Training, physical conditioning, and skill play huge roles. However, knowing how to escape “the clutch” increases the opportunity for training, conditioning, and skill to shine through.

Working on a bar association committee or project is a good way to get leadership experience quickly. The reason is simple: because of the number and variety of bar associations (the ABA, state, city/county, area-of-practice, group affiliations, etc.) and the number and variety of sections and committees within each, leadership opportunities are numerous.

Are you playing to win, or are you playing not to lose? One astute commentor asked whether I intended the question to be answered with regard to litigation or personal life. One reason I like asking this question is because it can apply in professional life (in general or in some particular aspect) or in personal life (again, broadly or narrowly).

Almost everyone likes to hear his or her own name, and even if the hearing isn’t a pleasure, hearing the name butchered is unpleasant. It’s a small thing and shouldn’t be a strike against the fumbler, but it is.

Lawyers at every stage of practice can set vague goals. Have you ever said you’d like to “bring in more business” or “increase your billable hours” or “get more exposure to your target clients”? These ambitions count as little more than wishes, because they’re not concrete and measurable.

Is it possible to be financially free with as much as $100K in student loans, never mind the other costs of living? Yes. It’s not only possible, it’s necessary for a sustainable career. And freedom absolutely does not require millions in the bank and no debt. It requires careful choices and attention.

When there’s too much of a gap between one’s “real” self and one’s “work” self, going to work may become unbearably stressful. A great deal of energy can be consumed by molding oneself to expectations, and everyone I’ve known to be in such a situation gets worn down by maintaining a false persona.

I’ve been doing a lot of speaking and coaching lately on business development, and someone asked a great question: what are the top obstacles to rainmaking success? I’ve identified three universal challenges. Do any of these sound uncomfortably familiar to you?

Sometimes, the relationship between the professional and personal sides of life becomes blurred. That may be a work/life balance issue that calls for reflection on the degree, if any, to which the lawyer wants to separate the two.

There’s a difference between a team leader who counts on the skill and expertise of team members and a legal hotshot who regards the team as merely a supporting cast. Clients and potential clients (not to mention the team) will sense that difference.

We all fall into periods of overwhelm, frustration, malaise, boredom, and so on. Sometimes it’s a few minutes, and other times the feelings can last for weeks. Hitting the reset button is a simple technique I recommend. Every person I’ve ever talked with has something that serves as the human equivalent of Ctrl-Alt-Delete.

How to become fully present? I recommend a quick centering exercise, which can be as simple as taking 3 or 4 slow, deep breaths. Bring all of your attention to the present activity, and if you find your attention wandering, breathe deeply again and bring it back. This level of focus will allow you to be more effective and less stressed.

A lawyer contacted me after switching to a new firm. Eager to make a great first impression and to make the most of the first six months, he asked what he should be sure to do. Here’s my non-exhaustive list.

The article, though, and my imaginary coaching session with Mrs. Obama highlights one comment that I often hear from ambitious large-firm lawyers: making it through the first few years can be difficult and frustrating, and those who stay the course may need a clear reason for doing so, to keep in mind that the boring work ultimately serves a purpose.

Elementary school children learn something that talented adults often forget: systems awareness. Remember the song that goes, "the knee bone's connected to the leg bone, the leg bone's connected to the hip bone," and so on? That's a form of systems awareness: if the knee goes out of whack, you can bet that the leg and the hip will suffer too.

Your practice, your office, the personnel serving your clients - all of these are systems. Make a change in one area, and it’ll impact other areas as well. As a leader, it’s up to you to recognize the effects of your changes, both prospectively and retrospectively. Doing so will help you to anticipate and avoid problems and to design outcomes that positively impact a particular system.

Generally speaking, law firms use the phrase “client development” to refer to the process of signing clients that the firm will represent in litigation, transactions, etc. I’d like to consider another type of client development associates must consider: internal client development.

When I try to envision that world, I get deeply distressed. If work and life are separate, and if life has no part in work, what does that imply? Work = no life, and the absence of life = death. So, work = death.

Some lawyers feel they’re “too new,” some don’t plan to make partner and think business development is therefore irrelevant for them, and some say they’re just not good at business development — so why bother?

Over the next 45 days, 10 percent of firms will announce rate increases, and 10 percent will announce no change. The other 80 percent will wait and see. Clients will aggressively push back on the increases, and many might be rolled back, either explicitly or via discounting.

