4 Tips On Breaking Out Of The Worker Bee Mentality
Prior to setting up GSJ Consulting, I had been a ‘worker’ for over 35 years. Everyday I had gone to work and accounted for every minute of my working day. The degree of success or failure of my endeavours was not so much in the results I produced (after all, how can these be calculated in the long game of business development?), but in the inputs and relationships I formed.
Then I set up on my own. And I realised, being “busy” every day wasn’t actually a good thing. So for this BD Tips Wednesday post I thought I would draw on my own failings to give 4 tips on how to move from being a worker lawyer to an entrepreneurial partner.
Think Like a Business Owner, Not an Employee
The first tip sounds all to obvious: You need to start thinking like a business owner and not an employee. Every day you need to ask yourself:
What market are we really in?
Where is client demand heading?
What would make us indispensable to our clients’ growth?
Instead of waiting for instructions, you need to start finding them!
Learn to Read A P&L
One of things I found odd when I was in private practice is how few equity partners knew what firm money was being spent on. The standout partners were those with the commercial literacy to know how their clients and their own firm makes a profit.
In short, if you want a seat at the table you need to speak both legal and financial jargon. That means knowing:
Client profitability vs. revenue.
Cost of your service delivery.
The difference between activity/utilisation (busy) and productivity (profitable).
Build Teams
Create ecosystems. Treat juniors with respect.
An entrepreneurial partner delegates early and empowers others. They build self-sufficient teams who can run matters while they focus on growth, mentoring and strategy (and even go on holiday!).
True leverage isn’t about freeing up your time; it’s about multiplying your impact!
Stop Waiting for Permission
Last but not least: Stop waiting for permission to do something. No one appoints you the Big Cheese: you decide you want to be the Big Cheese and act like it.
Stop waiting for the title, the business card or the partner vote. Start behaving like the kind of partner the firm can’t afford to lose.
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
