Featured Articles
That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief
HBR Staff/design/Getty Images Some of the HBR edit staff met virtually the other day — a screen full of faces in a scene becoming more common everywhere. We talked about the content we’re commissioning in this harrowing time of a pandemic and how we can help people. But…
Overcoming the Barriers to Collaboration
Joint effort: teams of scientists are more productive than individuals © Getty While being interviewed for a podcast yesterday morning, the host asked me what I saw as the primary trend for the future of law firms. Although my answer is simple, the work behind it…
Innovation Is Not A Strategy
Business strategy is about anticipating and planning for the future. Strategic innovation is about creating a future where your firm is poised to be on top. The two are different and must work together—and that’s a real challenge for firms. It may feel good to encourage spontaneity and creativity, but…
Managing Complex Change
Greek philosopher Heraclitus is credited with saying, “The only constant is change” around 500 BC. This idea rings true today. I get a close view of the complex change nonprofits face when we do strategic planning together. Managing complex change is inevitable, and it’s something we could all understand a little better. Here is…
The 4 Brain Superpowers You Need to Be a Successful Leader, According to Neuroscience
Leaders who understand how brains work can make themselves and their teams more nimble, innovative, and resilient. By Leigh BuchananEditor-at-large, Inc. magazine@LeighEBuchanan Kevin Chin wants his executives to limber up their brains. Chin’s investment company, Arowana, based in Sydney, Australia, is expanding into London, Los Angeles, and Asia, and “it…
Law Firm Culture and Success
Stephen Mabey Managing Director at Applied Strategies, Inc. A simplistic but functional definition of culture is the way that: People relate to each other (consistency); People relate to the firm (mission); The firm adapts to its environment (adaptability); and, How work gets done (involvement). What is the existing “culture” that…
A Peek at Client Portals
These platforms can improve communication and security for your firm and your clients. Your lawyers’ cellphones are chirping off the hook with notifications. Clients are calling, texting and emailing looking for answers now. But lawyers may be in court all day or otherwise unable to divide their attention. How do they balance…
Developing Personal Integrity
JW Way* Fundamental #8: Act with integrity. “Demonstrate an unwavering commitment to doing the right thing in very action you take and in every decision you make. Own up to your own mistakes and apologize. If you make a mistake, clean it up.” The expression of integrity is a virtue….
Performance Management Best Practices
One of the ironies of performance management systems is that so many people find they do not perform very well. A survey by People IQ, a company that provides Web-based performance appraisal systems, reported that only 13% of U.S. managers and workers and just 6% of CEO’s believe their organization’s PM system is…
Why Low Employee Turnover Isn't Always A Good Thing
I recently heard of a man who was named principal at an under performing school in need of reform. His staff had been there for decades and were extremely resistant to change. Constantly having his efforts thwarted, he quit in frustration after one year. This is an extreme example of…