Anyone who hasn’t been living underneath a rock for the last few months is aware that the legal market is down for new hires and that law firms are cutting lawyers. Proof? Check the Layoff List published by the American Lawyer, which details layoffs at AmLaw 200 law firms. The lateral market is “officially flooded,” and legal recruiters and law students are being hit hard.

I was hard at work on my newly-released multimedia learning product 5 Foundations of Time Mastery for Attorneys and getting swamped with questions about a previous preview call on delegation skills and how to manage email. So, I thought I’d share the five top mistakes lawyers make when delegating. If you recognize yourself in any of these mistakes, it’s time to brush up on your skills!

Daniel Goleman gained notoriety in the mid-1990s for identifying competencies related to "emotional intelligence," or the ability to perceive, regulate, understand, and work with emotions to enhance leadership. Those competencies are self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill. Based on research by the consulting firm Hay/McBer, Goleman identifies six distinct leadership styles, each of which uses a unique combination of the emotional intelligence competencies.

Leaders are better rainmakers. Bold statement, isn't it? But think about it. Would you easily place your trust in someone who manages a team of worker bees who don't make much individual contribution - knowing that if the manager goes down, the team will at best miss a few beats? Or would you select someone who is skilled in assembling a strong team and evoking high performance from its members?

Leaders develop many different skills and attitudes, one of which is the ability to relate well with others. Communication skills are particularly important in rainmaking as well, because without knowing what a client is thinking about and what the client's objectives are, it's impossible to know whether and how your professional skills can help that client. Rather than focusing on what you seek to communicate to the client, though, begin by letting the client speak.

While I was on my Wyoming retreat, I spent an afternoon by a remote lake. (The photo below shows the view I got to enjoy.) At one point, I looked across the lake to see a man fishing, with his dog at his side. The only sound I could hear was the peaceful lapping of water and the wild Wyoming wind.

I must admit that I'm always a little skeptical about non-lawyers who purport to teach rainmaking or practice development skills. Nothing against non-lawyers, obviously, but I've seen too many suggestions that might work beautifully in another field but wouldn't fit at all in law. And so I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up Legal Business Development. However, it turned out to be one of the best client development books I've ever read.

One of the most challenging client relations issues that lawyers face is representing an unrealistic client. It's easy to see how a client can fall into what is, objectively, an unrealistic expectation about his situation. After all, many clients (corporate and individual) are deeply invested in their matter, and many clients (especially individuals) are likely to have few legal issues, so those they do have are of critical importance, stress-inducing, and wrapped up with a variety of emotions.

Legal Trends Network is a free user-driven resource and collaborative exchange for lawyers, judges, law professors, and social and restorative justice professionals. The website promotes lawyers as leaders and focuses on alternative modalities in dispute resolution and therapeutic processes in the practice of justice. Legal Trends is content-rich and offers many services for legal professionals.

I imagine that those of you who tend to be rather literal and detailed-oriented have already composed a quick response to this question. Sitting at your desk, perhaps, or reading on a BlackBerry in an airport, thinking "Of course I know where I am! What a dumb question!"

I've been working for a partner for two years now (since I started with the firm) and I still have no idea what he wants. He assigns something to me and tells me what he wants, but when I deliver it, he tells me he wanted something different. Last week is a perfect example. He asked me to prepare an outline for a deposition he'd be taking, and he told me that all he wanted was a topic outline with reference to the key documents. He specifically said he didn't want any questions. So I prepared the outline and left it in his office, and about an hour later, he stormed into my office, furious that I hadn't given him questions! I ended up working all night.

Working on a bar association committee or project is a good way to get leadership experience quickly. The reason is simple: because of the number and variety of bar associations (the ABA, state, city/county, area-of-practice, group affiliations, etc.) and the number and variety of sections and committees within each, leadership opportunities are numerous.

This is a true story. Trial had finally started. Richard listened patiently as Nathan gave his opening statement. When he finished, Nathan sat down at his counsel table. When Richard stood to offer his opening, Nathan crooked his finger to beckon Richard over. Motioning Richard to lean down, Nathan turned his body so they were face-to-face just inches apart, but neither the judge nor the jury could see Nathan's lips. Grinning broadly, Nathan whispered "&%$@ you," then leaned back in his chair - leaving the court and the jury with the impression that they'd just shared a friendly, collegial exchange. Richard, seething throughout his opening, never quite found his rhythm.

