Your (Law Firm) Management Sucks

I recently read Your Management Sucks by business consultant Mark Stevens. It’s a great book that I highly recommend. (It is the sequel to Your Marketing Sucks which I also recommend). In his latest book Stevens advises that you should declare war on your business management philosophy. Here is his seven-point declaration of war:

1. Unleash the Power of a Personal Philosophy: Don’t just rock the boat of your business, be prepared to capsize it.

2. Challenge the Oxymoron of Convential Wisdom: The so-called smart thing is all too often stale thinking masquerading as truth.

3. Take a Good Look in the Mirror . . Do You See a Leader? The worst damn thing in the world you can do is copy a success. Be an original.

4. Develop Your Personal Killer App: Become greater than the sum of your parts.

5. Unleash Your Manhatten Project: Implement the plan that will change your world and life.

6. Capture Ideas with a Butterfly Net: Seek out what you need to know and use it for personal growth.

7. Apply C+A+M, the Universal Equation for Perpetual Growth: Win customers and make them deliriously happy.

So that got me thinking. How do lawyers rate in this equation? Do lawyers and law firms suck?

Does your law firm:

Return phone calls promptly?
Send personal notes to thank clients for their business?
Give clients anything to acknowledge their loyal patronage?
Invite your clients to anything that doesn’t involve charging a fee?
Do anything fresh, powerful and unique?

If not, your law firm missing the opportunity to stand out. So take Mark Stevens’ advice – declare war on how you practice law today. For more information about Mark Stevens and his books you can visit his Web site at www.msco.com.