E-MAGAZINES:
International Review Magazine - Spring-Summer 2020

International Review Magazine: Fall-Winter 2019

International Review Magazine: Spring-Summer 2019

International Review Magazine: Fall-Winter 2018

International Review Magazine: Spring-Summer 2018

International Review Magazine: Fall-Winter 2017

International Review Magazine: Spring-Summer 2017

International Review Magazine: Fall-Winter 2016

International Review Magazine: Spring-Summer 2016

McKenna's International Review Magazine - Fall 2015

McKenna's International Review Magazine - Spring 2015

McKenna's International Review Magazine - Fall 2014

McKenna's International Review Magazine - Spring 2014

McKenna's International Review Magazine - Fall 2013

McKenna's International Review Magazine - Spring 2013

McKenna's International Review Magazine - Fall 2012

McKenna's International Review Magazine - Spring 2012

McKenna's International Review Magazine - Fall 2011

McKenna's International Review Magazine - Spring 2011

McKenna's International Review Magazine - Fall 2010

McKenna's International Review Magazine - Spring 2010

Innovation In The Practice of Law (COLPM, 2006)


E-BOOKS:
Industry Specialization: Making Competitors Irrelevant

When It Comes Time To Instigate Change

Leadership Lessons From The Trenches

The Fearless Leader's Advisory Board

Passing The Baton: The Last 100 Days (Ark Pub, 2008)

First 100 Days: Transitioning A New Managing Partner (NXT Book, 2006)

beyondKNOWING (IBMP, 2000)

Herding Cats (IBMP)


MANAGEMENT:
Becoming Firm Leader

The Disruption In Transitioning To A New Firm Leader

Analyzing A Leadership Candidate's Strengths

How Effective Leaders Delegate

The Value in Developing A Leadership Brand

How New Managing Partners Can Avoid Being BlindSided

The Leadership Succession Process

When Job Descriptions Don't Do The Job

Recovering From A Leadership Misstep

When Firm Leaders Transition

The Question of Partner Compensation Guarantees

Firm Leadership Is NOT For Wimps!

Exploring The Dark Side: When Leaders Overuse Their Strengths

Are You Getting The Minutes From Your Practice Group Meetings?

Are You Developing A Star Culture?

6 Factors That Can Impede Effective Firm Leader-COO Relationships

A Novel Approach To Compensation

Practice Group Leadership 2.0

Inside The Corridors of Firm Leadership

Malignant Leadership (AmLaw Article)

Thought-Provoking Management Metrics

Sliced Too Thin (AmLaw article)

Surviving The Switch: Thrive During A Change in Firm Leadership

Do You Know What It Takes To Be A Firm Leader?

Crazy Like A Fox

Low Return (AmLaw article)

Roundtable On Managing Partner Compensation

McKenna On Leading Change In Your Firm

Confronting The Underperforming Partner

The Challenge of Sharing Leadership

Managing Partner Outlook

The State of Law Firm Leadership

Evaluating Your Performance As A Managing Partner

Where Leaders Stumble

Rules of Engagement (2010)

Counseling New Firm Leaders (2010)

Getting Partners To Follow Through (2010)

Leadership Transitions (2009)

Handling The Trauma of Layoffs (2009)

The Anxieties & Seductions of Leadership (2009)

Tenure Trap: The Question of MP Term Limits (2009)

Maneuvering In The Downturn (2008)

On The Glory Of Being Managing Partner (2008)

Where New Leaders Spend Their Time (2008)

Taking Charge (2008)

When Needing To Replace A Practice Leader (2008)

Measuring A Firm's Culture (2007)

The Tensions of Leadership (2007)

Successful Transitions (2007)

Management's 2007 Agenda

Addressing Structural Complexities (2006)

Management's Burning Issues (2005)

Making Practice Groups Work (2005)

Selecting Your Next Managing Partner (2005)

The Logic For Having An Advisory Board (2005)

A Profile of Today's Managing Partner (2004)

The Art of Brainstorming (2002)

Planning Your Firm Retreat (2002)

Energizing Your Practice Group Meetings (2000)

Gaining A Better Understanding Of The Partners You Manage (2000)

Working With Your Partners Without Getting Resistance (2000)


STRATEGY:
Bringing Your Strategy Process Back To Life

Schedule Time For Strategic Thinking

Stimulating Innovation In Your Firm

Understanding Industry Dynamics

Perspectives On Firm Strategy

Efficiency Is Not THE Competitive Advantage

The Seeds Of Competitive Disruption

The Hurdles To Initiating Change

Competitive Plagiarism

6 Elements of Meaningful Differentiation

Overcoming The Hurdles To Executing Your Strategy

Methodologies That Make Strategic Planning A Waste of Time

Are You Being Afflicted With Strategy Viruses?

