Leadership for Lawyers

1. Leadership for Lawyers Ron Vandermyde CPM, FInstIB CEO Premiere Management Associates, Inc.

2. The need for autocratic, “My way or the Highway” leadership is rapidly diminishing

3. The need for true leadership in the legal profession at every level has never been greater

4. Modern Leadership Things have changed

5. Heroes A hero is someone who does what must be done, even while wishing there could be another option

6. Heroes Celebrities make the news Heroes make a difference

7. Views on Leadership “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.”--Wayne Gretzky

8. Views on Leadership “You don’t lead by telling people some place to go. You lead by going to that place and making a case.” --Ken Kesey, American author

9. Ponder This… Is it possible to be an effective manager, and yet be an ineffective leader?

10. Ponder This… Is it possible to be an effective leader, and yet be an ineffective manager?

11. Ponder This… Is it possible to be both an effective manager and an effective leader?

12. Ponder This… Leadership has little to do with title or position

13. The skills of a good manager 20 years ago probably comprise only 50% of what is required today

14. What Has Changed? Leadership Today

15. Management 20 Years Ago… Honesty Integrity Organizational Skills Time Management Fiscal Responsibility Effective Communication Skills Time Management Professional Skills Interpersonal Skills

16. Paradigms and Leadership LEADER New Paradigm Old Paradigm

17. Management Today Computer skills Internet skills Social networking awareness and skill Environmental responsibility Emotional intelligence Cultural intelligence Understanding of real leadership dynamics Organizational development skills Team skills Keen awareness of risk management

18. The demand for new leadership and management skills will intensify for the foreseeable future

19. Has the Leadership Paradigm Shifted? LEADER New Paradigm Old Paradigm

20. Journey of a Paradigm Shift C B Zone of transition: Problems Solved - Establishing new rules - Confusion - Expectations - Working out parameters A - Methods for adoption of new paradigm - Increase in problems solved - New mind set is forming - Stabilization activities Credit: Joel Barker Time

21. The Leadership Environment Leadership Today

22. Rapid Change

23. Specific Changes in the Leadership Environment TQM (Total Quality Management) Six Sigma (process variation reduction) Lean Manufacturing (preserving value for less work) Balanced Scorecard

24. Specific Changes in the Leadership Environment Emotional Intelligence (Mid 1990s)

25. Specific Changes in the Leadership Environment Cultural Intelligence

26. Specific Changes in the Leadership Environment Proliferation of Information

27. Specific Changes in the Leadership Environment Sophistication of the workforce and of your clients

28. Symptoms of a Shift Leadership Today

29. Symptoms of a Shift Increasing cost of training 1st and 2nd year associates “Hellish” first year for associates Associate Burnout

30. Symptoms of a Shift Increased demand for non-lawyer experts in firms (Project managers, team leaders, estimators) Increased competition between lawyers within firms Lack of group decision making

31. Symptoms of a Shift Increased pressure to find grads with workplace ready skills; great soft skills Negative public perception Increased pressure toward alternative billing strategies

32. Symptoms of a Shift Associates’ dissatisfaction with billing 1800 hours/year, only to see the profits go into someone else’s pockets (Pressure for new economic model)

33. Symptoms of a Shift Work/life balance – work values not the same as “boomers” Telecommuting options Gender and cultural differences More than half of associates are with firm less than 5 years

34. Symptoms of a Shift Hyper-connectedness in today’s high-tech world challenges work/life balance It seems you can really never escape work

35. Consequences of the Changes Leadership is required at every level inside the law firm, including leadership of staff and of clients.

36. Consequences of the Changes Leadership is required of judges more than ever – leading staff and leading in the courtroom

37. Historical Problem Few attorneys and judges receive formalized leadership training, including best practices, leadership styles, leadership theory, and collaborative leadership

38. Board Partners Associates Paralegals Support Staff

39. Level 5 leadership Source: Jim Collins, Good to Great

40. Truly great leaders possess… A paradoxical blend of deep humility along with the capacity for creating professional will

41. This is challenging for… A profession that demands supreme confidence, and when the line between confidence and arrogance is so thin (Consider the consequences)

42. Real Empowerment Empowerment Responsibility Authority Accountability

43. Ponder this… The demands ON the legal profession in the future will require mold-breaking and a creative, collaborative approach

44. Ponder this… True creativity may require a mindset change from hierarchy to a flatter structure concerned more about roles than title

45. Ponder this… If your firm is managed in a way that encourages everyone to be the “best lawyer,” you are starving your firm of the opportunity for creativity and real leadership

46. Ponder this… Why? Because competition will always drive personal ego to trump group ego

47. Ponder this… Therefore… Creativity will never become preeminent in a firm where every attorney is pressured to be “the best attorney among all peers”

48. Things you can do on your own Leadership Today

49. What Now? Develop a systematic approach to reviewing best leadership practices Adopt a leadership development mindset

50. What Now? Review case studies, articles, books