Successful Barrister

In this episode, Marc Whitehead and Diana Berry discuss The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling, also called 4DX. The system is making waves, with implementations from the Naval Medical Center to Marriott. Learn how the Four Disciplines can help your firm move past the daily whirlwind and execute their strategic goals. Determine your wildly important goals, your leading and lagging measures, and create your own scorecard so your team can visualize their contributions. Lastly, learn into why creating a cadence of accountability is both the simplest and the most difficult tenet of 4DX. For detailed show notes, read below and use the timestamps to navigate the episode:[0:45] Marc Whitehead introduces himself and Diana Berry and the topic of the episode, which is 4DX, which stands for the Four Disciplines of Execution. [2:02] 4DX has been in the news since the Naval Medical Center began to implement 4DX. Even the military, with hundreds of years of tradition, is looking for a new system! Marriott also implemented 4DX and saw impressive returns. [3:09] Planning is much easier than executing your plans. We all have our daily whirlwinds, or things we have to do every day, that leave us stuck and unable to execute the strategic projects that can move our firms forward.[4:46] Attorneys and litigators also deal with the daily whirlwind. Litigators especially have schedules that are subject to change, making it difficult to block out time. [6:27] Marc explains the Eisenhower Matrix, which was part of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. The Eisenhower Matrix splits your time into four quadrants: “important but urgent,” “important but not urgent,” “unimportant but urgent” and “unimportant and not urgent.” It advises people to live in the “important” quadrants of the matrix. [7:53] 4DX goes beyond dealing with what is important. It helps businesses get ahead and execute their larger goals over time by keeping strategy from becoming reactive. [10:01] The four core tenets of the Four Disciplines of Execution are focus on the wildly important, act on lead measures, keep a compelling scoreboard, and keep a cadence of accountability. To focus on the wildly important, you have to determine your highest priorities and have the courage to say no to other things.[11:58] Your “WIGs” are your wildly important goals. Ideally, people should keep close to one WIG at a time and should stay below three WIGs. Breaking WIGs down to bite-sized goals each quarter allows firms to execute them over time. [12:55] How does Marc Whitehead & Associates determine its WIGs? Firstly, there are different WIGs at different levels. The firm has a firm-wide WIG, and different subgroups have sub-WIGs that align with the overall WIG of the firm.  [14:23] One firm-wide WIG for this quarter was implementing QBO, or QuickBooks Online with Litify, a case management software to get financial data to “talk to” their production data. This was a difficult project that fell outside of the daily whirlwind.[16:40] Limiting your WIGs also means not making your whirlwind your WIG. WIGs should focus on strategic goals that fall outside of the daily grind. WIGs also require prioritization, since it is impossible to work on many of them at once[18:23] The second tenet is to act on “leading” measures as opposed to “lagging” measures. You cannot influence lagging measures – an example would be the profits from the last quarter because they already happened and cannot be changed. The leading measures can be influenced; this would be your profits for the next quarter. [20:12] Leading measures tend to be difficult to quantify and track. Revenue, for example, is a lagging measure because you cannot determine revenue until it has already happened. New leads or contracts signed might be leading measures because they are signs of what your revenue could be down the line. Some people’s leading measures could be other people’s lagging measures. For example, cases signed could be a leading measure for the firm as a whole, but a lagging measure for the intake department. [22:28] Once you have determined what your lead measures might be, how do you act on them? First, you have to determine a way to quantify what your leading measures are, since they tend to be more difficult to measure. For example, Marc Whitehead & Associates initially had difficulty determining how to measure its intake department’s productivity. [24:15] The third discipline is keeping a compelling scorecard. Marc describes the scorecard as analogous to a scoreboard in a football game – it exists so everyone involved understands whether they are winning or losing. Diana explains that one of the most demoralizing aspects of life in the whirlwind is that you don’t know whether you can win. [26:31] Marc uses a whiteboard setup to motivate his teams. When employees can see their contribution to the win, they are more motivated to get through the daily whirlwind. [28:28] The four characteristics of a compelling scoreboard are: 1. Is it simple? 2. Can I see it easily? 3. Does it show lead and lag measures? 4. Can I tell at a glance if I’m winning? [28:57] The fourth tenet of 4DX is to create a cadence of accountability. This tenet is the most difficult to execute, but it is also deceptively simple. This is because it requires you to change a habit. [30:12] Marc Whitehead & Associates have melded the EOS and the 4DX systems to create a cadence of accountability. 4DX acted as a primer for EOS in that many of the concepts and principles are similar. Weekly accountability meetings for 4DX are comparable to Level 10 meetings in EOS. [32:29] Marc and Diana discuss The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling. Applying the book requires persistence and trial and error since the process is not linear. Holding people accountable always comes with a level of pushback since you are disrupting people’s whirlwinds. This is especially true for attorneys, whose schedules are very reactive. [35:54] You should expect that your WIGs will change over time, so they require a big-picture mindset. It can be difficult to sell the changes to people who are stuck in the daily whirlwind. Marc Whitehead & Associates builds their WIGs into their bonus structures to incentivize employees to buy into the changes. Changing the bonus structure to meet quarterly WIGs helps get employees on board.Buy The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Disciplines-Execution-Achieving-Wildly-Important/dp/145162705X Visit the Successful Barrister website: https://www.successfulbarrister.com/ Email Marc Whitehead: marc@marcwhitehead.com

