How should you wrap your arms around being innovative? Focus on your innovativeness as a direct relationship to your productivity and efficiencies, talent development, and career progression. The net result will be that you and your firm are trusted and respected, and your client service executed successfully.

Client exposure is sadly another area where many of your colleagues are elbowed out in favour of those with the loudest voices or biggest books of business. Too frequently, your firm rolls out the same people on different pitches, simply because these lawyers have been used on earlier pitches and have institutionally become the go-to team.

At any given time of the day, you are typically on either side of the communication equation: the speaker’s side or the listener’s side. Regardless of your position, you want to take care with your communication so it will be received and acted on effectively and appropriately.

Do you know where your money is currently leading you? Now is the time to take stock of your practice accomplishments to determine if you are on the business track you want to be following.

Your communication or leadership style is your personal stamp. The more aware you are of how your communication values contribute to your success as a leader, the more likely you will be to succeed.

If you are someone who prides themselves on getting work but then has a tough time delivering, you may be a procrastinator. You are easily distracted. You thrive in crisis-mode and continuously put out fires of your own making.

Cross-selling is all about leveraging. The key value in cross-selling is to unite with others to go after the same target.

Being contacted through a referral source will give you extreme satisfaction. What better testament than a client, friend or contact who, being impressed by your work and brand, feels motivated to recommend your services to someone else.

Marketing is the overt branding piece within the trilogy of networking, marketing and sales. Networking will always get you through the door. Marketing will provide the hook to explore the discussion, enabling the sales piece to close the deal.

It is a safe claim that you, like many lawyers, get eighty percent of your work from twenty percent of your clients, aka whales. As the image depicts, having one or two whale clients who anchor your practice and consistently refer meaty or voluminous work will effectively provide your legal practice with value, industry and knowledge expertise, stability and economic success.