Creating consensus about goals

By Ed Poll Dolan Media Newswires DETROIT, MI--"Mission statements" have long been in vogue for Corporate America, and most such documents are simply vague statements promising to "do the right thing" for customers, employees and society. In the legal profession, of course, law firms have a vastly more complex definition of their mission, codified in the Rules of professional conduct. Moreover, the Rules are equally applicable as a vision for the profession -- a vision of service to clients and the public, a vision of ethical conduct and competent representation. Bring this distinction down to the level of the individual law firm. Is there an organizational distinction between mission and vision? Some theorists and legal consultants who have considered the issue propose that a firm's mission is what it is doing now, and a vision is what it wants to do in the future. A simpler and more practical approach may be to conclude that getting hung up on such semantic distinctions is irrelevant. Instead, the real question on this distinction when posed for law firms, is "What does your firm want to be when it 'grows up?'" And what tactics do you need to achieve that future? Worrying about the semantics of it keeps people from creating what needs to be done. To answer these questions, a firm must answer one more: "What business are you in?" In other words, you should decide if you and your firm are in the business of providing general legal services across a wide range of disciplines, or specialized services to answer specific client needs. That in itself raises a full range of other questions: * Who are my clients? * Why do I want them? What challenges do they have that I find most satisfying? * What is my value to them? What is the reason why they pick up the phone and call me rather than another lawyer? Surprisingly few firms, large or small, go through this exercise. Deciding what you want the firm to be requires a forward-looking set of goals and objectives, with the proper tactics to implement and achieve them. Identify the most important and desired business outcomes within a given time period, define what is necessary to achieve those outcomes, and work toward them consistently. This can only be effective within the context of the firm's decision about what it wants to be -- a decision that all members of the firm must commit to and be accountable for. It's clear that all of the key players must agree on the direction of the firm. If the partners are not clear about the overall goals as well as specific objectives and strategies to achieve those goals, then the firm will never get where it wants to be. Partners should "buy in" to the idea, although all members of the firm -- including associates, paralegals and staff -- need to have input into the decision. For solo practitioners, the buy-in requirement can encompass a spouse, "significant other" or entire family. No matter how and from whom the relevant information is gathered, don't worry about whether it supports a mission or a vision. The objective is to set professional and personal objectives and stick to them unless and until you consciously change them. Ed Poll, J.D., M.B.A., CMC, is the principal of LawBiz Management, a national law firm practice management consultancy based in Venice, Calif. He coaches lawyers, consults with law firms on strategy and profitability, speaks at bar associations and law firm retreats, and has written 11 books. Contact him at edpoll@lawbiz.com or visit www.lawbiz.com. Entire contents copyrighted © 2012 by The Dolan Company. Published: Thu, Mar 15, 2012