Ideas, Resources, and Techniques for CLE Professionals
A periodic e-newsletter
By Chuck Bingaman - www.chuckbingaman.com
#1 October, 2002
Leadership
In Jim Collins' recent book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies
Make the Leap…and Others Don't (HarperBusiness, 2001), you'll
find practical, valuable and surprising conclusions to ponder. Based
on Collins' rigorous research and analysis, he concludes that "great"
companies are most commonly lead not by dominant, high-profile, headline-grabbing
personalities. Rather, those that have led the transitions from "good
to great" most often have been people with "extreme humility" but intense
professional will. They don't talk about themselves. They prefer to
talk about their other people and their company's performance as a whole.
They have ferocious resolve to do whatever needs to be done to make
the company great. They set up their successors for solid success and
continued progress after they leave. Collins also points out that the
companies that achieve long-term success are those with leaders at all
levels-not just at the "top". Are we looking for ways to encourage leadership
in all levels of our organizations and recognizing/celebrating it when
we see it?
On a more "down and dirty" level, Steven B. Sample, President
of the University of Southern California, recently published The
Contrarian's Guide to Leadership (Jossey-Bass, Inc. 2002) that
gives really specific suggestions on thought processes leaders should
cultivate for reliable decision making. He reminds us that most people
immediately categorize choices as good or bad, true or false, friends
or foe, but that effective leaders see the shades of gray. He argues
for resisting the temptation to classify anything you read, see or hear
because "binary" thinking can lead to disaster. Avoid making decisions
until absolutely necessary, he says, because early decision making closes
one's mind to other facts and arguments, leads to flip-flopping based
on the last person we heard, and weakens our ability to think independently.
Management
An early return on an Illinois Institute for CLE author incentive plan:
IICLE publishes 11 monthly new developments newsletters on its website,
www.IICLE.com. As you can
imagine, getting 11 newsletter manuscripts in every month on a timely
basis is a challenge. Recently, IICLE offered its authors complimentary
subscriptions to its award-winning-and not inexpensive--online handbook
library to be maintained as long as monthly manuscripts arrive on time.
In the first month, all manuscripts arrived on time! It may not work
forever, but initially the incentive plan looks like a winner. Stay
tuned!
In North America we're in the fall-winter "season" of heavy CLE course
activity. Disciplined managers can ratchet up their achievement rate
now by simply writing down 10 goals to achieve by December 31. The writing
of goals carries magical power for achievement. In southern climes,
maybe they are summer goals to be achieved by February 28
Do you do a monthly memo to all members of your governing committee
or board containing updates on all aspects of your business? It's a
great way to keep them interested, build trusting relationships, and
elicit new ideas for handling challenges we face. Be sure to include
not only the successes but the failures, problems, and concerns you
have. It'll make them all feel that they are part of your team-not outsiders
without responsibility for supporting your efforts
And do you have your year's schedule of board, executive committee,
and other meetings set now? Each year, earlier calendaring is necessary
so you can guarantee meeting quorums.
Resources
& Strategies
While speaking in August on marketing at the National Association of
Bar Executives' annual meeting in Washington, I sat in on another session
called "The Bar Professional's Technology Survival Guide" by Ross
Kodner of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Kodner's TERRIFIC! He's got an exquisite
focus on what lawyers need in technology, how they use and misuse it,
and offers specific, non-techie instruction. He's a very funny speaker
who keeps audiences interested, learning and laughing from start to
finish. He publishes all of his first-rate materials on his web site
at www.microlaw.com. He
even has very much "on the mark" suggestions for CLE administrators
planning and marketing his programs.
Do you know about Elliott Masie and the Masie Center? Elliott
has been a guru in adult learning for some time, and he has achieved
"guru-ship" in e- or online learning over the past few years. His web
site, www.masie.com, is a
treasure chest of information and updates in this dynamic field. And
I would not miss his free periodic e-newsletter, "Elliott Masie's TechLearn
TRENDS" that you can register for on his site. Masie's August 15 issue
includes the following Eric Hoffer quote: "In a time of drastic
change, it is the learners who inherit the future. Those who have finished
learning find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer
exists." Might not be a bad quote for a CLE brochure.
Following an award-winning 20 years as Executive Director of Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Chuck now consults full-time on management problems and opportunities with CLE organizations and law firms and with IICLE. Chuck welcomes inquiries about possible consulting engagements from CLE organizations, law firms, publishers and others. In addition to his personal consulting work, Chuck is an adjunct consultant with Altman Weil Inc., the leader in legal consulting. Contact Chuck at chuck@chuckbingaman.com, at 603-313-1920, or at P.O. Box 390, Walpole, NH 03068.