Recently I read Why Intelligent People Fail. It was a list of reasons why people who would seem to have what it takes to be outstanding, don’t become outstanding. It made me think of some really smart lawyers I have known who never make rain. Here is my list of reasons why they don’t. They are:
- If a young lawyer, just focused on getting their hours;
- Not motivated;
- Not curious;
- Not interested in learning about their client’s business;
- Content working for someone else’s clients;
- Unable to take the first step on client development;
- Not planning and using non-billable time wisely;
- Not willing to go the extra mile;
- Not good at dealing with people;
- Not interested in getting help and feedback from a senior lawyer;
- Eating lunch at their desk or with lawyers in their own firm;
- Not going to networking events, or going and only hanging out with lawyers in their firm;
- Not writing articles or blogging;
- Not giving presentations to groups of potential clients;
- Not doing other activities to build their visibility and credibility;and/or
- Thinking pessimistically and seeing the problem in every opportunity.
After I wrote this post, I came across a post titled: Why Winners Win and Losers Lose. Take a look at the list. I believe it captures most, if not all, the differences.
Finally, I want to thank Lindsay Griffiths for her outstanding recap summary of the LexBlog Webinar Client Development 101 for 2011 and Beyond. If you are a young lawyer and want practical ideas to get started or if you are more experienced and want reminders, please click and read Lindsay’s recap.