When a law firm hires me to work with a junior associate, very often one part of the engagement centers of the associate's leadership presence and self-confidence - how he or she presents to others. (Of course, that focus is not by any means unique to junior associates.) Although reviewers may use a variety of words such as proactive, poised, assertive, or self-assured, they're usually looking to see to what extent the lawyer is able to present as a leader, as someone who is sufficiently self-confident to inspire others' confidence. Such a person typically contributes to conversations, asks insightful questions, and is willing to express an opinion or espouse a position.

It's been a bloody year for law firms, and all signals indicate that it's likely to get worse before it gets better. Even before last week's mass layoffs, the lateral market was slow. Those who have been considering a move may decide to stay put for now, and those who were laid off are facing some tough decisions.

Enter the text for the teaser here.Leaders are often depicted as resolute, visionary, motivational, intent on reminding followers to get with the program or get off the team. And we've all heard that it's lonely at the top. No question that leaders may be called on to make difficult decisions and to demand compliance with those decisions. To fail to do so would, at times, be an unforgiveable dereliction of duty.

I recently joined in a facilitated conversation in which law firm partners and executive staff (directors of professional development and such) were discussing leadership. I agreed with many of their points, including the suggestion that leadership development is important for associate attraction and retention, and that it's necessary to prevent junior lawyers' modeling of ineffective leadership styles based solely on the assumption that if a senior lawyer does it, it must be effective.

When you talk, you want others to listen, right? Whether it's a now-or-never event (making a key point in an oral argument, for instance) or one in a long stream of communications (talking with a colleague about some aspect of a representation), getting your point across and making some sort of advance in what you're doing is probably at the top of your list every time you open your mouth.

Have you ever been in one of those deadly conversations in which a lot of words fly about and yet nothing happens?

Or when decisions are made and strategies are crafted, but everyone sitting around the table knows that nothing will actually change because everyone is talking around the real problem? What a waste of time!

I keep a marketing tip sheet on the corner of my desk at all times: 15 Secrets of Guerrilla Marketing, by Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the Guerrilla Marketing series. One of the "secrets" is especially on target for lawyers engaging in client development activities.

Enter the text for Evaluation time is near for most law firms now. The classic formal mechanism for evaluation includes collection and delivery of feedback on how well each lawyer is performing and might improve. Many firms also incorporate self-evaluation, in which the lawyer is asked to fill out a form that asks for self-evaluation in certain areas and sets plans for the future. If taken seriously, these programs can be very useful in helping to guide lawyers' professional developmentthe teaser here.

The Happy Lawyer bears the tag line, "How to gain more satisfaction, suffer less stress, and enjoy higher earnings in your law practice." Who doesn't want that? The book is a quick 188-page read, full of exercises to help clarify the practice and the clients that will allow you to create a satisfying practice. It then continues with suggestions on how to create that practice once you've identified it, how to attract the clients who will appreciate your efforts, and how to engage in a happy practice. The bottom line is not terribly surprising, though I like the way it's presented: to be a happy lawyer, figure out what you like about practice and then find ways to get more of that.

Corporate America is far ahead of law firms in systematically studying leadership and organizational effectiveness. As law becomes more of a business - and as leadership becomes even more critical at all levels of a lawyer's practice - it makes sense to consider what corporations know that lawyers and law firms may not. For instance, what distinguishes the great from the merely good? What factors contribute to sustaining success in today's rapidly changing economic environment?

Self-management usually enters any conversation about leadership development rather quickly, because a leader must reach some level of individual achievement before becoming a credible leader, and self-management underlies and supports individual achievement.

Leadership and Self-Deception is written as a parable. Although it includes a number of illustrative figures, the book's theme is presented in the context of the protagonist's experience, which has never been my favorite kind of book. I much prefer books that state the premise and then use examples to illustrate. Because I so dislike the parable approach, I wouldn't have finished Leadership and Self-Deception had I not already heard so many rave reviews. But here I am reviewing it and recommending it to you. There's a useful message packed into this book: to use Einstein's words, "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it."

I imagine that those of you who tend to be rather literal and detailed-oriented have already composed a quick response to this question. Sitting at your desk, perhaps, or reading on a BlackBerry in an airport, thinking "Of course I know where I am! What a dumb question!"

"You can't see them-so how do you sell them?

That's the problem with services. . . .
This book begins with the core problem of service marketing: service quality. It then suggests how to learn what you must improve, with examples of techniques that work. It then moves to service marketing fundamentals: defining what business you really are in and what people really are buying, positioning your service, understanding prospects and buying behavior, and communicating."t for the teaser here.

"You can't see them-so how do you sell them?

