The 12 Step Program

Here individuals pull together the information about themselves (in Module 1) and assess how their personal brand—we all have one, whether demonstrated consciously or unconsciously—is supporting them (or not!) in their goals. The process is intense and requires the lawyer to dig deep, but the results are powerful. Lawyers leave equipped with a strategy for closing the gaps.

Advancing lawyers need to be self-motivated to pursue their vision, deepen their skills, embrace change, and lead themselves in an ever evolving profession. This module provides a framework for creating a strategy of self-development, and self-leadership.

Submodule:

Confidently moving away from the technical comfort zone

Lack of confidence is often the underlying problem behind many lawyers’ inability to transition from a technical lawyer into a leader—and into a valuable business generator. But confidence can be learned. Here lawyers are gifted a set of powerful tools and techniques to support their success and discover the science behind why they work.

This module teaches lawyers to:

• Think optimistically and discard limiting beliefs
• Alleviate fear to build confidence

Individuals identify their personality patterns (behaviors and motivations) and learn how their own personality interacts with other types. This module is designed to help individuals:

• Improve communication and relationships
• Adapt to, and synergize with, different personalities to create optimal results
• Read and interpret the values and motivations of clients and colleagues, enabling your lawyers to anticipate needs, and influence more powerfully
• Manage others more effectively and get the best out of colleagues and clients
• Enhance their contributions in meetings and team situations.

Interpersonal skills will have more impact on your lawyers’ careers than any other single factor, but most lawyers don’t consciously develop their “people competencies”, and in some cases are not even aware of the most basic research. Much more than mere teaching techniques, this module explains the neuroscience behind “charisma” and how to acquire it. Afterwards lawyers should be equipped to:

• Positively impact upon people, and be remembered for more than their technical expertise
• Effortlessly make others feel appreciated and important, and thereby elevate themselves in other people’s eyes
• Make connections, build rapport, and strengthen relationships
• Inspire respect, while establishing credibility and trust.

Communication is at the heart of delivering legal advice, but ironically many lawyers remain uncomfortable presenting outside of this narrow context. In the past, lawyers have often been able to get away with the ubiquitous, if tedious, power-point presentations, but in a world of interactive, constantly engaging media, brilliant speaking skills are essential.

Drawing upon performance tools of screen and stage actors to refine voice, physical presence and body language, this module focuses on:

• Overcoming nerves to present with confidence
• Discovering authentic styles of presenting
• How to convey greater conviction and authority
• Delivering a persuasive and memorable message
• Avoiding “death by power point”
• Why practice is crucial in public speaking—and how to practice.

Submodule:

High-impact first impressions

Lawyers tend to believe the best way to make a positive impact is by saying something memorably clever, but studies about communication prove that it’s not necessarily what we say that counts. You only get one chance to make a first impression: make sure the lawyers in your firm are making the right one!

Learning to “perform” through improvisation

Many lawyers think that performing is for actors, and that improvising is what we have to do when we’re unsure of what we’re doing. But performance improvisation is a craft of learning how to react and create spontaneously, as well as an enjoyable process, which allows individuals to express themselves beyond the traditional lawyer persona. It also enables us to: Embrace the unexpected and taking risks Act without the fear of being judged Break out of pre-determined patterns of behavior Work collaboratively: listening, responding, and building with each other.

Media training

Being able to give an authoritative and convincing message on camera is becoming increasingly important in today’s video prevalent market. Ensure your lawyers have the tools to take advantage of media opportunities and enhance your firm’s reputation when they do.

Lawyers are trained to impart knowledge, advise, and direct, but these skills can be counterintuitive to leadership. Moreover, lawyers tend to think it’s their persuasive ability that wins over other people (which may be the case in negotiations or in the courtroom, but is not necessarily so in a leadership context). This module will demonstrate that leadership is all about the art of relationships and engagement. It aims to give the resources to grow into competent and confident leaders with the skills to inspire, influence, and motivate others.

This module examines:

• What is leadership?
• What are the qualities of a leader?
• Why is leadership so important (to the individual, your firm, and your clients)?
• What are the personal leadership strengths (and limitations) of the lawyers in your firm?... and how can they optimally employ them to build relationships, manage people, and lead others (both clients and colleagues)?

