Seven Ways a Personal Brand Can Help Your Career
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Heard of personal branding but not sure why you should bother? This article explain how branding yourself can help you move your career from good to great.
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3 Reasons Law Firm Strategy is BS & Why it Matters
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Most lawyers think that “excellence” is a strategy. It is not. Discover how a real strategy can help you create a more successful and satisfying practice.
Read MoreHow to be Direct AND Improve Relationships
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Direct communication can seem scary and even potentially counterproductive. Here are some tips for getting what you want from your staff or colleagues.
Read MoreDragons, Fire & Miracles
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Context is everything. The attitude and underlying beliefs with which we approach projects or circumstances determine the outcome far more than any specific words we say or actions we take. When we put on green glasses, the world looks green. Red glasses turn it red. Whether you succeed in your business development efforts (or any other goals you may have) will depend largely on the lens through which you are viewing the situation. Consider this example. The other day, I was talking with a client about her business development plan, and she was terribly uninspired. Sometimes, we can focus on the activities that inspire us, but sometimes we just need to buckle down and take the actions that we would normally avoid like the plague. In this particular case,
Read MoreLearn How to Focus Better: Lessons from Michael Phelps
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You may have heard that, as a child, Michael Phelps had attention deficit disorder, but was able to stay off of medication by swimming for hours every morning before school. At first, this may seem like a random bit of trivia or perhaps a recipe for helping children with ADD; but, it also points to a larger principle that applies to business development. By helping us to become more focused, balanced and calm, and by improving brain function, exercise enables us to be more present with others – listen better, adapt and respond to others’ ideas and concerns – all of which are essential for developing new clients, not to mention maintaining good relationships with existing clients.
Read MoreGive Me a Rock! How NOT to Manage People
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You may have heard of the “give me a rock” form of management. The boss says, “Give me a rock.” The employee finds a rock and presents it to the boss. The boss responds, “No, this isn’t what I wanted. Get me a bigger rock.” And it continues. “No, a rounder rock.” “No, a light colored rock.” Obviously, this is less efficient than, “Get me a round, light grey rock about the size of a bowling ball.” The point here is that we are often busy, tired and not focused adequately on the task that we are delegating. Then we become annoyed when someone fails to perform a task in line with our expectations. No one said humans are logical. So, here are ten simple steps for efficient and effective delegation.
Read MoreHow to Design a Powerful Project
/Whether you are trying to find new clients, increase profitability, or finally start going to the gym one simple way to help yourself achieve the intention quickly is to write out a project plan. The following are ten steps to create an effective plan.
- Set a specific and measurable goal, with a clear time frame. – Many of us aspire to get more of of the "right" type of clients, which is vague and, therefore, less powerful than a specific target like “sign a retainer agreement with one new clients who meets XYZ criteria by January 31”...
Are You Using Your Time Well?
/How much is your time worth? If your hourly rate is $400, $200, $95 or even $35, why are you spending time on activities that are worth $10 per hour, such as managing your contacts, book keeping, cleaning your house, etc. I know, I know, I do it too. It feels like a hassle to find someone to do the work, or no one does it well enough, or it's something you procrastinate about, and then you are in crisis mode so it seems easier to just do it yourself. Or maybe you feel that a “good mother” or a “responsible business owner” would do this task herself. If this represents you, take a minute, go find a mirror and try to tell yourself with a straight face that this is a good use of your time.
Read MoreTop Six List: A Great Tool for Planning Your Day
/You can’t do everything. No one can. It is the illusion that we can (and should) do everything which prevents us from prioritizing and actually taking the actions that are most important. This tool from Accomplishment Coaching allows you to replace an endless to-do list with a focused list of priorities. Each day, take out a clean sheet of paper and
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