Don Meredith, one of the original commentators on ABC’s Monday Night Football (and a former quarterback of one of the NFL teams that football fans from New York, Philadelphia and D.C. have grown to despise), established a tradition of singing these words from the Willie Nelson song on the air whenever a game was effectively over. Well... after more than 12 years of writing this column (the first two years sharing this column with my friend, the late Jennifer Ator), it’s time for me to turn the lights out on this column (or at least my writing it). Look forward to a different voice, with new ideas, to offer practice management advice to our readers in the near future. As much as it has been an honor and privilege to serve my law firm for many years in formal management and continuing in various aspects of leadership, it has been equally that in being allowed to contribute to this column on a monthly (and now bimonthly) basis.
For this, my final column, I want to leave readers with a reminder of a few of the practice management and lawyer leadership points I have made over the years.
Act deliberately and carefully, using relationships to build influence. In one of my earliest columns, I wrote about a major mistake I made when I first became managing partner of my law firm in 2001. I was so anxious to right certain practice management wrongs I had observed over the years, that I went policy crazy. I sent out many well-written policies to my partners, only to find they were not that supportive of my endeavor. Recent events outside of the context of law firm management lead me to believe this is not just a problem of new law firm leaders, but perhaps those in government as well. Now that I am out of positional leadership in the firm, I am often reminded that it is important to remember that leadership is not about position, but influence. That given, another lesson from recent events is that one’s ability to influence is affected when battles are not chosen wisely. If you are against everything that firm leadership is doing, you may find your attitude causes others to label you as a naysayer and is a roadblock to your ability to positively influence others.
Find a mentor. Throughout the years I have written about the importance of leadership training to successful law practice. Training involves much more than reading books and going to events. A successful law practice is built on relationships: with clients, with those who work with you and with those who might offer you unbiased advice to help with decision making. My experience was that I needed several mentors; one who could offer help specifically in relation to my own firm (and the unique personalities in it), one who could help with general law firm management and leadership advice given his vast experience as a managing partner and one who could help with general leadership in, and management of, life. Unfortunately for me, all but one of my mentors have now passed away, but I cannot overstate how important their collective wisdom was, over many years, to my development as a leader of lawyers.
Know how to say “no.” Until I learned to say no to things that were better left for others to do, my time was constantly spread too thin, and life was either overburdened, or opportunities passed by. I found that the inability to say no was not only an obstacle to my own growth and development, but that of the whole firm I had been asked to lead. Leadership is about focusing on where the firm is headed, and letting others manage the day to day.
Learn to say goodbye. People working at your firm are either participating spectators, investors or owners. Participating spectators come to work every day and work to collect a paycheck. To some extent, they interact in the community, but there is never true commitment to it. Investors are like present day elite college basketball players. They are the folks in your firm who do excellent work and go the extra mile, but expect their reward now, and are not really committed to the organization long term. They will jump ship in a heartbeat for perceived greener pastures. Owners, on the other hand, are those who have long-term vision and commitment to the firm. They want to stay, and they are willing to sacrifice for the good of the organization. They are the keepers. To the extent that a law firm hangs on to spectators or investors, it fills up space and energy that could be dedicated to others willing to make the sacrifice. Leadership is about selling ownership, and developing owners, and helping others find their passion elsewhere.
Express appreciation. A few years ago, in a two-part column, I interviewed Dr. Paul White about the importance of expressing appreciation to those with whom we work. In my most recent two columns, I wrote about my own difficulty in expressing gratitude to others, and what I have learned by focusing on expressing it more often. It is important to understand that there are different ways appreciation is shown, and much like the “languages of love” in personal settings, there are languages of appreciation in work settings. It is important to know the language of appreciation that has the most positive effect on those with whom we work closely. Gratitude is simple but can often be insincere. As I have discovered, we often assume that others know when we are grateful, but in truth, gratitude unexpressed is just the opposite.
Get involved in the ABA Law Practice Division. If you are reading this column, it is more likely than not that you are a member of the ABA. If you are not, you need to join. At such a time as the present, it is most important that lawyers band together to protect the important functions that ABA undertakes in defending liberty and pursuing justice. Now more than ever, our society needs a single voice of the legal profession, and there is no better voice than the ABA. At the same time, in my opinion, the ABA Law Practice Division is simply the best resource practicing lawyers have when it comes to managing practice and leading lawyers. If you are an ABA member, but not a member of the Division, it is free for the asking––all you have to do is click a button on the ABA website. I realize this seems like a huge sales pitch, but for me, if it was not for the Division, and the great mentors and experts (and friends) I have come to know through my involvement, I would never have had the opportunity to lead my firm, lead the Division and become a leader in this national professional association. The resources and opportunities are now all included in the price of regular ABA membership. I challenge you to take advantage of membership. It is well worth it.
Build a legacy and finish well. I have written on several occasions about the need to build a legacy and finish well in your law practice. I have been with my firm since 1988, and I have been involved in the ABA––first through the Young Lawyers Division, and then through the Law Practice Division––longer. Perhaps I have outstayed my welcome in both, but I hope not. The commitment I encourage all our readers to make––to their firms and to their non-billable endeavors––is the same type of commitment; one with staying power and long term. It has been both fun and very satisfying to help build both organizations over the last 40 years. I am positive that over the years I have passed up some opportunities that could have been more financially rewarding, but hopefully those closest to me––those who have been with me through the good times and bad as we have ventured forward and created value for others––will still think “well done.” Though I am not yet ending my role in either my firm or the ABA, I am with the next sentence ending another.
Thanks for reading.
