What About Paris? : June 24, 2007 - June 30, 2007 Archives

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June 30, 2007

Brits Blitz Blawg Review

Shameless Anglophile WAC? spends time in England each year working. And studying London, old churches in Suffolk and Kent, Druids, Vikings, Sutton Hoo and a girl named Devon in nearby Aldeburgh. WAC? now even has a thing for British lawyer-bloggers--who are funnier and less inhibited than most U.S. blawgers. So we are happy and honored that two good Brit law blogs, nearlylegal and Corporate Blawg UK, will be hosting the U.S.-based Blawg Review on, respectively, July 2 and 9.

Is this a trend? Is Blawg Review starting to include non-U.S. legal weblogs? Are German blawgs next? Some French sites?

Posted by JD Hull at 08:51 PM | Comments (0)

Update: The Generation X Light Bulb Riddle Contest....New Deadline is July 9

There is still time to enter the historic GenX feeling-good-about-me/it-is-never-my-fault multi-tasking "light bulb" riddle competition:

"How many Generation X associate lawyers does it take to screw in a light bulb?"

Due to the growing interest in our contest (about 15 entries to date--okay so it's just 5 or 6), WAC? is extending the deadline. New deadline for submissions is July 9. Winner will be announced on July 13.

A few people claimed or implied in e-mails that the contest is un-PC, rife with generalities and critical of younger people. That it makes fun of work-life balance. Well, it is. It does. But that doesn't mean it's not fun. And have you tried to get any of these narcissistic spoiled twits between the ages of 25 and 40 to do some work lately?

Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 12:43 AM | Comments (0)

June 29, 2007

The Entrepreneur's Guide to the Galaxy: Tech firms and simple solutions

“Everyone today must think like an entrepreneur whether it’s in your own business, a large company or a non-profit organization.”

--The Baby (Neil Senturia)

Tune in to San Diego's CA$H 1700 AM, Saturdays 1-2 p.m., Pacific Time, or listen live via simulcast on the CASH web site. Or visit www.ImThereForYouBaby.com.

With WAC?'s friends Neil Senturia and Barbara Bry.

Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 11:16 PM | Comments (0)

Hassett: 34 questions for clients and prospects

Every Wednesday, Jim Hassett at Legal Business Development gives us a thoughtful and practical article on the art of the client. We especially liked this week's post, 34 Questions for Clients and Prospects. Jim's simple but revolutionary idea: get clients to talk about their companies; get lawyers to listen.

Posted by JD Hull at 09:41 PM | Comments (0)

June 28, 2007

Patten: Tony Blair, Mediator?

Lawyer and ADR consultant Justin Patten of Human Law goes through his checklist in "Can Tony Blair succeed in the ultimate mediation role?"

Posted by JD Hull at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)

Global wariness of US, China and Russia increases

Not exactly surprising news from the Associated Press about a new poll:

WASHINGTON - Unease with American foreign policy and President Bush has intensified in countries that are some of the closest U.S. allies and around the globe, while Russia and China also face growing international wariness, a survey released Wednesday said.

Posted by JD Hull at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)

Should we put employees first, and clients and customers second?

WAC? may soon stop degrading and humiliating the summer help.

See "Put Your Employees First and Your Customers Second" at Jay Shepherd's fine blog, Gruntled Employees. Jay is right. Employees, through "emotional contagion," do color customer feelings. Job satisfaction is communicated to customers. I talk about this a bit in Rule 11 of WAC?'s 12 Rules of Client Service: Treat Each Co-Worker Like He or She Is Your Best Client .

When I wrote Rule 11, I mentioned that in practice treating employees as well as clients is difficult for me personally. To be honest, I've found that most employees don't understand client service, don't understand lawyering, and don't even get the concept of work and its simple joys. Although I am positive and optimistic by nature, I am very cynical about the white collar work force--in America and abroad. This, of course, is my failure alone. But am 100% certain that employees don't perform better or worse if you are "nice" to them. Good and happy employees map out their own job satisfaction. The issue for my firm is simple: how do you find these people?

But let's get back to Jay's post and into the sunshine. His more "pro-employee" post--and an article by two profs at England's Manchester

Business School he cites--even goes one step further. It says that companies grow and do well if employee satisfaction exceeds customer satisfaction.

Bottom line for managers and HR: employee satisfaction can actually be used as a metric to provide a leading indicator for company growth. Maybe that will get the boardroom's attention.

Amazing notion, and I am thinking about it. In the meantime, WAC? would add: make sure you've got the right employees. Sorry, but there just aren't that many great workers at any level out there--and most employees certainly will never get or care about client and customer service. Before candidates get to or have even heard of your shop, they either care or don't care about customers and clients. You can't teach, force or even bribe people to do it. Client service is an instinct--one that mixes pride in work with deep needs to communicate and serve. Find, hire and keep the naturals.

Posted by JD Hull at 03:08 PM | Comments (0)

June 27, 2007

Golden Practices

Upbeat, honest and just plain fun, Michelle Golden of Golden Marketing Inc. and Golden Practices may very well be the "anti-Geek". Michelle gets out there and actually talks to people face-to-face. She understands services, and how clients may experience them. And she gets what blogging is--and what it isn't. In the two years she's been blogging, Michelle has gained quite a following, which include cynics and non-gushers like the people who write WAC? See, for an introduction to Michelle, "Diving into the Blogosphere? Where to Begin." and "Why Does Social Media Work?"

Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 07:40 PM | Comments (0)

Tony Blair's springboard to "King of Europe"

And why not? As we've predicted, watch for outgoing British prime minister Tony Blair to be the first full-time European Union president. He's off to a great start. See by the Associated Press "Blair To Be Mideast Quartet's Special Envoy". The "quartet" is the EU, the United Nations, the United States and Russia. Palestinian economic and political reform will be a big part of the new diplomatic job.

Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 12:59 AM | Comments (0)

June 26, 2007

Geoff Sharp: Fear as a Tool

New Zealand's Geoff Sharp at mediator blah...blah... is just not that PC. He isn't compelled to make the same comfortable New Age noises as the rest of us (especially Americans) so often make and take refuge in. He's honest, innovative and authentic. See his "The Legitimate Use of Fear to Encourage Settlement". You got sand, Geoff.