Imagine working to your strengths… while your team is working to THEIR strengths. That is precisely what I had the pleasure to ignite…

I had the privilege to work in Victoria B.C. again last week with a team of really committed lawyers and staff. It was a re-branding launch. What made it note worthy is the fact that we based the new brand on the strengths of the entire firm… YES… the ENTIRE firm! I had the entire firm (from receptionist to managing partner) take the Strength Finders test and we built the new brand using the results of the tests as our filter. The results are amazing. It is a commitment to who they are… not marketing language as to their unique capabilities. And as we revealed the package I could see how it was resonating with the entire team. It is not a positioning statement they have to embrace… it is a positioning statement that represents who they really are… very different!

After the reveal… I had the pleasure to introduce Cindy Pladziewicz. I invited her to join me on this assignment because she is a lawyer and a clinical psychologist that is an expert in strength psychology. What an incredible session we had… everyone was able to gain more clarity on the unique strengths they bring to the team and the combination of everyone’s strengths revealed a truly unique law firm. 

The next few days I worked with each lawyer and their assistant to solidify their business development plan for 2012. The great advantage was having their assistant part of the plan… and we explored ideas to make sure their lawyer had the support they needed to accomplish their 2012 goals.

This process was great and a natural for this very unique law firm… but let’s make sure we recognize just how unique…

EVERYONE in the firm participated in the Strength Finders research we did to capture the true essence of the firm. Typically firms focus on  business development in a silo fashion with only select groups participating in any given initiative.

A TEAM APPROACH… each lawyer AND assistant brainstormed together in order to come up with their 2012 plan. Usually it is the lawyer alone.

As I said in the opening… Imagine working to your strengths… while your team is working to THEIR strengths. NOW… you can see it is possible for this unique law firm and it will be a pleasure coaching them every month to ensure they reach the business development goals they envision… I will keep you posted.