Leading Change: Adaptive Approaches To Implementation

Searching For Opportunities Amidst The Gloom (2009)

Helping Clients Cope With The Economy (2009)

Managing Through A Prolonged Downturn (2008)

Law Firm Strategy Revisited (2008)

Perspectives On Law Firm Strategy (2007)

Ten Steps To Enhance Innovation (2006)

Challenger Strategies: How To Compete Against A Dominant Player (2005)

Strategic Planning - A Report On The State Of The Art (2005)

Firm Strategy & Industry Clusters (2004)

Strategy Lessons From An Old Fable (2003)

The Innovation Imperative:
How to make Stategic Innovation Happen (2002)


Why Strategic Planning Doesn't Work - And What You Should Be Doing (2002)

How Healthy is your Stategy (2002)

Talking With Law Firm Strategic Planning Officers (2002)

Competing Against Size (2000)

A Question of Selective Focus (2000)

Develop a First Mover Advantage (2000)


MARKETING:
Conducting Client Interviews

Beware The Naive Marketer

Getting Unbeatable Testimonials (2009)

Client Teams: A Look At Current Practices (2009)

Enhanced Focus on Key Clients Yields Results (2006)

Protecting Your Crown Jewels (2006)

Marketing Your Merger (2006)

Genuine Client Focus: Managing The Sophisticated Client's Expectations (2004)

Understanding Client's Needs (2003)


SPECIAL ADVISORY ARTICLES
Law Firm Leader's White Paper #4

Why Law Firms Need Non-Executive Directors

A Field Guide For The Mobile Lawyer

The Managing Partner Academy: Series of Articles & Advisories

The Disruptive But Inevitable Move To Alternative Fees (2009)

Managing Through The Downturn (2008 - Present)


CORPORATE COUNSEL
Seven Questions To Ask Yourself

Acknowledge Your People's Endeavors

Take Time To Be Inspiring

You Get What You Deserve

Seeing Through Your Client's Eyes

Defining Your Performance Metrics

The Quest For Seamless Service






Exploring The Dark Side: When Firm Leaders Overuse Their Strengths


In my article Malignant Leadership, I talked about the merits of psychological evaluations and about how “increasing stress, work overload, fatigue, high emotion, and lack of social vigilance can increase the probability of malignant leadership.” I referenced a useful psychometric instrument, developed by Hogan Assessments, that can “detect leaders who are likely to derail.”  What is most intriguing, I said, was how leaders can exhibit a “Dark Side that is simply the result of them using their strengths to an extreme.”

For some time now, we have all been strongly encouraged to focus on developing our strengths rather than gravitating to working on weaknesses.  Conventional wisdom in leadership and the late Peter Drucker constantly advised executives to build on their strengths.  This seemingly straightforward advice is complicated by Drucker’s own observation that, “Most people think they know what they are good at . . . and they are usually wrong.”

Ironically, the line between a strength and weakness isn’t always clear.  Consider: if, as a leader, I am a really good speaker, when I want to influence my partners, what am I most likely to do?  Attempt to speak passionately, go on at length, perhaps even turn up the volume.  What might I forget to do?  Listen.  Since, in the moment, I cannot do both, when I lean on my speaking capability too much, especially in an unfamiliar situation, at the wrong times, or when I am particularly anxious, it may actually transform that strength into a crippling weakness.

There is now significant evidence to show all leaders, whether at a firm or practice group level, are susceptible to overusing their strengths.  Your natural desire to be forceful and forthright can, under pressure, become perceived to be abusive and authoritative. Your operating preference to always seek consensus can drift into periods of protracted indecision.  The desire to dramatically improve performance and the firm’s profitability can incite a preoccupation for short-term expediency.




















 
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