the Rules of Vacation together and had fun doing it.

I, _________________, acknowledge that I have read and understand the above Rules of Vacation. 

Attorney signature ______________________________

I know we are winding down vacation season and headed back to school and then quickly into the holidays. But grab onto these rules and make them your own and empower your team to communicate so you can power down on that next get away – whenever it is!

If you want to learn more about Lawyers With Purpose and how we can help you take your next vacation AND generate revenue, join us October 20-22nd in Phoenix, AZ, for our Practice With Purpose Program. Click here to register today!  Seats are filling fast and October is right around the corner so grab your seat now.  If you're a member and would like to come to the Practice With Purpose Program, please contact Angela directly at acrowther@lawyerswithpurpose.com.

Roslyn Drotar – Coaching, Consulting & Implementation, Lawyers With Purpose

Bigstock-the-light-trails-on-the-steet--40546429

Speeding Through Life

by with No Comment Team Building

So, this morning on the way to work I got a speeding ticket and as I sit and think about my actions it is bringing much to mind.  How often do we speed through life…through our days…going from one thing to the next?  We rush into our days, through our days, and then back home to rush through our evenings and our time spent with family and/or friends.  

Bigstock-the-light-trails-on-the-steet--40546429We say yes…we say no…But are we really giving the questions the proper thought, time and energy?  Are we asking the right questions to ensure that what is being asked of us is going to be carried out in the best way possible and we are the best person to be doing so?  Are we being present in our jobs…during our meetings….at home during dinner with our loved ones…putting our children to bed…or are we just passing through the fastest way possible to get to the next thing that has to be done?  Are we "checking out" and driving in the fast lane with no absolute destination and not giving attention to all the beautiful little moments in between that really mean so much?

Amazing the thoughts that one (not so) little speeding ticket can bring to mind!  We all need to remind ourselves of the value we bring every day…in taking the time to do every little item in our days with intent, purpose and our true being.  Driving in the fast lane is not all it's cracked up to be…you miss so much…you lose so much…you can even lose yourself.

Being present in the moment is what is calling to me right now…in life…in work…in my family.  Be present and be true…and don't let the temptation of the fast lane pull you in…there is so much you will miss along the way.

I challenge you all to take stock…look at your life, your loves, your work, your passions.  Make sure you are present to what is happening every day…make decisions based on knowledge, asking the right questions, and the all-important "gut check".  Become the owner of your life and your decisions…don't be that driver speeding by just trying to get to the next checkpoint the quickest way possible.

If you are interested in learning more about Lawyers With Purpose and want to experience first hand the impact it can have on your estate or elder law practice, join us in Phoenix October 20-22nd for our Practice With Purpose Program.  If you're an existing member and want to attend, please contact Angela at acrowther@lawyerswithpurpose.com.

Marci Otts – Director of Operations, Lawyers With Purpose

Bigstock-beautiful-businesswoman-asleep-16933931

I Have No Clue What She Does All Day

by with No Comment Coaching & ImplementationTeam Building

How many of you have truthfully cried out, “I have no idea what she does all day” about your Director of First Impressions as you juggle client appointments, synergy meetings, internal meetings, document reviews and “emergency” calls with your teenage kids while on summer break? I personally hear this no fewer than 20 times a week from entrepreneurs across the map.

Bigstock-beautiful-businesswoman-asleep-16933931Such unfortunate hallway comments are not meant to be a criticism or judgment about the employee. The intent is not to imply that the employer believes she/he is messing around on Facebook all day. The truth of the matter is that when a business owner has that feeling of “I don’t know what she does all day,” it is indicative of a business that is not operating with an organizational structure that relies on job descriptions with weekly tracking and accountability. It’s actually because the business owner is behind closed doors all day in back-to-back meetings, painfully aware of the insane schedule, with little hope of addressing a growling stomach, an overloaded inbox and pressing family obligations.

If you have that sinking feeling about any of your team members, chances are it is not the person but a training and communication matter. Fortunately, this is a very easy fix. And within 30 days you will know if it is actually a case of wrong person, wrong role and how to course-correct. Your CC & I coach can help you create a path and plan to review the employee’s job description, the CC & I suggested 90-Day Training Plan and how to track and measure for weekly effectiveness, all in one hour. Together, you will also conduct a communication analysis to compare each person on your team’s Kolbe, Strength Finder and Languages of Appreciation to determine how to establish consistent, effective communication to ensure you never have that sinking feeling again.

