Your initial goals are met, your call and case volumes are up, and you have expanded or added to your office. You like your brand, your marketing, and your progress, and you have upgraded a few positions in your org chart. You are no longer “bush league,” but you also feel that you are not yet an “elite” firm. How hard is the leap? What’s the next step? How can the agency help?
How hard is the leap?
Very hard. Monster hard. Beyond your comprehension hard. You may not currently have the infrastructure, mindset, or resources to get you to the next level, or worse, you may think you do. Getting from good to great requires more work than getting from poor to good. It requires discipline, focus, and purposeful strategic planning. That does not mean a couple rounds of golf with your partners to pull strategic targets out of the sky. It does not mean delegating or abdicating important tasks to associates based on tenure and loyalty rather than ability. And it does not mean spending more time “IN” the business. However, it does mean spending a lot MORE time “ON” the business.
What is the next step?
It starts with YOU and some simple questions. Are YOU committed to growing beyond your current comfort zone? Are YOU committed to hiring and promoting the right people in your organization? Are YOU committed to admitting that others might be smarter than you in their area of expertise? Are YOU committed to working on your areas of strengths and allowing others to do the same? And are YOU willing to put your goals and your vision in writing?
Ifyou answered YES to all of the above, I believe your next step is to develop a strategic plan via a disciplined, professionally facilitated strategic planning session—one I personally want to attend. Over the past 12 months, without charge for time or travel, I have personally attended four professionally facilitated retreats for clients (two for Carter Mario, one for Crumley Roberts, and one for Daniel Stark). All produced outstanding and progressive results.
How can cj help?
I know, I know…More calls. More cases. Get innovative. Come up with something better than my competition. That’s all great stuff, but this initiative is not about the agency; it’s about you building a foundation of success for your organization.
The agency conducted its first professionally facilitated strategic retreat in 2006. Six annual retreats later, we continue to use strategic planning as a method to focus, grow, and improve our service offering.
I have coaching recommendations, experiences to share, and a perspective that spans twenty years in the industry. Most important, I have a passion for your success. Let’s make our next conversation about growing your firm from the inside out.
