The implementation of a law firm's most important decisions can be as simple as: Ready-Aim-Fire.
So why, in so many law firms, is it: Ready-Fire-Aim?
Change efforts are complex in any business or profession and are affected by many factors: e.g., clients' needs; external pressures and expectations; competitive factors; economic and profitability dynamics; internal culture; personalities; power issues; stages of group development; and leadership capabilities.
There are no quick and easy answers; nor are there prescriptive solutions for success.
Lawyers frequently ask one common question: "Why don't we do what we say we want to do?" They say, "Our decision-making works, but our follow-through doesn't."
Why do lawyers often have difficulty implementing important decisions? What factors create obstacles for implementing change? On the one hand, lawyers are highly productive in their work with clients. On the other hand, they fail frequently at carrying out their plans and decisions. Sometimes these failures to implement priorities are visible outside the firm, to the detriment of the firm's ability to attract and keep clients and legal talent.
Many of these potential obstacles can be erased, mitigated, or even turned to an advantage if lawyers thoughtfully follow a dynamic three-step change process.
