Leadership isn't a one-size-fits-all endeavor. It is no different for your law firm. As a managing partner or firm owner, you're navigating through different challenges every day, and your leadership style needs to adapt. This is where the Energy Leadership framework comes in—helping you become a more effective, dynamic leader by aligning your leadership styles with different energy levels.

What is Energy Leadership?

I coach high-achieving attorneys around the globe. One of the best ways to ensure my clients continue to grow and avoid stagnation is to empower them to think differently about success, stagnation, and comfort. Leveraging the power and clarity of a Likert scale, we explore their current state. When my clients reach an 8, 9, or 😅 10 out of 10 on the scale, it’s time to add some spice 🌶️ to the mix. I’ll break down a discussion from a recent coaching session to demonstrate what I mean and how my client was able to move forward.

Understanding the Comfort Zone: Why Success Leads to Stagnation. 

In the high-stakes world of law, particularly for litigators, the mindset you bring to the table can be the difference between thriving in your career and burning out. The debate between performance and mastery orientation isn't just for athletes—it's crucial for legal professionals as well. In this post, I’ll explore the profound impact of these two mindsets and why adopting a mastery orientation can lead to sustainable success.

One of the conditions I see repeatedly in the beginning of many of my coaching engagements is, what I call “stuckness.” This condition has a host of symptoms: failure to take advantage of the right opportunities when they reveal themselves; grasping at shiny objects which, in fact, do not move my client or their business forward in a meaningful way; shying away from their worth as an advocate and human being, just to name a few. Many believe being stuck is the failure to take action. This isn’t so. Stuckness is both the failure to engage in necessary action and engaging in the incorrect actions for achieving your goals.

Every coach has their core philosophy. For example, Nick Sabin, who some consider the GOAT (greatest of all time) of college football coaches, had a core philosophy around “the process” and “being in the moment.” Bill Belichick, who won a slew of Super Bowl championships with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots (but never against my New York Giants!), had core philosophies surrounding “do your job” and improving performance by doing just that, repeatedly. My triathlon coach, Michelle Wiens’s philosophy was “train like you race.” 

Let’s be 💯. When we don’t think something is achievable, it is virtually impossible to fully commit to the work necessary to achieve that thing. Once we shift from a “can’t be done” to “what if it’s possible” mindset, the possibilities we can imagine are virtually endless. Once we come to this understanding and, more importantly, are able to not only accept it, but lean fully into it, we create clarity of action our competition lacks. That means we’ll generate results, including a full marketing pipeline with high-quality prospects and a increase in revenue. A recent client success is proof-positive of this reality.

A significant and, perhaps, the most powerful aspect of coaching with me is overcoming internal obstacles which preclude success. One of the tools I use is visualization. Simply put, visualization is the practice of creating the future you desire in your mind before it exists in the world. Visualization is a key to overcoming internal obstacles when we “know” what we ought to do. When clients know what to do but don’t execute, there is a gap between knowledge and action. Visualization can, and oftentimes does, close that gap and lead to actionable steps for goal achievement and success. A recent client experience provides a solid example as well as a method for you to employ when faced with an obstacle to action which resides in your mind.

“What is measured improves.” Peter Drucker.

When I speak with lawyers the world over, I talk about creating vision-based, goal-driven, law practices. When my clients envision their law firms as what they actually are (a business) and who they are (lawyers and entrepreneurs), they almost naturally make a shift from simply doing the legal work to being outstanding attorneys who are strategic business thinkers. They move from the trenches to the “c-suite” of their law firm. Whether they are a true solo or the managing partner of a robust mid-sized law firm, my clients come to understand the importance of what are known in the business world as “key performance indicators” or “KPIs.” When they create a KPI dashboard, they are able, at a moment’s notice (such as at the start of one of our 1:1 coaching sessions) determine the health and trajectory of their firm. 

In today's hyper-competitive legal industry, associate attorneys are the backbone of any law firm, driving much of the day-to-day legal work and perhaps, client interaction. However, many firms face significant challenges in retaining their associates, leading to high turnover rates that can impact firm culture, client satisfaction, and ultimately, the bottom line. Understanding why associate attorneys leave is crucial for law firm leaders aiming to not only attract but also retain top talent. Let’s explore the multifaceted impact that turnover has on your firm, delve into the three primary reasons associates decide to move on, and provide four actionable strategies to foster a more robust retention plan. By addressing these issues head-on, your firm can improve its workplace environment and reduce the costly cycle of recruiting and training new associates.

You’ve heard the expression “wearing multiple hats”? It means, as an individual, we’re operating in two (or more) distinct, and often disparate, areas or functions. Attorneys do this on the daily. Because every attorney is also the CEO of their law practice, it’s a feature, not a bug, of the practice of law. Simply “switching hats” sounds simple, but it is, in fact, far from easy. A client story provides an example and roadmap.