Law Consulting Blog : Cordell Parvin's Law Consulting Blog : Coach & Consultant For Lawyers & Law Firms : Business Development, Career Planning

One of the lawyers I coach contacted me this week about a program she will be doing tomorrow on leadership. She asked for my ideas. Here is what I shared with her.

Whether you realize it or not you are a leader. You do not have to lead a firm or department or office to be a leader. You may even be a first year lawyer, or a law student. You are still a leader, even if it doesn’t feel that way.

Over the years when I practiced law, and more recently working with lawyers, I have written and done presentations on leadership. I have always been a student and read about leadership. Many leadership experts express that the starting point for you as a leader is “finding your voice.” You have to know yourself before you can lead others.

In their book The Leadership Challenge, 4th Edition, James Kouzes and Barry Posner say: “To act with integrity, you must first know who you are. You must know what you stand for, what you believe in. and what you care most about. Clarity of values will give you the confidence to make tough decisions, to act with determination, and to take charge of your life.”

That may sound logical, but how can you clarify what you value? Stephen Covey wrote about finding your voice in his book The 8TH Habit: From Effectiveness To Greatness. He posted a blog on how to do it. 

Based on many things I have read, here are my 10 questions for you to answer to find your voice:

1. Your Law Firm is holding your retirement party. Picture yourself there. The speakers will include a client, a lawyer in town with another firm who has been opposite you in some matters, a young lawyer in your firm, your spouse and one of your children. What would each person say about you?
2. Imagine you are older and your grandchild asks: “What are you most proud of in your life?” What would you say?
3. What lawyer do you admire the most and why?
4. What lawyer is living the life you would most want to live and why?
5. What lawyer is doing the kind of work you would most like to do and what is that work?
6. You want people in your firm, or clients to believe you are the “go to person” to_________________.
7. What is the work you enjoy most as a lawyer? Why?
8. What client(s) do you enjoy the most and why?
9. Imagine it is five years from now. Describe your day.
10. Over the next five years, what do you want to do? What do you want to become? What do you want to earn? What do you want to learn?
 

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What do you suppose is the most frequent coaching agenda item I receive from lawyers I coach? It is managing time. Lawyers say to me: "I do not have time to do my billable work, client development and still have a family life." Since the lawyers I coach raise it time and again, that topic is likely on your mind as well.

Some time ago, I  listened to a Harvard Ideacast titled: Are You Spending Your Time the Right Way? I urge you to listen to it. In the podcast Melissa Raffon has many ideas I thought were helpful, including making a list of things to do, then estimating how much time each will take and then blocking out time in your calendar to do them. When I practiced law I tried to do that each week. 

Melissa also posted a blog Are You Spending Your Time the Right Way? I thought her ideas in the blog were also helpful. In the blog post she suggests breaking down your responsibilities into categories and then planning time around those categories. Based on what I learned from reading Stephen Covey's books: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People  and First Things First I began to plan my week around my roles: Father, Son, Husband, Brother, Practice Group Leader, Practicing Lawyer, Client Developer, Sunday School Teacher and Youth Group Leader. Based on Covey's advice, each week I wrote down the most important activity I could do in each role. 

Because my work has frequently taken me out of town, and because I worked on client development on Saturday mornings, Saturday afternoons were "father-daughter" time. Jill and I ate lunch where she chose (usually an ethnic restaurant that Nancy did not like), then we were off to do whatever she wanted to do. That time with Jill was usually the most important thing I could do each week as a father. I will always treasure our discussions.

In this video clip I discuss how to plan your work and life around your priorities.

 Are you writing down the most important activity you can do in each of your roles? If not, it is highly likely you are missing some important personal activities because you are being consumed by your billable work. That is a recipe for frustration and burnout. Give this approach a try.

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Yogi Berra said it well: "If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else." I would say: "if you don't know what you want out of your life, you might wind up unfulfilled."

A few years ago I spoke at a Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) event. I began by asking the lawyers who attended: "How many of you are totally satisfied with your career and life?" Only a few raised their hand. I actually thought that was a good thing. Anyone who is totally satisfied is not growing as a person.

I shared with the group my thoughts on finding your "major definite purpose." I got the idea originally from Napoleon Hill. Two years ago I posted a blog titled: Definiteness of Purpose with a links to Napoleon Hill materials.

For me major definite purpose is the intersection of your passion, talent and clients' needs. Years ago I decided that my major definite purpose was to help transportation construction contractors successfully build the nation's highway, bridge, rail and airport projects. You can see that my purpose was not about me. Instead it was about my clients. Making that change in focus from me to clients gave more meaning to each matter I handled.

Instead of calling it major definite purpose, Stephen Covey talks about finding your voice. He shares a way to find it in The 4 Steps to Finding Your Voice. If you are having any challenges finding what you are meant to do and become, answer these four questions from Covey's blog post.

1. What are you good at? That’s your mind.
2. What do you love doing? That’s your heart.
3. What need can you serve? That’s the body.
4. What is life asking of you? What gives your life meaning and purpose? What do you feel like you should be doing? In short, what is your conscience directing you to do? That is your spirit.

Remember back to that day you decided you wanted to be a lawyer. There had to be something that drove you towards our profession. (Hopefully, it wasn't because you and your parents couldn't think of anything else to do with your political science degree.) Rekindle that sense of purpose.

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