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Average is Over
I read a review of Tom Friedman’s new book, That Used to be Us. One of his chapters is called “Average is Over.” He contends that what used to be good yesterday is average today and will be even less so tomorrow. Since no professional sets out to be average, how do...
Client Service or Client Enjoyment?
Client service gets a lot of attention from the profession. And rightly so, because it is a SERVICE profession. But serving clients without enjoying them can be difficult. I said to a partner once that I really enjoyed my clients. He immediately shot back that I was...
Manage to Them
Most partners and managers believe they are good at managing their people. If that’s the case, why is mismanagement and under-management so prevalent? Actually, you probably aren’t as good as you think, and you could be better. To begin, you have three choices when...
Misuse of Partner Leadership
I had an interesting coaching call last week with a partner who had earlier experience in a business that wasn’t in professional service. He managed a couple of hundred people in a business sector for a large corporation. His comment was how different his current firm...
Two Sides of Leadership
I just read a study that compared two sides of leadership. One was competitive and driven (dominance) and the other was altruistic and generous (prestige). Every leader is more of one type than the other by nature. The study revealed some interesting findings, based...
The Effective Manager
For years, a fairly seasoned professional was underperforming. No one had much confidence in her because she worked slowly, made mistakes and seemed to have limited capabilities. Because of her tenure, the firm leaders tried to find a place for her instead of letting...
Convenient For Me
As a leader, your objective is to create an environment of productivity for your staff by removing the obstacles they face so they can do their work. However, rather than remove barriers for them, you can actually create difficulties. I’m talking about the liberties...
Are You A High Performing Manager?
It’s easy for you to manage a job when you have high-performers. They know what to do and do it with minimal oversight. They let you know when they’re done and their work requires minimal corrections. All you have to do is set the timelines and then forget about it....
How It Works
There is a lot of talk about how to get referrals from others. Programs, initiatives and training are all the rage and focus. After all, a referral source that generates leads for you is invaluable to your professional career. Over the years, I’ve trained hundreds of...
Why They Follow
As a leader in your firm, at whatever level you are, you have followers. They look to you for direction, guidance and encouragement. But what is it about your leadership style that compels them to follow? Some follow because they have to. You have a certain title or...
