Feature Article: Law Practice Management Series
by Mary G. Anderson, Life Management Consulting Group
We are in the final stretch, the final three months of each year brings the dark winter solstice which seems to make the hours move more slowly each day. What is your plan to lead your staff through an end-of-the-year analysis of the goals your firm has accomplished? Sometimes the dark, cold days of winter slow us down. At the end of the work day, it is much easier to pass on stopping to exercise at the gym and instead we load up on the carbs when we finally get home! How do you stay motivated to lead your team and serve your clients?
Do you have a plan to stay connected to your clients during the holiday season? The final weeks of the year can be unpredictable in the day-to-day management challenges at the office too. For instance, staff may be taking off to visit relatives across the country, court dates change, vendors drop by unexpectedly and it is often a feat to stay on task.
What can you do in this ‘winter hibernation’ mode that will support your business as you move into the New Year? I suggest that you take time to ask yourself (and your staff too) to reflect on all the successful projects, cases, events, etc. in the past year. Evaluate and consider the systems and procedures that are working with your team such as your relationships with your team, generating results, time management/email/organization, work/life balance, fun/recreation, health/fitness, etc. Notice what jumps out as your major accomplishments during the past twelve months in each area. Start the process by taking out a blank sheet of paper and divide it into three columns as follows:
1st Column:
What I’ve accomplished…
2nd Column:
How did I do It? (Plans, Actions & Resources)
3rd Column:
How do you feel about this accomplishment?
When you are finished, collect your thoughts and consider inviting everyone in your office to join you in a conference room to share some or all of the things that each person has accomplished. So many times we focus on what problems need fixing, what’s broken now and how much better “if only” this would have happened. Now is a great time to appreciate your team’s achievements along with your vendors, and most of all the success of your clients. This is also a great time to step back and notice how far both you and your organization have come and how much you have been supported by others in reaching your goals. (As the saying goes, being thankful for what you have, you’ll end up having more and if you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never ever have enough.)
Quote To Ponder
“Blessed are those that can give without remembering
and receive without forgetting.”
~Author Unknown
About the Author:
Mary G. Anderson, is the Program Director at Advanced Legal Training Institute. She also provides client service programs through her company, Life Management Consulting Group. Many estate-planning attorneys have clients that are in need of guidance and support as they manage their elder years. Mary offers 1-on-1 coaching support for families that are facing some of the challenging aspects of end-of-life/eldercare such as choosing/evaluating a nursing home/assisted living center, professional organizing of important papers and documents, estate settlement and support with funeral planning, grief and loss. These consulting services assist clients who are either in 1) the midst of handling a death of a loved one and executing their estate and/or 2) a client who has decided to get organized and plan ahead by completing their will, organizing their important papers, completing a checklist of final wishes and creating a legacy will. Mary is the author of “My Estate Management Guide“, “Pet Protection Legal Care Plan: Financial and Legal Planning to Protect Your Companion Pet” and a Certified Mediator & Estate Settlement Agent.
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