In an interview, billionaire John Paul DeJoria (Paul Michell hair products, Patron tequila) was asked about the difference between successful people and unsuccessful people. He said something you may have heard before: “Successful people do all the things that unsuccessful people don’t want to do.â€
When DeJoria was a young man working in a dry cleaning shop, this meant doing things he was not hired to do like sweeping floors or cleaning shelves. His employer noticed his initiative and gave him a raise.
What about attorneys? What is it that unsuccessful attorneys are unwilling to do?
Or, putting it another way, what is it that successful attorneys are more willing to do, or do more often?
Of course the answer is different for everyone. You may do things in your practice that other attorneys would never consider. You may look at something the attorney down the hall does and shake your head.
We each become successful in our own way. But we must ask ourselves what we might accomplish if we were willing to do things we have not been willing to do before.
Like what? You tell me.
Make a list of things you don’t or won’t do. You can add the reasons if you want. Here are some suggestions:
- Advertise (I might lose money, it is undignified, it is unethical, it is not permitted)
- Go out at night/take time away from my family (networking)
- Do any marketing/sell (I shouldn’t have to, it’s not professional, I don’t have time)
- Hire employees (Cost, compliance, risk, headaches)
- Delegate (Risk, easier to do it myself, nobody can do it as well)
- Take work home with me
- Adopt new technology (Time, I’m old fashioned, the cloud is risky, cost)
- Engage on social media (Many reasons)
- Start a new practice area (I shouldn’t have to, learning curve, competition)
- Open an office (Cost, I like working from home)
- Work from home (I like to be around people, clients need to see me in an office)
- Open a second office (Cost, risk, time)
- Commute more than thirty minutes (Time, cost, stress, health concerns)
- Move to another city
- Work longer hours
- Read outside of my field (Time, not interested, not needed)
- Take a certain type of case or client
- Operate in an ethical gray area
Next, go through your list and look for things you might be willing to re-consider. Think about some attorneys you admire. Are they doing any of these things? Perhaps you could ask them how they manage it. Did they have to force themselves to start? Do they do it today even though they dislike it? How has doing this helped them reach a new level in their practice?
You might find something you’re willing to do that you previously rejected. You might find yourself excited about something you have only done halfheartedly before. And yes, you might find that your unwillingness to do something is justified; you’re now convinced you won’t do it.
At least now you know.
