Message Hope
We only have to tune into the news for a brief minute to experience a breakdown in confidence. There is no shortage of things to remind us that we are living in an exponentially VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world right now.
Be Present
In the midst of responding to COVID-19, it can feel challenging to keep client development connections warm. In a desire to avoid burdening already stressed clients, we have heard many lawyers express a desire to pull back from reaching out, wanting to hear that their assistance is necessary or invited before making contact. And, as event after event cancels and clients delay projects, it can seem like the possibilities to stay organically connected to most of our contacts must be put on hold until life and business as usual resumes.
All law leaders want to see their firms thrive by bringing in new business. Firms that embrace a “growth mindset culture” — in which people feel safe taking risks, and view setbacks and failures as opportunities for growth — find more innovative ways to achieve that goal. In their determination to succeed, however, some leaders inadvertently squelch the growth-mindset that could transform their law firm culture by leaning on their intuition instead of what the data tells us about motivation and growth.
For a long time, the people most prepared to articulate and advocate for inclusion efforts in law firms have been human resource professionals and diversity officers. Increasingly firms, however, are realizing that diversity plays an important role in their efforts to sell their services and build lasting relationships with clients. In fact, far from being a purely inward-facing function, diversity and inclusion efforts should be a central pillar of your firm’s business development strategy, and this team should be staffed accordingly.
