My longtime client, artist Pamela Lawton, recently showed her abstract paintings of New York City's modern architecture at an exhibit called Liquid City. Describing her work, Pamela says: "It's almost an 'intervention,' that's sort of an art term that people use to talk about taking something ordinary and conventional and altering it in some way. By noticing something obscure and distant and beautiful, I think it gives a different dimension to the neighborhood."
Taking something ordinary and conventional and altering it in some way.
These words really strike a chord with me since I’m always considering how lawyers can add a different dimension to the profession’s ordinary and conventional mode of client service. I’ve posted before that this kind of intervention requires us to see things through our clients' eyes and get to the heart of what they want and need from us and the law.
But, like other kinds of real-world interventions, this isn’t a simple or an easy proposition. Most lawyers and law firms are set in outmoded ways. Blogger Jim Hassett – who regularly posts on the topic of alternative fees - frames the problem out nicely in a series of posts on the profession’s addiction to the billable hour. At his blog, Patrick Lamb adds some insight in posts on firms raising their rates and being blind to fundamental market shifts.
For lawyers willing and able to shift perspectives, there’s a lot of inspiration out there. I first learned about William Kamkwamba, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, from a moving segment on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Blogger Carolyn Elefant picks up the story to encourage lawyers who are “put out by the economy” or otherwise “feeling trapped in the [ ] lawyering grind.”
Seth Godin provides some more fuel for our client service intervention in his recent post on Boundary Makers. Finally, we can tap into the possibility of taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary by viewing this Fast Company slideshow on innovation in materials.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
what a third grade holiday celebration can teach us about connecting with clients
The other day, I attended my son’s holiday celebration in his third-grade classroom. To capture the true spirit and meaning of the season, the kids took turns standing up in pairs and reading narratives about one another.
These weren’t fill-in-the-blank recitations. They were insightful and moving reflections. With their teacher’s guidance, the kids had taken the time to see and chronicle the world through their classmates’ eyes. This, of course, left nary a dry eye among us parents.
In my last post, I suggested that lawyers can benefit from seeing matters through our clients’ eyes. This requires us to set our own preconceptions aside. As John Baldoni notes in his recent post at (the just-revamped) Harvard Business Review, it also requires us to keep our egos in check.
Adding to the conversation, Seth Godin comments that gaining and keeping this other-focus can be tough when we’re so used to trying to get people to see things our way. (Lawyers are, after all, in the persuasion business.)
But, it can be done.
Pamela Slim offers us some pointers in a recent post on creating a client-centered, natural business model. Like Kathie Conway of Brains on Fire, you might also find that sharing personal stories is a direct route to learning about the people we work with and want to work with.
On the flip side, some suggest that you can’t really know others if you don’t have a strong sense of who you are. Those in need of some guided self-reflection can start with Seth Godin’s engaging 8 questions and a why.
These weren’t fill-in-the-blank recitations. They were insightful and moving reflections. With their teacher’s guidance, the kids had taken the time to see and chronicle the world through their classmates’ eyes. This, of course, left nary a dry eye among us parents.
In my last post, I suggested that lawyers can benefit from seeing matters through our clients’ eyes. This requires us to set our own preconceptions aside. As John Baldoni notes in his recent post at (the just-revamped) Harvard Business Review, it also requires us to keep our egos in check.
Adding to the conversation, Seth Godin comments that gaining and keeping this other-focus can be tough when we’re so used to trying to get people to see things our way. (Lawyers are, after all, in the persuasion business.)
But, it can be done.
Pamela Slim offers us some pointers in a recent post on creating a client-centered, natural business model. Like Kathie Conway of Brains on Fire, you might also find that sharing personal stories is a direct route to learning about the people we work with and want to work with.
On the flip side, some suggest that you can’t really know others if you don’t have a strong sense of who you are. Those in need of some guided self-reflection can start with Seth Godin’s engaging 8 questions and a why.
the heart of business networking
In my last post, I mentioned that I was participating in a Haitian earthquake relief fundraiser organized by my brother, Steven Herz, and his team at New York’s If Management.
On only 48 hours notice, over 200 people attended the event last night and raised more than $3,500 for relief work being done through the nonprofit Esperanza International Foundation. NBC News correspondent Jenna Wolfe spoke poignantly about her experiences covering the disaster. She left us with a deep impression that the images we see every day can’t possibly capture the real human toll and devastation in Haiti.
The evening’s tremendous success is a tribute to the generosity of many. It also evidences the importance and power of building and nurturing a vibrant business network. My brother has always been a skilled networker. But, much more than that, he’s always channeled this talent to benefit and uplift others.
On only 48 hours notice, over 200 people attended the event last night and raised more than $3,500 for relief work being done through the nonprofit Esperanza International Foundation. NBC News correspondent Jenna Wolfe spoke poignantly about her experiences covering the disaster. She left us with a deep impression that the images we see every day can’t possibly capture the real human toll and devastation in Haiti.
The evening’s tremendous success is a tribute to the generosity of many. It also evidences the importance and power of building and nurturing a vibrant business network. My brother has always been a skilled networker. But, much more than that, he’s always channeled this talent to benefit and uplift others.
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