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Awaken Your Business
Force: Avoid the Dark
Side of Billable Hours
and Become a Business
Jedi Presented by N
icolle Schippers, Corporate Cou
nsel
In Your Company – Are you seen as this?
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Or this?
3
4
The Way of the “Force”
Goals Based on Billable Hours
• More charged hours = be=er performance
• Work with small group of people or just your client
• ConsulDng with others at a minimum
• (For the most part) – you make the ulDmate decisions regarding goals
Goals Based on Corporate Objec6ves
• Efficiency
• Make money, don’t spend it
• Consult with business partners
• Working with variety of people/personaliDes
• (Many Dmes) – you do not make the ulDmate decision
So Let’s Make You a Business Jedi
First: “Forget” everything you know
Second:
Redefine “business” Third:
Redefine yourself Fourth:
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
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#1: Don’t Say No – at least not right away!
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ü Take &me to research or look into the issue ü Remember your job – you have to remember the risks (technology issues, social media issues, cyber security, risk analysis) but you also need to help the business with corporate goals – so find a way to say no – without outright doing so ü Explain, Educate, Explain, and Educate some more.
Be Flexible - don’t always be seen
as a roadblock
#2: Learn the Business
This includes every part of the business Go to their department
Ø ask for training Ø ask to job shadow Ø have them explain their goals, processes, etc. Ø what help do they need from you? Ø how can you strengthen the relaDonship?
Get away from your desk – learn on a conDnual basis. The return will be invaluable
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“It may sound obvious, but an important part of an in-‐house a=orney's job is doing her homework. ”
AssociaDon of Corporate Counsel
#3 Think Creatively
Blue Sky thinking
i. Help your business be innovaDve ii. Help your business be compeDDve iii. Help them move into a new market, develop a new product, client base, etc i. In what ways should the profession address the findings of i. i. Be seen as the person who can help make things happen ii. Be the person they come to in the beginning rather than a]er the fact iii. See the issue from the business’ viewpoint iv. Explain things with their perspecDve in mind
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How can you make things happen?
#4 Guess What – You Are Now in Sales Not billable hours sales – but the kind of sales that helps your company grow and be profitable. You also are expected to keep a budget (which includes outside counsel spend).
There is a (someDmes delicate) balance between the two – don’t forget you have to do your job.
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Your job is to provide cost effec&ve and quality legal services and your goals should reflect this
#5 Think Globally
Go beyond the technical Think beyond the legal department and all of the work piled on your desk Think how you can posiDvely impact the bo=om line and the company’s goals Be the one who comes up with global soluDons to help many departments Be a business partner
glob·∙al ˈɡlōbəl/ adjec&ve • of or relaDng to the whole world; worldwide. • relaDng to or embracing the whole of something, or of a group of things. synonyms: comprehensive, overall, general, all-‐inclusive, large scale, all-‐encompassing, universal, blanket. 10
#6 Gain Credibility- and keep it!
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ü ConDnually do Dps 1-‐5
ü Go beyond the technical
ü Get feedback – do surveys
ü Hold lunch and learns to teach them about what is going on in the legal department or with a parDcular subject ma=er
ü Get in front of the business any opportunity you can get – don’t wait to be asked . . . Suggest
Get feedback from others -‐ on how your team is doing -‐ on how to incorporate their goals into your own -‐ on how your goals impact resources -‐ on how you and your team are doing in driving your goals
Don’t be the general counsel who fails to adequately
consider how Legal’s objecDves rely on external stakeholders’ prioriDes and resources.
#7 Legal Mission
Mission statements allow
lawyers to be drawn more
deeply into the business
teams and seen as valued
contributors and trusted
advisors
Mission statements
show that lawyers are
proacDve business
members
Why? To stress the importance of facilitaDng the achievement of the client business goals
Progressive mission statements
focus on the business clients
1. Must be Ded to corporate mission
2. Get input from others within and outside of the legal department
3. Needs to be clear and concise (no lawyer speak)
4. Must be communicated to everyone
5. Make sure it is understood by everyone
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#8 Listen
Even if you have a legal mission and have educated yourself on the business’ goals -‐ if you don’t listen, no one will listen to you -‐ if you don’t listen, your goals will be irrelevant -‐ if you don’t listen, you won’t get the
resources to achieve your goals -‐ if you don’t listen, you won’t be seen
as a business partner -‐if you don’t listen, the success of
achieving those goals won’t be recognized
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#9 Show Value Not only do you have to show your value to the company; but you need to show the value of your department and your goals. Communicate and communicate oMen
q How are you doing compared to your goals?
q Are you meeDng any of your or the company’s metrics?
q How are you communicaDng?
q How o]en are you communicaDng?
q Is the communicaDon clear and concise – no lawyer speak?
q Are you showing how your departments accomplishments align with corporate objecDves?
q Are you communicaDng to the right audience?
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Hold recurring meeDngs with business stakeholders
#10 Now It’s Time, Jedi: Develop 5-7 Focused goals
1) Now is not the Dme to be overly broad
2) Always align with corporate goals
3) Be able to explain how these goals align and support corporate strategy
4) In your communicaDons – explain how individual projects support the department goals
5) Ensure your employees’ personal objecDves De to the department goals
6) Make sure your professional objecDve Des to corporate goals
7) Develop metrics for each objecDve – how will you measure success?
May the Force Be With You! 15
Questions?