After so many years working with lawyers and law firms it is finally exciting to have your thought validation become a more accepted standard of practice. We are talking values based leadership. Ten years ago I was lucky if I could find one lawyer in one hundred who wanted to talk about how to lead and manage. He or she was always more interested in how to bring the dollars in.
Today smart lawyers understand that the internal workings of a law firm will drive external marketing and bring clients to the table.
I would challenge every lawyer or management person within my hearing to ask one question in 2010: Am I prepared to lead my staff or firm based on the values of my firm and my own personal values?
And …can you tell me what your core values are. The challenge is to make a list of 20 values you believe define you. Then start prioritizing. Look at 1 and 2. Which one is better. Get rid of the other one. Then look at that one and number 3. When you ge tthrough you should have a list of values.
Here’s the trick and the homework for this week. Write a definition. A bit harder than you think. And feel free to email us if you want help.