Blog by Julian Summerhayes. 336 words.
If you are not propelling yourself forward then you are rapidly regressing towards a slow and painful death.
Any business, of whatever hue, cannot afford a strategy focused on yesterday’s management led approach. Previously, doing it, doing it, doing it might well have worked – the funnel seemed to fill itself by happenstance – but Now you need leadership. And not just the type focused on a big personality but, rather, one that is focused on making things happen.
Your biggest problem is making a decision.
Any decision is better than no decision, AND YOU BLOODY WELL KNOW IT.
But, of course, you aim for near certainty (“I dare not screw up”) but, in so doing, you place an unnatural stricture on a normalised path to seeing a picture quickly emerge that is different from the past.
In very simple terms, you and practically everyone around you seems unable or unwilling to make a or any decision. You end up with umpteenth open loops which ensures your inevitable frustration with the system.
Stop and focus.
Think about the end result. Don’t get too hung up with how you might get there. Consider and reflect on the important/urgent from the important/non-urgent. If you are always distrated by what lies close at hand then you will never have time to think about your role and career, or the line of action that will drive the most success for the business.
The chasm is real.
You know where you are but you can’t make the leap. The trouble is the newbies entering the market or those that are more, much more, fleet of foot will not only steal a march, they may make any future decision otiose.
My message: Fail quicker.
He who hesitates is t-o-a-s-t.
Quite frankly the longer you dither, particularly about the big(ish) issues, the more likely it is you will hasten your demise.
If you need to change the decision-making function then don’t look for an excuse to do it. The only reason you need is … SURVIVAL.
Julian, as we both know, this all stems from lawyers natural or trained caution and risk averse policy, but risk is a necessary part of business. If we keep saying it, will it increase the chance they will listen … hmmm… maybe we should try some reverse selling – “lawyers, don’t change, don’t make any decisions, don’t take risks” – hey, it might work !
Julian, as we both know, this all stems from lawyers natural or trained caution and risk averse policy, but risk is a necessary part of business. If we keep saying it, will it increase the chance they will listen … hmmm… maybe we should try some reverse selling – “lawyers, don’t change, don’t make any decisions, don’t take risks” – hey, it might work !
I have considered this issue for some time. My take is a simple one: they don’t want to change. Why should they? In most other walks of life, change is not just inevitable but is to be welcomed. No business can afford to stand still. Legal (or any professional) practice prides itself on the status quo but only because as a model of financial success it works for the majority. That is looking more and more tenuous but old habits die very, very hard. It sometimes feels like “Build it and they will come” (ref the obvious need to change) but that is just a fallacy. As to reverse selling, you may well be right but I think the better way to approach it is to demonstrate that change is something that must, no has to happen, unless the practice is intent on self-destruction. I don’t want to stand on the sidelines and say told you so but there is a feeling of that more and more.
I have considered this issue for some time. My take is a simple one: they don’t want to change. Why should they? In most other walks of life, change is not just inevitable but is to be welcomed. No business can afford to stand still. Legal (or any professional) practice prides itself on the status quo but only because as a model of financial success it works for the majority. That is looking more and more tenuous but old habits die very, very hard. It sometimes feels like “Build it and they will come” (ref the obvious need to change) but that is just a fallacy. As to reverse selling, you may well be right but I think the better way to approach it is to demonstrate that change is something that must, no has to happen, unless the practice is intent on self-destruction. I don’t want to stand on the sidelines and say told you so but there is a feeling of that more and more.