So, if you’ve found yourself saying, “I have no clue what she does all day,” contact ncatale@lawyerswithpurpose.com to schedule your LWP CC & I member call to support your communications efforts.

If you want to learn more about Lawyers With Purpose and what we have to offer, please join us in Phoenix October 20th – 22nd for our Asset Protection, Medicaid and VA Practice With Purpose Program.  Register today, seats fill up fast!

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 

Bigstock-Close-up-of-human-hand-breakin-54368582

The Weight Of The World … Or Opportunity?

by with No Comment Coaching & ImplementationLegal MarketingTeam Building

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes.” ― Charles R. Swindoll

After being gone from my daily yoga practice for 1 week while in Chicago at the LWP Tri-Annual Retreat I eagerly returned to my 5:45 a.m. Monday morning practice, exhausted after getting on average of 5 hours of sleep a night. As I shuffled into the studio, squawking about how tired I was our teacher began our 102 degree practice with the above quote. Needless to say, my attitude shifted. Quickly, intensely.

The entire class was about how we perceive all the “stuff” that happens to us, day in and day out. It brought me immediately back to and thinking about the 40 national law firms that shut down their practices, team in tow, for 3 solid BUSINESS days, like they do Tri-Annually, to work ON their businesses and lives.

Bigstock-Close-up-of-human-hand-breakin-54368582We launch our retreats with personal shares of what has occurred in your practice since the last retreat, 4 months prior. The shares consisted of; losing team, moving offices (while losing team), personal illnesses, family illnesses, losing parents, employee embezzlement, and so on.   But the absolute magnificence was there wasn’t a trace of defeat or heaviness in that ballroom. Only recognition and appreciation for the opportunities that were waiting on the other side. Each and every firm truly embodied the attitude of “behind every breakdown is a breakthrough.”

The themes swirling through the room; we are lean and mean, were a team of interdependence versus codependency, less is more, intentional focus, short term suffering, eyes wide open. And firms were sharing they had their best quarter EVER…after going from a team of 7 to 3. Or, going on our 9th Client Services Coordinator, but that’s o.k., not tolerating anything but superstar status!

The honest, vulnerable sharing about life isn’t always about hugs & cookies but its what you choose to see when it feels like bread and water….for a blink of a moment. Until you can anchor yourself to what you know to be true. When they got over the tragedy of their worlds crashing down they anchored to the skills and tools they need to have a 2mm shift, and recourse. The Money Plan, job descriptions, time templates, whose doing what to reach goal, The Revenue focuser. They knew for those that were having to double up on roles, there were the Tri-Annual Retreat Focus Sessions waiting for them right outside the door on, Marketing, Client Services, What’s Happening Behind the Conference Room Doors, Medicaid and VA Qualification and Application, IPugs vs. LLCs, How to Plan With IRAs, Communication Skills, Power In Partnership, Annual Client Maintenance Program, How To Have An Empowered Team, Getting Financial Advisors To Do Their Homework, Client & Financial Advisory Boards, Becoming 360 – personal development coaching day, your future focuser…and so, so much more. All right at their fingertips. Like a strategically placed safety net. And the coolest part is that every single firm that shared their weight of the worlds/opportunities over the past four months did it all on their own. They hunkered down and regrouped. I have to admit, there was a small part of me that felt irrelevant. Off they go. 

What shows up in your world is solely based on your perspective of what is “happening” to you.  Do you see the challenges you face as a business owner (and human) like carrying the weight of the world or endless opportunities? It may sound “hokey” but there is no mistake that you open up any periodical, social media application and/or blog and there is a universal shift around “you manifest what you think.” You keep telling yourself that carrying the weight of the world “comes with the territory” you will continue to attract big monster cinder blocks of “troubles” to carry around versus “there is a lesson in this and I am grateful that I am open to discovering it. I need not only make the best of it but make the better of it. What do I need to do first?”  See the difference?

The Weight of the World…or opportunity?

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.

Bigstock-Athletes-At-The-Sprint-Start-L-58880123

Start Where You Are

by with No Comment Coaching & ImplementationSystems & ProcessesTeam Building

Sounds pretty obvious, doesn’t it? But how often do we really give ourselves that gift? How often do we stop and tell ourselves, wherever we’re headed, this is where we start? It means being willing to let go of the past. It means resisting the need to race ahead.  It means controlling the stories of why we can’t get started.

