The mindset habits of attorneys behind today’s fastest growing firms: Part 2

Last week, we introduced the concept of a growth mindset and covered a handful of mindset habits utilized by today’s top attorneys. This week, we’re covering the rest of the 7 habits and offering actionable takeaways so you can implement these in your own business development strategy.

As a recap, here are the first three mindset habits of success:

  1. They are ambitious
  2. They are engaged in their business
  3. They hold themselves accountable

The final four mindset habits of success:

4. They are respectful

In a recent Harvard Business Review study, nearly half of the 20,000 employees surveyed said they didn’t feel respected by their bosses. No other leader behavior had a bigger impact on employee engagement. Treat your employees like you would treat your most valued customer.

As Richard Branson says:

“Your employees are your company’s real competitive advantage. They’re the ones making the magic happen–so long as their needs are being met.”

If you’re not meeting their needs, how can you expect them to meet yours?

5. They are willing to change

Nothing limits growth and progress quite like the words “but we’ve always done it this way.” I get it: sameness and stability are comfortable.

In the legal field, sameness provides you with the comfort of being able to offer your clients proven results. If you don’t deviate from your routine, you’re better able to put a guarantee behind the manner in which you provide services to your clients. But, a closed mind leads to closed windows of opportunity, especially in today’s increasingly competitive business environment. The marketplace is a rapidly evolving business landscape — your mind needs to evolve with it. First focus on the “why”, then figure out the “how.” After all, without risk, there is no reward.

Consider the law firm of Eisenberg, Gilchrist & Cutt, a client of ours. For 15 years, they succeeded in their respective market by relying on referrals from other law firms who knew their work was top notch. For some firms, success is enough. However, Eisenberg, Gilchrist & Cutt wanted to didn’t just want to survive – they wanted to thrive.

So, they reached out to my team with a simple request: they wanted to use video to humanize and define their firm and communicate their unique value proposition to potential clients. They embraced change even when their past efforts were working just fine, and the results paid off.

Legal Marketing Success Stories: Eisenberg, Gilchrist & Cutt

6. They are lifelong learners

A leader who isn’t open to learning new concepts puts their business in a prison of mediocrity and wasted potential. So read, research, and ask questions of others in comparable positions. Make a habit of staying up to date on emerging trends in your industry, and explore trends that could be a viable fit within your company. Set specific learning goals for yourself and for your employees. In addition, surround yourself with great thinkers who execute on their own advice and always consider the source of your information. As the saying goes, “never let a broke man tell you how to get rich.”

7. They set clear expectations

Clear communication is the pathway to consistent improvement. If you don’t clearly define your goals, how can you expect you, your team, or your vendors to achieve them?

If you want mutually understood expectations, you need to communicate them effectively. Clarity is crucial for consistent, positive results. A basic rule of thumb for setting expectations: make sure they are achievable, measurable, and time-bound. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so while you can have ambitious expectations for your employees, make sure they’re realistic. This requires you to be involved in the goal-setting process.

So here’s the deal:

Research shows us that the human brain acts much like a muscle. The more often it’s used, the stronger it gets. When you learn new things, the brain creates tiny connections called neurons. These multiply each time you challenge your mind, so tasks that were once taxing on your energy become easier with time. So how can we apply this science to real life? It’s simple.

If you’re currently experiencing a growth slump in your business, this is the opportune time to put forth extra effort — to create those new connections in your brain. Try something you wouldn’t normally try. Incorporate a new marketing strategy, try a new case management platform, find ways to streamline your client relations process.

You will most likely have to tolerate a little extra risk. Acknowledge the difference between a strategic risk that yields positive results and avoidable risks with negative results. Consider this: the greatest risk you can possibly take would be to not make the effort to invest in your business. That is an avoidable risk.

The pace of change in today’s business world is only increasing. Hungry for success, every business owner wants to be the next “disruptor” in their respective industry by embracing innovation. New technologies emerge on a daily basis, and the most successful companies are taking each change in stride. If you don’t make the effort to embrace a shift in mindset, you may find yourself left behind.

Our average client sees a 300% return on investment and a 2-10x increase in their case values. We know our process works, but we also know that many of our clients take a risk when they hire us. We attribute our clients’ success to their dedication to embracing change and risk in order to promote meaningful growth within their firm. In exchange, we go above and beyond to ensure they’re happy with the end result.

Want to learn more mindset tips? Attend this week’s webinar where I’ll go more in-depth on the topic.

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