This most recent issue of EIC leads off with an article by Nick Jarrett-Kerr entitled “Prioritising Initiatives – Avoiding the Seven Deadly Sins,” in which Nick identifies seven issues he has observed in his many years of work with law firms that often impede planning and implementation of otherwise excellent initiatives, and he sets out four criteria that can help firms avoid these potential barriers.
The other two articles in the October issue are grounded in the wisdom of our late and deeply missed partner Ed Wesemann. Sean Larkan shares the text of a video on leadership that Ed presented at a conference in New Zealand in 2015. In his presentation, Ed urged his audience to keep in mind that in this rapidly changing world, law-firm leaders cannot simply repeat popular aphorisms: they need to do the necessary research to create powerful visions for the future of their firms, and they must also be able to communicate those visions and then lead the firm to achieve them.
My own contribution to the October issue is entitled “You Will Have It in the Morning” (which you may recognize from the previous installment of this blog), and it too was inspired by the beliefs and practices of Ed Wesemann. One of the strengths his clients often mentioned was his promptness in getting proposals to them – often as early as the day after a meeting. In the article, I present some of the very convincing reasons Ed had for “proceeding with haste.”
Each month, EIC publishes items of interest to lawyers around the world on various aspects of law-firm strategy, marketing, technology, management, economics, human relations and a host of other topics. In addition to the most recent edition, the Edge International site includes a sign-up page for those who are interested in subscribing to EIC, as well as a list of archived articles.
I welcome your thoughts and feedback on both Edge International Communique and Amazing Firms, Amazing Practices, either in the comments section below, or directly via email.