That's the problem with services. . . .
This book begins with the core problem of service marketing: service quality. It then suggests how to learn what you must improve, with examples of techniques that work. It then moves to service marketing fundamentals: defining what business you really are in and what people really are buying, positioning your service, understanding prospects and buying behavior, and communicating."t for the teaser here.

One of my clients ("Bob") has had numerous bad experiences with opposing counsel. Over the last few years, he's felt more and more worn down by angry phone calls, disingenuous arguments, and general incivility.

(A sidenote: a question we addressed is whether Bob is really surrounded by opposing counsel out to gain some advantage by making him and/or his clients miserable. Viewed with a dispassionate perspective, the answer was no. The lesson? Always step outside your own life and observe. This perspective will let you recognize whether your day-to-day judgments are well-founded or whether they're being colored by something else.)

Lawyers with whom I speak are often uncomfortable in rainmaking, especially in moving from a general conversation to one in which the lawyer might ask for a potential client's business. No one wants to appear pushy or desperate, and most lawyers have a natural aversion to selling themselves. A lawyer who's always self-promoting and trying to get business is not appealing. Nobody wants to talk with that kind of lawyer, and most of us don't want to be him or her.

"Just as a compass points toward a magnetic field, your True North pulls you toward the purpose of your leadership. When you follow your internal compass, your leadership will be authentic, and people will naturally want to associate with you. Although others may guide or influence you, your truth is derived from your life story and only you can determine what it should be."
(True North Introduction)

I know you've been reading the negative legal news over the past few months. Some of you have been directly affected, and some fear that you might be hit next. Today's article presents the five steps that you must take now. These apply whether you're looking for a new job (voluntarily or otherwise), trying to make yourself more valuable so your practice will flourish or so you'll be considered indispensable at your firm, just starting out, a seasoned practitioner - you get the idea.

I am delving into whether there is support for the hypothesis that leadership skills developed and implemented by individual lawyers (even when not serving in bar organizations) can significantly impact and influence an entire legal community in such areas as (1) improved ethical and civility standards and performance, (2) more effective assimilation of new lawyers into the legal community, and (3) improved relations between bench and bar.

One of the interesting things about practicing law is that, until relatively recently, little discussion occurred about how to advance in practice beyond becoming a top-notch practitioner. Other skills have always been required (including, for example, the ability to communicate well and to lead well), and it's quite clear that more is needed now. Client development skills are critical, certainly, and getting a tremendous amount of press especially in this economy, and the same is true for client service skills.

Over a year ago when I was visiting my very favorite bookstore (the Upstart Crow, in San Diego's Seaport Village), I saw a book titled Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way. Because I am a fan of Mrs. Roosevelt, I knew I had to grab it, but then something happened and distracted me, and I left the bookstore without the book in hand. One thing led to another, and I never got around to ordering it. So I was truly delighted when I visited again last month and the book was still there!

"All things being equal, people will do business with - and refer business to - those people they know, like and trust." This quote, from Bob Burg's excellent book Endless Referrals, sums up why it is that relationships serve as the basis for rainmaking. It also clarifies what your priorities should be for business development. Focus first on those who already know, like, and trust you, and then seek to expand those sources of business. That order of approach dictates, in turn, the priorities that you should set as you work to develop your book of business.

Last week I spoke with a client who was struggling with his business development activity. Nate (as usual, the name and identifying details have been changed to protect his privacy) had experienced great success in converting acquaintances who heard him talk about the kind of matters he handles into clients, and he decided that if speaking casually to small groups works well, speaking formally to large groups would deliver even better results.

Corporate America is far ahead of law firms in systematically studying leadership and organizational effectiveness. As law becomes more of a business - and as leadership becomes even more critical at all levels of a lawyer's practice - it makes sense to consider what corporations know that lawyers and law firms may not. For instance, what distinguishes the great from the merely good? What factors contribute to sustaining success in today's rapidly changing economic environment?

When we speak of transparency and creating a culture of candor, we are really talking about the free flow of information within an organization and between the organization and its many stakeholders, including the public. . . . For information to flow freely within an institution, followers must feel free to speak openly, and leaders must welcome such openness.

You've probably heard it before: it's much easier to source new business from an existing client than from a non-client.

You may also know that many clients judge their lawyers based largely on the day-to-day interactions between you - how well you serve the client, in other words.

I've talked with several lawyers recently who didn't see "it" coming: the layoff, the departure of a major client, or the exit of a key rainmaker with a number of top clients. The predictable fallout can be devastating... Panic, fear, a rush of adrenaline as it becomes clear that action is necessary right now, or else. Most of the lawyers with whom I've spoken have been able to land on their feet, but the cost has been substantial. Each would prefer to have avoided the crisis by taking necessary action before it became urgent to do so.