Bigstock-Athletes-At-The-Sprint-Start-L-58880123It may be creating a marketing plan when you only have $500 a month to realistically dedicate to the project. It may be finally firing that employee who “knows everything” when you don’t have the rehire in place. It may be making the unyielding commitment to hardwire five hours into your calendar for marketing when you have to answer the phones, draft trusts and greet clients who arrive 20 minutes early so they can tell you all about their grandbabies.

Sometimes the simplest truths are the most slippery. We convince ourselves that it “isn’t that bad” or that we might be “overreacting” or have “unrelenting standards.” These are all especially true if you lead with responsibility and/or harmony on the strength-finder assessment. But if we simply allow ourselves to start from where we are today, that is often more than enough.

Last week I was working with a firm, and the focus of our Coaching, Consulting & Implementation (CC&I) call was “getting the right people in the right roles.” They had just hired two new people within the past four weeks and had let go of a “lifer” employee. They were trying to train the two new hires for the role of “Legal Assistant,” i.e.  “please do it all and take the pain and pressure away.”  The attorney went into explaining about how the firm can't do Y until X and when A is up and running they can implement B. I listened intently to the mental download and then started with “I've got all that.  But we are here and let’s start from exactly where we are. Because in my experience, the have, do, be method never works out to your advantage. (When we have A, then we can do B so we can be the law firm I have always envisioned.) That's because I have never met a firm that woke up one day and all the missing pieces were finally in place (i.e., people, time and money). We’re going to take a different approach.”

The approach of starting where you are:  It allows you to originate from a clean slate so you can get to the root and cultivate a deeper understanding of what you need, right here, right now!  It gets to the heart of the matter – which eliminates all opportunities to create a bigger-than-necessary project. The approach of start where you are allows for one small step at a time. This may sound hokey, but this approach allows us to get down and dirty and take a look at our distractions – the things that tend to get between you and your optimal success.

We'll see you next week at the Members Tri Annual Retreat in Chicago and begin working on your next quarter Money Plan (and yes, we'll be starting right where you are).  In which areas of your practice do you need to start where you are?

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.

 

Bigstock-Man-pushing-a-boulder-on-a-mou-56958671

Compassion Fatigue

by with No Comment Coaching & ImplementationTeam Building

“You have a clean slate every day you wake up. You have a chance every single morning to make that change and be the person you want to be. You just have to decide to do it. Decide today’s the day. Say it; this is going to be my day.” ~ Brendon Burchard


The emotional, physical and financial needs of our world can be undoubtedly overwhelming. As we become more and more comfortable with the vision, design and signing meetings, we then begin to move fully into and embrace the counseling side of serving in the estate and elder law industry. With this comes the journey of compassion:

  1. We will feel for people in pain – even people we don’t know personally.
  2. We will want people to be encouraged and hopeful – even people we don’t know personally.
  3. We will seek to help people practically – even people we don’t know personally.

Bigstock-Man-pushing-a-boulder-on-a-mou-56958671Beyond the "conference room," you will begin to find that you are naturally feeling this and wanting to do it. Once you gain knowledge in the tools, competency in the legal technical and confidence in your team, you will begin to lead and guide from a place of compassion. And this is how you attract people to your office, without even trying. Your ability to actively listen and solve problems is utterly absent from your competition. And everyone sees it.  So your calendar begins to fill up with potential money appointments:  Initial contacts increase (yay!), vision meetings increase (yay x2!), your hire rate increases (yay x3!).

But if there is not time in your calendar to “empty your backpack” of all compassion – stories, grief, troubles and struggles that you get to solve all day (not to mention the employees waiting at your door in-between all these fantastic meetings) – you will be burdened. Imagine a backpack filled with the heaviest cinderblocks you can imagine. At some point, you have to put the backpack down or else you’ll break your back. That's compassion fatigue.

In an unrelenting world of constant giving and solving, filled with back-to-back appointments and very little breathing space, it eventually becomes impossible to “muscle through” week in and week out. Then we start to see our initial/vision and hire rates decrease because that bountiful compassion has turned into resentment and frustration. And we might tell ourselves, “The lucky streak has ended,” but as humans we are just not conditioned to continue at that pace without operating at a deficit.

