Law Firm Leadership The Whole Foods Way

Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers Law Firm Leadership: The Whole Foods Way Did you ever dream of being the best at something or playing for the best team?  I always  have. As a result, I have always wanted to learn what separates the best from those who are  really good. When I was growing up, I read biographies about leaders.  Even today I enjoy reading  about the most successful leaders.  Why are some leaders so successful? What does it take to be  a successful law firm leader or practice group leader?  The answers are fairly obvious.  But, if  they are so obvious why isn’t everyone doing what it takes to become successful? A year ago I wrote about law firm leadership in a blog titled: Five Essential Keys to Law Firm Leadership. In the blog, I talked about the importance of purpose, vision and core values. I thought about this recently when I read Creating a High Trust Organization, a piece Whole Foods CEO John Mackey had written. I urge you to read the entire piece and think about how his three main points apply to your firm. On the subject of purpose, vision and core values,  He said: The single most important requirement for the creation of higher levels of trust for any organization is to discover or rediscover the higher purpose of the organization. Why does the organization exist? What is it trying to accomplish? What core values will inspire the organization and create greater trust from all of its stakeholders? When was the last time you thought about or discussed why your law firm exists, what it is trying to accomplish and what its most important core values are?  Later John Mackey  talks about the importance of teamwork. He describes how Whole Foods is organized into teams. Your law firm is organized into teams as well. But, do your teams work effectively as teams? When I practiced law our firm had departments, practice groups and office teams, but we had very little “teamwork.” Having teams with little teamwork is a wasted opportunity. I practiced law for 37 years developing a national construction law practice representing some of the top highway and transportation construction contractors in the US.