by Gary Mitchell | Jun 20, 2022 | Coaching, Growing your firm
OnTrac(R) Coach has been named in The Top Ten Business Coaches and Mastermind Groups to help You Grow Your Law Firm, from Smith AI.
“The legal industry is highly competitive. It can take decades to build a strong reputation and a solid firm that gets the kind of business that you’ve always dreamed of or the clientele whose cases you’ve always wanted to assist with. What if you don’t want to wait decades, though? The good news is that today, you don’t have to.
There are several tools and resources out there today to help you accelerate your law firm’s success, including business coaches and mastermind groups that can teach you all the ins and outs of running a law firm and taking care of the “business” aspect of things. Law school is great for learning the laws, but no one prepares you for the business of running a law firm. Not the way you should be prepared, anyway.”
“…The critical case for a business coach
In case you’re still trying to figure out why now is the right time to hire a business coach, think about things like:
- A business coach holds you accountable. They will work with you to set reasonable, appropriate goals and ensure that you can take the steps needed to achieve those goals. They don’t care about feelings or anything else. They care about results, and they will ensure that you get them.
- A coach is going to be honest. Again, they’re not worried about hurting your feelings or being your friend. They will give you the truth and make sure that they are authentic in doing so. No one is going to give you a sugar-coated anything because that’s not going to help you here at all.
- Perspective is another perk that you get from hiring a coach. You get an outside perspective, but you also get the perspective of someone who has been in the industry and knows how to build successful practices. It can give you the chance to re-focus and get your firm back on trac
- Forward-thinking coaches will ensure that you think about the long-term success of your law firm. They will look at things like 5, 10, and 20-year plans, exit strategies, and potential challenges and goals that will come along the way. This is stuff that you might think isn’t important yet, but it can set you up for success.
- Coaches know how law firms succeed, but more importantly, they know how they fail. That kind of insight isn’t easy to come by. There are so many things you can learn by keeping up with those who came before you, including the ones who didn’t make it. Sometimes, that advice is more valuable than the advice about what does work.
- Increased performance will be seen across all areas of your law firm. Whether it’s a solo practice or you’ve got a whole team of attorneys, the firm operating better means that the people will work better. This will continue to help grow your firm and build your reputation.
These are some of the critical reasons that you should consider a business coach. There are so many different providers out there today, from business pros to legal experts and everyone in between. Make sure that you find the one that fits your needs. To help with that, here are the top 10 coaching options for your law firm or practice.”
Read the full article including the top ten list here.
by Gary Mitchell | Jul 16, 2020 | Business development, Growing your firm, Growing your practice
If you have been following this series, I’ve covered: When to hire, who to hire and getting your people in the right roles. This final column in the series will focus on communication and cash flow.
Read the full article here.
by Gary Mitchell | Nov 13, 2019 | become more strategic, Business development, Growing your firm, Leadership
Are you struggling to manage the growth of your practice or firm? You will want to watch this Watercooler Podcast as I delve into various considerations you will want to focus on as you grow. Simply hit the play button below and enjoy!
by Gary Mitchell | Apr 3, 2019 | Becoming more strategic, Growing your firm, Growing your practice, HR, On Trac
Whether you are growing beyond solo practice to creating a firm, a partner growing your team, or a managing partner growing your firm, this simple formula can help you navigate the way forward with respect to growth and staffing.
It’s far too common for lawyers to wait until they are at maximum capacity and beyond to bring in help. Managing growth is a good problem to have, however, it does pose new challenges.
So here it is. When you are at about 60% capacity, start looking to recruit. That gives you the luxury of time to find the right people. You can be selective and not panic. You can take your time to find the right people and fit. And, that way, by the time you are at 80% capacity, you will still have time to groom, mentor, train, and get your people up to speed before you hit your wall.
If you wait until later, you may, as is often the case, find yourself in a never-ending cycle of chicken and egg. Where is the time to train? Who do you bring on? “Oh, I might as well just do it myself-even though that means long nights and weekends.” Think forward. don’t get caught thinking I can’t afford to bring someone in right now. Can you afford not to?
Sure, there are many other factors here: Letting go of the reigns, quality control, consistency, profitability. But they are all better managed when you are proactive and plan ahead. Think forward!
by Gary Mitchell | Feb 13, 2019 | Growing your firm, Growing your practice, HR, On Trac
Recently I’ve been working with two very different clients that have exactly the same challenges-incompetent staff. One is a partner at a national firm, and the other is a small firm owner. If you follow my writing you will note that I have been a very vocal advocate for lawyers and staff in that I believe in giving them everything they need to succeed in the way of development and support.
This however is one of those times where I am clearly on the side of ownership/management.
Their perspective is limited while mine is broad working with lawyers, paralegals and mgt across Canada. And from my perspective there are some pretty talented and amazing people out there. So there is no good reason to settle for incompetence whatsoever!
When they don’t show up, show up late, or constantly produce inadequate work? When they constantly complain. When they… Time to let them go. Don’t settle for less than excellent. Your clients won’t.
In addition to performing poorly, these people will drag the rest of your team down to their level. When you settle with the bar so low, other people will follow. Be firm. Be clear on expectations. Give them support and encouragement. But sometimes it doesn’t work out and you need to let them go. Don’t worry-there are great people out there who would love to work for a great boss like you!