We have to refill our tireless giving “compassion account.” When your reserves are in deficit, you can’t truly give.  Here are some quick suggestions for how to refuel your compassion account, “empty your backpack” and let go of all the emotional stuff you picked up throughout the day. This should take no more than five minutes at the end of each day to allow you to hit the ground running the next day with a full account:

  • Get a journal or notebook and keep it at your bedside.
  • At the end of your day, download all the stories you picked up from the day: prospective clients, existing clients, referral sources, client complaints, employee issues, even whatever may have hit you personally at home, because all compassion and heartache are created equal. 
  • Jot down the NAME (Smith case, Sally the receptionist, my son Timmy.)
  • What the story/situation was. Keep it simple and don’t make it into a dissertation. Just brain dump the emotionality of what occurred. This part is important: Connect and dump the emotional compassion that occurred in order for you to truly unload the backpack.
  • What did you provide in regards to coaching, conflict resolution, counseling, etc. to provide value? It is equally important for you to get the WIN in it, to know you were part of holding a safe space for X to have a breakthrough in that moment with the resources you had.
  • Then detach and let it go, and write down, “My job is not to rescue. My expertise in helping X was more than enough for today. I am not responsible for the circumstance, only for coaching the person. This is no longer mine to carry.” 
  • Celebrate the victories and share them with the team.  Acknowledge what you have done as a huge accomplishment.  Give yourself kudos – don’t minimize what you’ve done.
  • Pretend you’re a duck!  When you are in a leadership role – and you are as an entrepreneur and intrapreneur – you will take hits.  You've got to let them roll off your skin, just like a duck lets water roll off its feathers.  Work this muscle until you see the results.
  • Build “pause” time in your calendar to reframe yourself between appointments.  Use that time to do something for yourself, to make deposits into your compassion account.  Doing this will allow you to always “show up” genuine and prepared, with your clients feeling heard and you feeling confident.

You will begin to notice how much compassion was actually turning to clenching for your clients, which is a circumstance that creates undue pressure on us to “deliver.” Yes, you have to deliver on your promises (planning, etc.), but when the delivery becomes all about the person's circumstance vs. about the person, which we all do day in and day out, that blocks the unpacking of the backpack to eliminate the compassion fatigue.

If your interested in joining us in Chicago, book your flights now!  There are still just a few seats left so register today and be in the room to experience what the Practice With Purpose Program is about and what we have to offer.

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.

Bigstock-Hands-Holding-Pieces-Of-A-Puzz-64546993

The Rules of Engagement

by with No Comment Coaching & ImplementationSystems & ProcessesTeam Building

At Lawyers with Purpose we feel very passionately about our unrelenting standards around consistently operating by our Rules of Engagement.  On our weekly CCI call this week, we discussed how easily the expectations set within the Rules of Engagement can be pushed aside in the day-to-day of our “busy” world. How we give each other permission to let each other off the hook with no operation by set standard. 

Bigstock-Hands-Holding-Pieces-Of-A-Puzz-64546993It's those times that we allow The Rules of Engagement to be part of our consistent daily practice that there is very rarely ever a need for sporadic reactive “sit downs” about to what's going on with X (team, projects, cash flow etc.). And in our experience the work that has to go into repairing, redirecting and/or retooling doesn’t have to occur this way. If you make it part of your standards, the consistency in all facets of your business begin to happen.

Your Rules of Engagement should, in essence, say that as a team we agree to operate under the following rules – day in and day out – to allow us to grow and eliminate any unnecessary dividedness.

SAMPLE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

1. To refrain from holding on to “stories and stuff” – always clarify and verify what is being ask of you and always operate with honest while respectful mentality; (A) If you ask me, I will tell you; (B) If I ask you – it’s because I “need” to know to be sure my needs are being met

2. Lead and operate every meeting with:

    1. Declaration of the purpose and intended outcome
    2. Printed Agenda with the team leader running
    3. Next specific actions and deadlinesEvery person is absolutely required to hold each other accountable and be accountable for their our own actions

3. Every person is absolutely required to hold each other accountable and to be accountable for their own actions.

4. EVERYTHING is ALWAYS “on the table” with a “CAN DO” approach

5. We agree to always engage in Healthy Conflict to solve real problems quickly and to put critical topics on the table for discussion.  If there is something that someone is doing and behavior that is a constant roadblock YOU need to conduct a STOP and identify the behavior that is occurring in that moment so we can identify and breakthrough.

