If you don't believe your head is in the sand, (click to read the article by Leadership Freak) you may want to ask yourself a few questions about your ability to focus ON your lawyer business vs. IN it:
1. When is the last time I set aside time for networking so I can
- a.) refresh connections with good business contacts
- b.) ask for help with referrals
- c.) go to events to meet others I should be connecting with for business relationships or new clients
Any of the above answers means your head is in the sand for business development with the #2 best business building activity.
Daily activity with refreshing connections and weekly activity with networking (at the least), means you are acting responsibly for business development.
Asking for help with referrals is a task to practice several times a day.
2. How many times do I stand in front of audiences with informative, timely, and motivational messages?
a. once a year
b. every 6 weeks
c. once per quarter
d. monthly
If this is your primary form of business building - it is the #1 activity which generates business - then none of these answers is good enough. Monthly (d.) could be good enough if you are regularly networking, asking for referrals and making connections among others. Otherwise, speaking somewhere about 20 times per year or more is getting you on the right track.
3. How am I keeping myself accountable to my business development goals and performance?
a. I make a daily list.
b. Once a year I write out and turn in my goals to the practice group leader/managing partner/marketing team.
c. My mentor holds me accountable when I seek guidance and assistance.
d. I go home and share my ideas with my significant other.
All of these ideas listed are worthwhile, to begin with. And just like strategic plans, they are only as good as they are motivating, top-of-mind and pushing you forward.
For accountability that pushes you forward, seek a regular practice of reporting in, sharing successes and addressing your challenges. Regular can start with a weekly approach and then become a 30-day check-in. If you are trying to create new habits and behaviors with guided support, let your mentor know this. Have them check in with you unannounced to hold you to account. Or hire a coach.
Several of my coaching clients begin with weekly focus on a few key behaviors so they can create good habits (adjusting their schedule to manage priorities, handling management communication, developing relationship, getting away from their desk and out with people, etc.). You can do the same thing.
Members of my Business Owner Accountability Group meet monthly with the other 6 members or fewer. They share their progress and their struggles, get motivated by the behaviors and results of others, assist with other members in handling their challenges by sharing their own experiences and they learn this job of business development is challenging. They also learn they aren't alone in having challenges.
Want assistance? Let me know. Don't fool yourself that you're creating what you want if you're not getting out there. It's easy for us introverts to stay behind a computer, inside our cave where it's safe.
Safe doesn't translate into business. Pull your head out of the sand, and you'll find, just like I have, that it's really quite enjoyable. And you can design the plan that allows you to do what needs to be done.
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