I've been doing a tremendous amount of business development coaching recently, and I often tell my clients that rainmaking is all about relationships. I also tell clients that good relationships, personal or professional, should be nurtured - even that low-level employee of a corporate client may prove to be a valuable contact one day. This past weekend confirmed that for me.

Leaders are better rainmakers. Bold statement, isn't it? But think about it. Would you easily place your trust in someone who manages a team of worker bees who don't make much individual contribution - knowing that if the manager goes down, the team will at best miss a few beats? Or would you select someone who is skilled in assembling a strong team and evoking high performance from its members?

One of the keys to success is practice is efficient and effective action. We all know that's true in billable work, and we study time management and time mastery to find ways to optimize daily activity.

I heard a lot of response to last week's suggestion that networking is the most important thing a lawyer can do to grow a practice. A few disagreed with my assessment, but most responded by asking how to network well. Some introverts mentioned their discomfort in walking into a room of strangers. Others said that they'd tried networking but didn't see good results, and they wondered what went wrong. And a few said they worried about being obnoxious or being cornered by pushy or mercenary people.

Have you ever been in one of those deadly conversations in which a lot of words fly about and yet nothing happens?

Or when decisions are made and strategies are crafted, but everyone sitting around the table knows that nothing will actually change because everyone is talking around the real problem? What a waste of time!

The Essential Little Book of Great Lawyering is aptly named: at just 52 pages (including the title page, copyright, and table of contents), you'll need less than an hour to discover the essential skills of great lawyering. Some readers may be wondering why anyone would need a book to learn what great lawyering is, and some may be thinking that great lawyering "obviously" means possessing enormous technical expertise, good judgment, and years of experience in which to develop those attributes. That is what most lawyers mean by great lawyering. But what do clients mean?

How do you ask for business? We all know intuitively (or through training) that those who don't ask typically don't get business. However, many lawyers are leery to come out and ask for business explicitly, and rightly so. Asking can disrupt a relationship if the answer is "no," and, under some circumstances, asking can even be an ethical violation. Even when those concerns are not in play, some lawyers may feel pushy if they ask for business. And yet, the inner voice cautions, if you don't ask, you don't get.

While in Teton National Park last week, I noticed a trend among serious hikers. I parked at several trailheads during my vacation, and I noticed that the parking lots for the more intense hiking trails featured a surprising number of Subaru cars, all with outdoorsy names like Outback. I've never seen so many Subarus in one place, and I'm not at all sure that I've seen more than a handful elsewhere.

Overwhelm can tank a day faster than just about anything else. When you have more email than you can handle, an out-of-control task list, and phone calls that just won't stop, it's almost impossible to operate effectively. Even if you manage to limp along, you may find that you're distracted and that things are falling through the cracks. Over the years, I've honed in on a variety of methods to beat overwhelm, and these are the top 10, based on my own experience and client feedback:

Before engaging in any rainmaking activity, you must determine the investment to payoff ratio. Simply put, what results will your investment of time and energy buy you? Is there another activity that likely has a better yield? Your goal is to determine whether a given activity is likely to move you closer to your rainmaking goals in proportion to its expense in time, energy, and money, recognizing that your estimate is only an estimate.

Daniel Goleman gained notoriety in the mid-1990s for identifying competencies related to "emotional intelligence," or the ability to perceive, regulate, understand, and work with emotions to enhance leadership. Those competencies are self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill. Based on research by the consulting firm Hay/McBer, Goleman identifies six distinct leadership styles, each of which uses a unique combination of the emotional intelligence competencies.

Before you agree to speak or to write an article, you must ensure that your time will be well invested. Ask yourself the following questions:

High Altitude Leadership, published late last year, seems to have hit the market at precisely the right moment. Drawing on observations made during mountaineering expeditions (including Mount Everest ascents), the authors identify eight dangers that climbers and business leaders face. Although the observations are phrased in business terms, they're certainly applicable to legal practice as well.

Lawyers who are or aspire to be leaders must learn to self-manage. Especially when stressed or under pressure (and who isn't, at least part of the time?) it's easy to let self-management slide in the face of provocation. Some attorneys I know offer a blanket apology to staff and colleagues - something like, "I'm feeling stressed, so please excuse me if I blow up or yell at you or throw things, ok?" I don't recommend that approach; it's been than nothing, I suppose, but it's actually announcing that bad behavior is coming, apparently largely unchecked.