6. We agree to refrain from gossip. Do not say something out loud that you would not say if you knew it was to be repeated. If a statement starts with “Don’t tell….” It’s gossip

7. We agree as a team to always be willing to FAIL FORWARD. United we stand, divided we fall.

If you're interested in learning more about how Lawyers With Purpose could support your estate planning / elder law practice, please join us in Chicago June 9th – 11th for our Asset Protection, Medicaid & VA Practice With Purpose Program.  Register today as we are filling fast.  The hotel is almost sold out so grab your seat today!

Molly 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

 

 

 

Bigstock-Chain-breaking-48224465

Making Your Strengths Work For You

by with No Comment Coaching & ImplementationSystems & ProcessesTeam Building

You’re probably familiar with the concept of IQ…maybe you’ve even taken a quick IQ test online or in the back of an in-flight magazine.

Bigstock-Chain-breaking-48224465Many years ago, it was believed that IQ and intelligence were synonymous — that there is some sort of magic number that everyone has that can be determined by the right test, and that that number is a reflection of how intelligent they are. Even today, if you ask the average person on the street what intelligence is, the term “IQ” is going to come up more often than not.

Fortunately, these days we know better…as far back as 1983, a psychologist at Harvard named Howard Gardner proposed his theory of “multiple intelligences.” The idea behind Gardner’s framework is simple — namely that intelligence takes many different forms, and that everyone’s “intelligence” is actually a unique combination of their strengths across many different categories. Currently, Gardner has advocated for nine different forms of intelligence:

●      Musical – Rhythmic and Harmonic

●      Visual – Spatial

●      Verbal – Linguistic

●      Logical – Mathematical

●      Bodily – Kinesthetic

●      Interpersonal

●      Intrapersonal

●      Naturalistic

●      Existential

When you look at the list above, it’s not difficult to come up with examples of what Gardner was talking about — history is full of people who achieved at the highest levels in their field, independent of what they may have scored on a traditional IQ test.

IQ wasn’t related to Beethoven’s successes…it was his musical intelligence. Michael Jordan’s IQ had nothing to do with his ability to drive the lane or hit a jump shot — but he absolutely is gifted in the realm of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. Margaret Thatcher would likely have scored well on a traditional IQ test, but you can also make the case that it was her inter- and intra-personal intelligence that helped her ascend to the top of her field.

So by now you might be wondering why I’m talking about intelligence here.  It’s a fair question, and the answer is actually pretty simple…

When you think about the examples I’ve given above, and the others that surely came to your mind as you read through Gardner’s list, what do they have in common? They all benefited from an extraordinary fit between their gifts and the endeavors they chose to pursue.

In my law firm, we’ve taken this philosophy to heart – working in our strengths (ie., whose doing what to reach goal).

So often you’ve heard me discuss the idea of systems, and how having the right system in place makes all the difference in your practice. Well, an important component in that is making sure that the people — the most important part of any business system — are a good fit with the responsibilities they have.

Take a minute now and think about your team — who is particularly gifted verbally? They have a way with words — are they getting the opportunity to leverage that talent for the benefit of your whole firm? What about your analytical thinkers? Are they getting the opportunity to solve problems and help things run more smoothly on a day-to-day basis?

Next month, LWP is hosting a three day event in Chicago where we’ll be talking systems automation and how you can leverage the right tools, systems, and the natural talents of your staff to exceed your revenue goals! And the beauty is your freed up to focus on the people (i.e. meeting with clients and power partners).

The next Practice with Purpose Program is June 9-11.  There will not be another one until October. Yikes, that’s closer to “year end” than “New Year”.

We’ll provide you with the road map — we’ll teach you how you can use your natural gifts (and those of your team) to get more done at the office and get more time at home as well!

That doesn’t meant that it’s going to be easy, though…one of the benefits of attending an event like this with some of your most successful and forward-thinking peers from around the country is that we're going to challenge you to break through the roadblocks you’re currently facing…to focus on what's really important in your practice…and to eliminate the distractions that take away from your time and focus.

That's our promise to you…that you'll return home with a clear vision for taking your practice to the next level. Taking the all-important first step is up to you – click here to register now. We fully expect that the program will sell out, and you don't want to be left without a seat!

David J. Zumpano, Esq, CPA, Co-founder Lawyers With Purpose, Founder and Senior Partner of Estate Planning Law Center