In the second episode of The Successful Barrister, Marc Whitehead and Diana Berry discuss the implementation of EOS, or the Entrepreneurial Operating System, at Marc Whitehead & Associates. Implementation takes place over two years and is facilitated by a certified implementer. Learn about the six core components that make up EOS, the tools to implement the system, and the simplicity of implementation. Dive into the origins of EOS in Traction by Gino Wickman – and maybe even email Marc Whitehead for a summary of the book. For detailed show notes, read below and use the timestamps to navigate the episode: [1:16] EOS, or the Entrepreneurial Operating System, is making the news as over 40,000 companies are currently using it. The genesis of EOS is from Traction by Gino Wickman, and Marc Whitehead & Associates is currently implementing EOS in its practice.[2:18] EOS gained traction in the legal industry. It helps Marc Whitehead & Associates focus on leadership and team building.[4:10] When you grow a business, you have to scale and hire more people. The more you grow, the harder it is to ensure that all employees share the same vision. EOS helps foster a collective vision between employees. [5:44] According to Diana, the beauty of EOS is its simplicity. It has clearly defined Diana’s role as the integrator and Marc’s role as the visionary, and where their roles start and end. The process also encourages accountability. [8:29] Scaling Up was written by Verne Harnish, whom Geno Wickman once worked for. Scaling Up and EOS are direct competitor systems. Marc considered both systems for Marc Whitehead & Associates, but chose EOS because of its simplicity and compatibility with the size of the firm. Scaling Up is best for much larger companies. [10:43] Christine Spray is a licensed EOS implementor. Her job is to help Marc Whitehead & Associates implement EOS. The process is a two-year commitment. [12:37] One of the first steps organizations must take within the EOS system is determining the leadership team. Employees on this team will be present at EOS meetings. For Marc Whitehead & Associates, these team members are employees who are responsible for generating revenue streams. [15:07] The EOS model is made up of six core components: people, vision, data, issues, process, and traction. EOS uses a simple rating system to determine where organizations stand with each of the six core components.[18:11] Everybody has a motivation that gets them to work every day. This motivation should correspond with the organization’s purpose. For Marc Whitehead & Associates, this purpose is to improve the lives of disabled and injured clients. The organization’s vision is a comprehensive expansion of this purpose; involving a 5-year plan. [20:42] The simplified 5-year plan for Marc Whitehead & Associates is to double the number of families that the firm assists. When Marc Whitehead & Associates helps clients, they also help their families, so they think of families as an extension of the client. [21:36] It is crucial to define the benefits of expansion to employees. For Marc Whitehead & Associates, these benefits include career opportunities, raises resulting from revenue increases, and bonuses. Everybody in the firm needs to know and buy into the vision.[23:30] Marc and Diana discuss Traction by Geno Wickman, which they recommend to the listener. They read the book during their quarterly leadership bootcamps. The vision and people components make up the early chapters of the book. [25:12] Chapter 5 covers the data component. Each component has a specific tool, making EOS simple to implement. The scorecard is the implementation tool for the data component. It covers revenue, new leads, Google reviews, outstanding balances, and net promoter score.[28:55] The difference between a dashboard and the EOS scorecards is the ability to view the data as an issue. If something is awry in the scorecard, it becomes an issue in the Level 10 meeting. This ensures that problems in the data are recognized and addressed.[30:26] The following chapter is the issues chapter. Many firms have issues that linger and are not addressed. Part of the EOS process is dealing with issues on a weekly basis. Level 10 meetings are a weekly meeting with the leadership team that follows a very specific format. Most of the meeting is spent in IDS, which stands for identify, discuss, and solve. [32:58] The final chapter is the traction component. Sometimes the way to solve an issue is to create what EOS terms a rock, or a 90-day goal. [33:53] The process component involves finding your way as an organization. While it is easy to write a process, it is very difficult to ensure that the process is followed by everyone. Section-level meetings help implement processes at other levels of Marc Whitehead & Associates. [35:17] The Level 10 meeting is the traction component of EOS. It involves measuring milestones and determining whether areas need to be revisited.Buy Traction by Geno Wickman on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837 Email marc@marcwhitehead.com Visit the Successful Barrister website: https://www.successfulbarrister.com/ 

