The Atlanta Lawyer June/July 2020 Vol. 19, No. 1 | Page 29

MEMBERSHIP
to deliver the service clients have come to
expect.
Communication and collaboration
Consistent and effective communication
has been more important than ever in
this unique time where many people are
no longer working together in offices and
will continue to be key as more people
cautiously return to the workplace. Stay
close to your co-workers and colleagues,
first and foremost to see how they are doing
on a personal level, but also to gain an
understanding of what’s going on across the
business. As certain areas of businesses see
an uptick in work, lean on one another for
support. As we move forward in this new
way of doing business, there is a lot of room
for innovation and collaboration on how to
reach new clients and stay top of mind in
your industry.
In times of change, it can sometimes be
difficult to see the benefit of slow and
steady action moving the needle towards
an end goal. And while giant leaps forward
are great, focusing on specific items that
you can confidently achieve will lead to
daily progress and ultimately sustainable
change. Something as simple as picking up
the phone to check in on colleagues and
clients or asking customers about their own
experiences can be incredibly impactful.
Work together to try to anticipate client
needs and opportunities to cross-sell, then
outline how you are going to get there
together as a team. Break things down
into small steps, delegate each segment to
the right person, and maintain constant
communication – you will be amazed at
how much can get done with the right team
in place accomplishing things one step
at a time, all working in the direction of
common, long-term goals.
Endurance
It is a marathon, not a sprint. Think about
exercising or losing weight. You don’t
begin by lifting weights seven days straight
or running ten miles on day one. Radical
changes do not necessarily have staying
power. It is proven that small, consistent
steps add up and small changes actually
stick. Once we realize success early on, it is
easier to continue.
The same is true for business. Progress
is motivating. In this environment, it’s
important to stay positive and work on
your endurance in order to adapt and
succeed in the long term. Continuously
improving is more effective than big,
sweeping changes when trying to move a
business forward. Every step provides you
with an opportunity to evaluate your results
thus far and adjust as needed, modifying
deadlines, strategies, and long-term goals.
Track progress to review what you have
achieved, big and small, and use it to keep
you motivated.
To move business forward, you need
momentum and the belief that you can
accomplish a goal. Maintain an emotional
balance sheet for your workforce and lift
morale by sharing and celebrating successes
across the business with other departments
and offices. Whether it is the closing of a
deal, a litigation victory, a new client or
anything else worth celebrating, once your
employees and teams realize initial success,
motivation will follow and often have a
ripple effect.
Focusing on tasks you can confidently
achieve can be just as impactful on the
individual level. Pick up the phone and call
a potential new client, respond to a request
for proposal, post a thought leadership
piece on LinkedIn, network with others in
your industry to learn about their success
stories and how they are navigating these
unprecedented times. Take those small
steps to work towards larger change while
maintaining perspective and remembering
the big picture.
Though none of us knows what the future
holds, the small steps taken now to prepare
your business for the next stage can lead to
impactful accomplishments that will last
a long time. Set goals, outline your plans,
define deadlines, get started, and stay on
track.
By rising to the occasion, adapting, and
working towards progress during times of
change you will find that you’ll grow as a
leader, your team will grow stronger as a
unit, and hopefully, with the right pieces in
place, your business will grow as a result,
ultimately benefitting the clients and
customers you serve.
www.atlantabar.org THE ATLANTA LAWYER 29