Crystal Ball Gazing

Published in Managing Partner Magazine   When marketing guru Ted Levitt said: “The future belongs to people who see possibilities before they become obvious”, he captured the essence of the challenge faced by those in fast-changing environments. How do firms cope with a world in which the pace of change has never been greater and […]
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Opening up

Published in Managing Partner magazine   Every firm has huge untapped potential in the form of hidden knowledge about clients, relationships, experience and technical issues. If unearthed and shared, this could create a step-change improvement in business performance. Generally it is not a paucity of systems that prevent firms from capitalising on knowledge. This is […]
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Thought Leader: Competitive Strategy

Published in Managing Partner magazine   “If you are ignorant of both your enemy and yourself, then you are a fool and certain to be defeated in every battle. If you know yourself, but not your enemy, for every battle won, you will suffer a loss. If you know your enemy and yourself, you will […]
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Some Observations on Law Firm Leaders

Published in Leadership Development in the Legal Profession   Over the past 20 years, I have observed a range of leaders and leadership styles in professional service firms. Over this same period, there has been an exponential increase of interest in the subject of leadership, and the crucial role that it plays in the success […]
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The Law Firm of the Future

Published in Law Firm of the Future supplement report by Managing Partner and Legal Marketing magazines   Views on the shape and focus of the law firm of the future are widely divergent, but invariably pessimism is expressed by many as to how the profession as a whole will fare over the next decade. The common […]
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Decisions, Decisions…

Published in Managing Partner magazine   “Why else does a managing partner exist if not to make decisions?” This was a comment recently made at a conference I was chairing. Three things immediately struck me. Just how much autonomy do managing partners have in their decision-making? What issues affect decision-making in professional firms? And how […]
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Powers of Persuasion

Strategy series opinion piece published in Managing Partner Magazine   When Dale Carnegie said: “There is only one way to get anybody to do anything. And that is by making the other person want to do it”, he struck at the essence of the art of persuasion. In Verbal Judo George Thompson reinforced this view: “The […]
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Driving Growth – As the gravy train grinds to a halt…

Masterclass article published in Managing Partner Magazine   Following a number of years in which revenue growth has been achievable without too much effort, there will be many management teams with the misplaced belief that they have a strong business model. In truth, during the bull years, the volumes of work available means that all […]
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You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know: How to use superior knowledge to drive business development

Strategy series opinion piece published in Managing Partner Magazine   For many firms the term knowledge management has become synonymous with the technical know-how embedded in their core professional skill. It is owned by the professional-support and information-management communities and runs the risk of becoming yet another silo in the multi-compartmentalised structure that afflicts many organisations. […]
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I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want…

Article published in Legal Marketing Magazine   The return of the Spice Girls and their Wannabe anthem offers a timely reminder to professional services marketers of the requirement to understand and deliver the needs of their clients. This is best achieved by listening instead of telling and by acting on the basis of a deep […]
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Avoiding a cultural cacophony

Strategy series opinion piece published in Managing Partner Magazine   Everyone accepts that we live in a multicultural society and operate in a world where barriers to business across national frontiers are dismantling at an ever increasing rate. There is positive potential for firms in their response to these cultural challenges and opportunities. Culture is […]
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Time to wake up and smell the coffee

Feature published in Legal Marketing Magazine   Keeping your options open is a philosophy to which many management teams subscribe, either overtly or by their actions. This isn’t to say that unwavering dogma is a good thing, but rather that a clear sense of direction, being prepared to say ‘no’ to ideas that don’t fit, […]
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Sometimes you must burn your boats

Strategy Series opinion piece published in Managing Partner Magazine   Keeping your options open is a philosophy to which many management teams subscribe, either overtly or by their actions. This isn’t to say that unwavering dogma is a good thing, but rather that a clear sense of direction, being prepared to say ‘no’ to ideas […]
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Moving from technical excellence to business nous

Case Study published in Professional Development Strategies for Law Firms   Ambitious firms recognise that being excellent at their core legal skill is simply not enough – creating an enhanced commercial understanding of their clients’ needs and building the business development skills of their people are two ways in which the firm can create a […]
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Do you judge a book by its cover?

Strategy Series opinion piece published in Managing Partner Magazine   For professional firms too much emphasis on the cover and not enough on the content has heralded the demise of many a branding initiative. Moreover, firms’ inability to walk the talk of their brand promises has sadly done more than waste oodles of money. It […]
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Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes (turn and face the strain)

Series opinion piece published in Managing Partner Magazine   The trepidation with which David Bowie’s lyrics approach the topic of change is mirrored by the behaviours of management teams in professional firms everywhere. Never before have they been faced with such a dynamic business environment, with increased competition emanating from both within and outside their […]
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Horses choosing courses – How refreshing!

Published in Legal Marketing Cover Feature   Every horse can win a race, but selecting the right race to run in is key. Law firms should choose the arenas best matched to their capabilities for differentiation and competitive advantage. We frequently hear that sophisticated purchasers of legal services are, more and more, choosing ‘horses for […]
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Opportunity Knocks?

Published in KM Legal Magazine   The support departments in major law firms have proved as effective as their practice group counterparts at building edifices and creating silos. In many firms, overt yet inflexible organisational structures together with covert Machiavellian behaviour have conspired to ensure that the walls between support functions are high with cross-communication […]
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More Than Embossing The Wallpaper

Published in Professional Marketing Magazine   The twelfth annual PM Forum Global Conference in September will address one of the biggest challenges facing professional service firms today; how does a firm create an environment in which innovative thinking can flourish, that allows clients and firms to create deep bonds and where the best ideas are […]
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Birds of a Feather?

Cover feature of Legal Marketing Magazine   A perplexing question: Are business development and knowledge management strange bedfellows or birds of a feather? The insightful answer: When boiled down to its base elements, all that a law firm does is leverage knowledge and leverage relationships. What about the knowledge embedded in the relationship with the […]
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It’s my ball and you can’t play with it!

Published in Legal Marketing Magazine   “It’s my ball and you can’t play with it!” is both the mantra of the incorrigible infant and the modus operandi of the petulant professional. Behind the phrase lies an implicit understanding, “we can play together, perhaps even playing the game that you want to play, but only if […]
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What can knowledge management contribute to business development?

Published in Know-How in the Legal Profession, Managing Partner Best Practice Management Series   A perplexing question: Are business development and knowledge management strange bedfellows or birds of a feather? The insightful answer: When boiled down to its base elements, all that a law firm does is leverage knowledge and leverage relationships. What about the […]
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Differentiation: Developing the right approach for you

Published in Managing Partner Magazine   The strategic approach that you adopt for your firm is unlikely to provide a complete solution to the differentiation challenges that you face. This is because you will have to decide a practical path that reconciles your strategic theory with the reality of your firm and all of its […]
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Differentiation: Choosing the battles to fight

Published in Managing Partner Magazine   In any business situation, it is crucial to make active choices about the battlefield on which you wish to compete. These choices also direct the investment of scarce resources within a firm, which need to be prioritised and aligned with clear strategic objectives. Considering the spectrum of legal services, […]
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Differentiation: Why does it matter?

Published in Managing Partner Magazine   The theme of this series of articles is the role that differentiation and positioning plays in the development of successful strategies within professional-service firms. Much of the series will concentrate on the importance of a clear framework in allowing coherent decisions to be made about the future direction of […]
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