Why being a visionary leader is critical in times of dynamic change “What leaders struggle with most is communicating an image of the future that draws others in – that speaks to what others see and feel.” – James M. Kouzes and Barry Posner, authors of “The Leadership Challenge” As pa
One of the reasons design thinking has been slow to catch hold in legal is that some of the underlying mindsets are counter-intuitive for lawyers. It is not that lawyers can’t embrace and practice these mindsets. Rather, their training, incentives and environment have often encourag
Nat Slavin is a partner in the Wicker Park Group, a consultancy focused on helping law firms strengthen and deepen their relationships with in-house counsel through client feedback and other client facing programs. Nat has met with more than a thousand law firm cli
How do you prepare new managers to be effective leaders? Many corporations have comprehensive training programs for new managers, but law firms have typically not offered specialized training for new staff managers or lawyers who transition from sole contributors to managers of staff,
The legal profession, marketing technology, and clients’ buying habits are changing dramatically. Lawyers need to think differently about marketing, lead generation, big data, project delivery and leadership. Here are 10 things that should be on your radar, starting now. 1. Data-drive
When I started consulting, I met with an old friend who had been consulting for more than two decades. “You need to communicate the cost of doing nothing,” he advised me. “If firms understood the high cost of not investing in leaders, they will be more likely to start a leadership dev
Here are a few books on leadership that I recommend: The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t Robert Sutton The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action Robert Sutton and Jeffrey Pfeffer Leadership Is An Art Max D
Do millennials, Gen Xers and baby boomers in the U.S. have different beliefs about what makes a leader effective? While it’s commonly believed that the generations’ preferences are substantially different, research from the Center for Creative Leadership shows when it comes to leader
Knowing oneself is the best way to begin understanding others. That’s why we often start a leadership program with some sort of assessment, such as Myers Briggs, the Change Style Indicator or FIRO-B. Chris Musselwhite, writes in INC. about the benefits of self-awareness: ̶
Chris Musselwhite and Tammie Plouffe created the Influence Style Indicator, which I use to teach influence to lawyers and other professionals Here is a brief article on the approach. “Effective leadership today relies more than ever on influencing others — impacting their ideas