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the monday message
Take a Risk. Be Remarkable
While listening to a former coach, now a sports commentator, I was struck by a comment he made as he evaluated an inexperienced quarterback. His assessment was that the young athlete took too many risks and needed to dial it back a bit. That said, he concluded his...
A Tale of Two Calls
It was the best of times, it was the worst… Oops. It’s calls, not cities. Unlike Dickens’ Tale, this one is true. Recently, I conducted two coaching calls that couldn’t be more different—best and worst. The first call was from a manager who was of the opinion that the...
Follow Through or Come Through?
Every procedure, process and system is designed to produce a result. It has been tested and can be relied on to accomplish a desired end. The thinking is that if you follow the sequence or procedure, you will get the intended result. But what if you, having completed...
Who’s The Head Case?
(To yourself) I can't believe he just did that. Can't he see how unacceptable that is? I can't let him continue doing that. What a head case. We will definitely have to talk about it. But not right now. It's not the right time. It’s got to be the right time. (A day...
Swim To The Deep End
In a recent coaching call with a manager, I was reminded of how easy it is to conform your thinking to your environment. For her, she described her specialty practice and that her clients are in a regional reach. Her enthusiasm was infectious and I was drawn to her...
Coached To Accelerate
As part of my firm-wide program to raise up high performers, I schedule coaching calls with individuals that the firm wants to invest in. I recently completed a bank of calls for a firm and, reflecting on them, I noticed that the conversations seemed to fall into...
Balance Both Sides
In order to be a high-functioning professional in your firm, you must demonstrate both technical and professional capabilities. Those are two sides of the same coin. Early in your career, technical mastery is predominant. But as you progress in your career, your...
What Does That Mean?
I just returned from training another great southeast firm and I’m really pleased with how the leadership team is developing. They have made significant strides in what it means to work together, rely on each other and accomplish great things for themselves, their...
Lessons About Satisfaction
I just returned from Las Vegas where I facilitated a firm leaders conference. It is an annual event where a group of partners from around the U.S. meet to discuss leadership in their firms and confer with each other for advice and guidance. It was an exceptional...
Commit To Think Strategically
Last week’s message [hyperlink] about the importance of learning to think and act strategically led to numerous responses that were insightful. While I responded to each one individually, one responder raised a great question I’d like you to see. He asked if there...