Your lawyers need to focus on the “experience” they give to clients—which often has surprisingly little to do with technical work aspects. This module focuses on:

• What clients really want, and how to supply it to become their lawyer of choice
• Understanding client needs and objectives
• The importance of delivering a personal benefit
• Building enduring, trusting client relationships.

Lawyers tend to equate networking with “meeting the right person” and “immediately being offered work” –a near-impossible goal, which merely sets them up to fail. Some avoid networking altogether to escape this sense of “defeat”.  This module demonstrates that networking is a long-term system of building relationships (something everyone can do with a conscious effort).

As part of this module, lawyers will:

• Discover a new mindset with regard to networking, which will: 
• Teach the art of thinking big, wide, and long-term
• Increase the chances of “serendipitous” client contact
• Generate leads, referrals and resources 

Learn to recognize opportunities for networking, and how to seize them

Identify issues, problems and concerns that can be the basis for suggesting potential client solutions

Learn how to avoid the major networking blunders

• Evaluate their existing network and develop a strategic plan to enhance it.
• Solicit work—when it’s appropriate (and when it’s not!)
• Transition a social conversation into a business one
• Professional approaches for requesting work

Submodule:

Working the room

Strategic networking should get your lawyers to the right function, but that’s only half the battle: they then need to reach the right people—and to make a connection. This module examines specific techniques to get the most out of any networking situation. Lawyers learn how to:

• Approach strangers in a way that works
• Start interactions with quiet confidence
• Create a memorable introduction that communicates interest and distinction (the famous “elevator pitch”)
• Listen for clues to establish common interests and build rapport
• Follow up effectively to turn connections into rewarding relationships.

Here individuals bring together everything covered to date into a strategy for developing and enhancing their authentic, distinct, and superior personal brands. Relevant questions for resolution include:

• What does my brand say about who I am and what I do?
• What are my strengths and unique value? How does my brand communicate that? How do I deliver it?
• How can I build and publicize my expertise to create a strong reputation?
• Am I really passionate about what I’m doing? (Passion is integral to every successful brand.)
• What “experience” do I create for others—beyond my legal skills? Does it positively distinguish me?
• How do my outside interests support and enhance my brand?
• How can I practice leadership in the context of my brand?
• What is my specific plan for enhancing and marketing my personal brand?

Common thinking about leadership is based upon the idea of a leader with plenty of followers: thus senior members of law firms generally develop their team members to be good-quality followers. But this approach limits the personal growth of everyone involved (not excluding the whole firm).

This module encourages lawyers to develop their team members as leaders. By adopting this attitude, they:

• Develop a mindset that doesn’t just focus on getting things done, but instead looks for opportunities to inspire, motivate, and bring out the best in others
• Inevitably improve their own leadership

When this happens, the firm attains quintessential leadership—leaders leading other leaders.

Submodules:

Engaging the team with a shared purpose

Thriving practice teams are the force behind a successful firm; however most lawyers will already have wasted countless unproductive hours in team meetings that are uninspiring and even de-motivating.

This module focuses on creating engaged and energized teams that can:

• Create a compelling team vision and shared purpose
• Develop a strategy with the whole team in mind, thus leveraging the unique strengths and motivations of its individual members.

Leaders learn how to:

• Inspire commitment and a sense of collaboration
• Set high expectations and deliver quality feedback.

Creating team values

All teams operate with values—whether consciously or unconsciously—and these values create the culture of the team, and drive behavior. If values are positive they will be an advantage to everyone. But a team basically motivated by self-interest will undermine performance and motivation long-term.

This module seeks to:

• Determine what values the team needs to succeed
• Ensure the values are genuinely adopted by the individuals on the team, and aligned to their personal brands
• Show the team how to practice these values, and how best to measure, monitor, and reward them.

Individual and team ambitions will inevitably relate to client development but this goal must be based on delivering unique value.  If your lawyers are merely competing on the same basics as your competition, then there’s no inherent reason why they should win any more business than your rivals.  This module forces your lawyers to ask and answer:

• What important client need can we fulfill?
• Would this add value and set us apart from our competitors?
• How can we make the client experience uniquely superior?

Submodule:

The pitch

This module examines strategies for pitching to new and existing clients/lapsed clients.