In the inaugural episode of The Successful Barrister Podcast, Marc Whitehead and Diana Berry discuss law firms as a business that requires an entrepreneurial outlook. They delve into the Atticus Practice Growth Map to examine the three phases of building a practice in detail. Learn how to avoid burnout, grow like a business, and build teams that can function without you. Explore the concept of the “entrepreneurial seizure” – and learn its cure. Lastly, gain valuable insights from an analysis of Michael Gerber’s The E-Myth Revisited and The E-Myth Attorney.For detailed show notes, read below and use the timestamps to navigate the episode:[0:52] Marc Whitehead introduces cohost chief operating officer Diana Berry. Diana explains her role as chief operating officer and how it interacts with sales and marketing. [2:28] The EOS is the entrepreneurial operating system from the book Traction by Gino Wickman. The book introduces the concept of the visionary and the integrator. The visionary is responsible for big solutions and ideas while the integrator focuses on the details and operation. Within Marc Whitehead & Associates, Marc is the visionary and Diana is the integrator[4:10] The Successful Barrister podcast is for law firm owners, people who want to own their own law firm, or those who run parts of a law firm. It is intended for individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit and vision. This podcast will help entrepreneurs to build a sustainable practice, not a prison.[6:26] Marc and Diana discuss a U.S. News article about lawyer burnout that put stats behind it: 77% of attorneys interviewed report some form of burnout. Lawyers feel burned out more than half the time. Diana notes that the nature of legal work is very reactionary, which can take a toll on your mental health. Merc notes that many lawyers wrap their identities up in their careers. [9:32] Marc explains his history in law. He used to take on much of the available work in his firm, which led to burnout. He began to follow Mark Powers and his advice, including Atticus Coaching, to better delegate his work. [12:26] Marc’s main focuses are the “three Ms:” management, marketing, and mentorship. This allows him to have a sustainable work-life balance. [15:52] Diana speaks to Atticus Coaching’s tools and benefits, which she has taken advantage of herself. The Atticus Practice Growth Map is a tool firm owners can use to map their career trajectories. Marc explains that some people feel that their understanding of the technical side of the law will allow them to run a successful practice. However, running a practice is a business, and running one without a business skillset will be an uphill battle. [18:46] Marc talks about scaling. Importantly, scaling the size of your business also involves scaling up the complexity. Legal services are starting to put business professionals behind their firms. [21:15] After shifting your mindset to an entrepreneurial outlook, the first phase is the technician stage of the Atticus Growth Map. In this stage, everything involves improving your technical skills as a lawyer. Many lawyers never leave that stage and aren’t able to build a firm that can function without them. [22:25] The second stage in the Atticus Growth Map is the practice leader stage. In this stage, you go beyond the technical side and learn how to lead people who can do the technical work for you. This involves developing profit centers that revolve around other people; usually other lawyers. Those lawyers become sources of revenue. Other roles like paralegals contribute to profit generation less directly. [25:23] From an operations perspective, this transition involves getting foundational systems into place. This involves the development of training modules, technology, procedures, and systems of accountability. [27:01] After the practice leader stage, firm owners move on to the final stage: the market leader mindset stage. In this phase, you no longer directly generate revenue. Instead, you gain the freedom to manage the firm, market your services, and mentor lawyers. [28:02] Removing yourself from the day-to-day process of your firm requires a mindset shift. A firm is practically more valuable the less dependent it is on the revenue production of the owner and the day-to-day participation of the owner. [31:11] Now Marc’s job is to manage his firm. Diana says that transitioning to management requires building a team that you can rely on. Inherent to this step is ensuring that you are leading an effective team. [33:02] If everything you’ve built relies upon you, your business is not sellable because it cannot exist without you. [35:17] Marc and Diana discuss The E-Myth Revisited by Micheal Gerber. In his first book E-Myth, Gerber writes chapters as fables about struggling entrepreneurs, followed by chapters commenting on their actions. In The E-Myth Attorney, Gerber uses the same format and applies it to the legal profession. In this section, Marc and Diana will be discussing both The E-Myth Revisited and The E-Myth for Attorney in combination. [37:32] The first premise Gerber discusses is the “entrepreneurial seizure” – a mindset shift where a legal professional decides that they understand the technical side of being a lawyer but do not want to work for someone else, and want to run their own profession. [40:10] When you start your own practice, you become both the technician and the manager. Many people find managing themselves to be difficult. [41:28] The solution to the entrepreneurial seizure is learning to develop the processes and systems to run the business. Once a system is created, you must build a team that will make that system work. This is the main idea of The E-Myth: entrepreneurship involves creating systems that will run your business, and hiring people who will run those systems.[46:46] The Successful Barrister will be a regular weekly podcast that covers a variety of topics. It will provide listeners with valuable advice on owning and running a successful law firm.  Listen to The E-Myth Revisited by Micheal Gerber on Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-E-Myth-Revisited-Audiobook/B002V1LGZE?source_code=GPAGBSH0508140001&ipRedirectOverride=true&gclid=CjwKCAjwko21BhAPEiwAwfaQCIPn_jlFo6wTat0qI9K03FA8tC9TcMWS6UDcdIfMBy-MWnzTrW_UBRoCKUgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.dsm Listen to The E-Myth Attorney on Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-E-Myth-Attorney-Audiobook/B003M5F7PI Buy The E-Myth Revisited by Micheal Gerber on Amazon:

Welcome to the one and only podcast that's more thrilling than a last-minute court adjournment, 'The Successful Barrister! The podcast discusses marketing, management, and life skills for lawyers, which probably won't get you disbarred.