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Get Over Yourself
In order to be a contributing partner or manager, you have to live beyond the borders of your comfort zone. How many times have you said, “But I’m not comfortable doing that” (insert your least favorite responsibility in a whiny-butt whimper). To which I ask, SO WHAT?...
Pat or a Kick?
When you use your strengths wisely, you are really good. Not only that, using your strengths come naturally to you, so it’s not all that difficult. Finally, when you work within your strengths, you enjoy what you do so much more. The problem comes when you use your...
Hoarding Failures
I’m forever looking for the things that professionals do to keep themselves from performing at their optimal level. That’s part of my geek streak. (Don’t snicker—you have your own that’s just as goofy.) Here’s something that drags down some professionals—hoarding. I’m...
Make a Difference
Funny how things come in three’s. In the last couple of weeks, three of my clients contacted me about wanting to change the culture of their firms to establish a more motivating environment. All three are currently successful, but the forward-looking leaders...
What’s Your Message?
Everyone has a personal message they repeat over and over again in their work, their speech and their body language. It’s not something you consciously develop, but it’s consistent and everyone knows it…except you. Some are positive; some not so much. In fact, you may...
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...
