using your why to build a great law practice

Using Your WHY to Build a Great Law Practice

Presenter:

Christopher G. Kenny, J.D., President

STAR Group, LLC

A Complimentary Rocket Matter WebinarMarch 25, 2015

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out WHY.”

– Mark Twain

What We’ll Cover

• What’s a WHY and Why Does It Matter?• Building a WHY-based Organization• WHY-based Marketing

My BackgroundB.A., Economics, Georgetown University

J.D, Georgetown University Law CenterSecurities Law Practice

Winston & Strawn

The great career leapAlbuquerque, NM(USA)

My WHYTo Create Clarity – for myself and others

My HowI ask questions and identify connections from a variety of sources so that people are able to see themselves, their organizations and the solutions available to them in a way that helps them make

great decisions.

My WhatI’m a business coach and strategic planning

consultant.

What I Believe

• When people gain clarity, they make great decisions.

• People have a deep desire to matter and feel fulfilled.

• Because we spend so much of our adult lives working, feeling fulfilled in our work is critical.

• Alignment, personally and professionally, is the key . . . .

WHY

How

What

PASSION

When What you do is in line with WHY you do what you do

and How you want to express it – you will have Passion!

Passion is the fuel that gives you the energy to pursue your dreams.

Alignment

The Four Questions

1. What do I need in order to feel fulfilled?

2. How can my organization help me feel that way?

3. What would such an organization look like?

4. How do we get it to look like that?

In order to answer Question 1, you first have to . . .

Every leader must ask (and answer) the following questions:

Start With WHY

The Golden Circle

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it.”- Simon Sinek

What is a WHY?

It’s like a Natural Law...

Why you do what

you do.

What you believe.

How you are hard-wired.

What people can

count on you for.

What you are

compulsive

about.

The reason you get

up in the morning.

How you think.

What makes you special.

Your

WHY is:

Your WHY is:

Neocortex

Limbic

Brain

Neocortex:Rational and Analytical thought and Language.

Limbic Brain:Feelings like loyalty and trust.Decision making.No language.

Knowing your WHY, or not

Know WHYNo WHY

1. To Contribute to a Greater Cause, Make a Difference, Add Value

2. To Create Relationships Based on Trust

3. To Make Sense out of things especially ifcomplex or complicated

4. To Find a Better Way and share it

5. To Do Things the Right

Way

6. To Think Differently and

Challenge the Status Quo

7. To Seek Mastery and

Understanding

8. To Clarify or Create Clarity

9. To Simplify

The 9 WHYs(Remember: this is Limbic Brain stuff)

How to Build a WHY-based

Organization.

Discover Your WHY- Personal WHY- Organization’s WHY (Cause)

Know Yourself

EngagementAnd

Alignment

Know YourMarket

Inspired Practice

Live Your WHY:

• Right team• Right culture• Right marketing• Right clients• Profitable• Fulfillment

Know YourPractice

Express YourWHY -

Authenticity

Create a Culture ofEngagement &

Alignment

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”- Peter Drucker

Hiring:

People (employees and customers) buy your WHY –

not your what!

Expensive!A bad hire costs you between 3 to

10 times that person’s annual salary.(Society for Human Resource Management)

Firing:9 out of 10

because of Attitude(Forbes)

What might it save you in $$ and headaches if the people you hired believed in your cause before they

walked in the door?

What might your organization accomplish if you hired not solely on

skills, but because you understood how the candidate thinks and what drives

them?

Hiring Best Practices:

JobScorecard

WHYDiscovery

ReferenceCalls

Retaining Your “A” Players:Adopt “Leader-Leader”

Leader-Follower

• Take control• Give orders• Be unambiguous• Hold briefings• Have meetings• Be terse, succinct• Be questioning• Want to be missed• Protect information• Create efficiencies

Leader-Leader

• Give control• Avoid giving orders• Leave room for questioning• Certify• Have conversations• Be informal, provide context• Be curious• Want NOT to be missed• Share information• Eliminate unhelpful processes

Retaining Your “A” Players:Be a Multiplier, Not a Diminisher

“A multiplier is someone who uses his or her intelligence to amplify and bring out the smarts and capability of those around them.”

- Liz Wiseman

Diminisher

• “People won’t figure it out without me.”

• Empire builder• Tyrant• Know-it-All• Decision-maker• Micromanager• Result: 50% ROI/person

Multiplier

• “People are smart and will figure it out.”

• Talent magnet• Liberator• Challenger• Debate-maker• Investor (w/accountability)• Result: 100-200% ROI

Attracting and RetainingIdeal Clients

The goal is not to do business

with those people who simply need

what you offer – the goal is to do

business with those people

who believe what you believe.

They become Raving Fans.

(someday, this could be your firm’s logo)

iPad 3

"We believe technology is at its best when it’s invisible - when you are only conscious of what you are doing -

not the device you are doing it on."

Coldwell Banker

Discover Your WHY- Personal WHY- Organization’s WHY (Cause)

Know Yourself

EngagementAnd

Alignment

Know YourMarket

Inspired Practice

Live Your WHY:

• Right team• Right culture• Right marketing• Right clients• Profitable• Fulfillment

Know YourPractice

Express YourWHY -

Authenticity

EngagementAlignment

HiringLeadershipMessaging

And it all starts with . . .

Our Offer to Youwww.stargroupconsulting.com

Thank You!

Christopher G. Kenny, J.D., PresidentSTAR Group, LLC(505) 263-7067ckenny@stargroupconsulting.com

Additional resources (including a copy of this presentation) may be downloaded at:www.stargroupconsulting.com/business-tools/additional-resources