Miami Legal Business Development | Branding | Lawyer Coaching | Paula Black

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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.

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What makes YOU different from the thousands of lawyers that DO what you do?

As I discussed earlier this week... knowing what business you are REALLY in is the place to start. After you have done that ask yourself these questions...

1. What am I REALLY good at?
2. What do clients comment on most often?
3. Can others claim this? If so... have they?
4. What do I LOVE doing?
5. Is there a demand for this? If so... will they pay for it?

When you make your lists, ask someone close to you to help you brainstorm, because we don't often see our strengths as the outside world sees them. 

Why should you spend time doing this? Because it's your points of differentiation that you need to leverage when you are developing business. These points should be what you talk about, and knowing them will help you figure out what to write about. Not to mention that working from your strength and uniqueness is easier since it helps you standout from the crowd.

Black Pearl: Want to have fun? Get the book "Strength Finders 2.0" by Tom Rath. It has a special password to allow you to take a test that will give you your 5 TOP strengths. It will blow you away. Mine were so accurate that a friend asked if my photo was next to the definition. It is a great tool to help you gain clarity on your strengths.