What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
At some point a firm has to stop talking about how the last disruption affected it and start planning the year in front of it.
Summarize What You Learned From 2020
- Reducing headcount is painful, and it does force a hard look at efficiency.
- Remote work showed that office space is a real place to reduce expense.
- Necessity pushed firms into new ways of working and accelerated collaboration tools, cloud technology and video conferencing.
- Leadership matters more than ever. Accountability, role modeling, mentoring, recognition, transparency and feedback are what hold a firm together.
Ask the Hard Questions About Your Current Position
- Is your brand in position, and recognized? When much of the market meets you online first, it matters more than it used to.
- Do you need to add technology, update your website or improve your content marketing? Be active on the platforms your clients use. The right tools give your staff their time back.
- What is the best way to communicate with clients, colleagues, other firms, the courts and prospects? The profession has more options than it used to. Which suit you and your audience?
- What are your weaknesses, and how can you grow in them? What are your strengths, and how can you capitalize on them? Be honest in the assessment.
- Where does your competition stand, and how can you sharpen your edge? Which practice areas are set to grow?
- How have you adapted client service to a virtual world? Virtual events and networking are here to stay, alongside the return of in-person ones.
- If the firm is growing, do you need to recruit, or does the current roster meet the need?
- Do your budget, administrative team and infrastructure need a fresh analysis? Build a marketing plan and budget that accounts for social media, public relations and business development, and weigh the lower cost of virtual events against the value of being in the room.
Create a Strategic Business Plan for 2021
- Establish your goals and the steps it will take to reach them.
- Be specific, written, and on file.
- Include actionable, accountable processes.
- Have established measuring points.
- Have an established timeline.
- Include criteria for success.
In Summary
Success is learning from the past, planning for the future, and being intentional in the present. If the plan calls for additional talent, that is what we do, combining in-depth knowledge of the legal industry with decades of experience conducting high-level searches. Contact us today.