An evolving collection of resources and colleagues I recommend: Books The Art of Managing Professional Services: Insights from Leaders of the World’s Top Firms by Maureen Broderick Profitable Brilliance: How Professional Services Firms Become Thought Leaders by Russ Alan Prince and Bruce H. Rogers Power Questions by Andrew Sobel The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook by Charles H. Green and Andrea P. Howe Wait: The Art and Science of Delay, by Frank Partnoy I'm There for You, Baby: The Entrepreneur's Guide to the Galaxy, by Neil Senturia Tough Truths: The Ten Leadership Lessons We Don't Talk About, by Deirdre Maloney Colleagues LawLeadersLab Craig Miller Online Socialrati Law Firm Transitions Profitable Brilliance Finding Your Voice
An evolving collection of resources and colleagues I recommend:
Books
Profitable Brilliance: How Professional Services Firms Become Thought Leaders by Russ Alan Prince and Bruce H. Rogers
Power Questions by Andrew Sobel
Wait: The Art and Science of Delay, by Frank Partnoy
I'm There for You, Baby: The Entrepreneur's Guide to the Galaxy, by Neil Senturia
Tough Truths: The Ten Leadership Lessons We Don't Talk About, by Deirdre Maloney
Colleagues
LawLeadersLab
Craig Miller
Online
Socialrati
Law Firm Transitions
Finding Your Voice
Thought leadership by and/or about professional service firms
Are you mixing up the Volcker Rule and the Golden Rule? Confused by SIFI vs. Syfy? Never fear; Sullivan & Cromwell LLP has a cool new online tool, Dodd-Frank Developments, to help track regulatory developments in the financial services world. Dodd-Frank Developments, found on the firm’s Financial Services Reform Resource Center site, allows visitors to sort information by date, agency, action type, statutory deadlines, effective dates, Dodd-Frank section and reform categories. Check it out.
They may not be quite as entertaining as gangnam style parodies or grumpy kittens, but law firm Baker Donelson‘s Entrepreneur Minute videos are worth a click or two. The videos, produced by the firm’s Emerging Companies practice team, cover topics from “when to say no to good ideas” to non-compete agreements to trademarks and leasing space, and feature entrepreneurs as well as attorneys. According to Baker Donelson CMO Adam Severson, who discussed the video program on a recent Legal Marketing Association webcast, the videos have made the practice group’s page the most visited on their website.
While all eyes are on the phenomenal athletes and their feats of glory, ArchDaily is taking a broader look at the Olympics – from the ground up and into the future. Along with descriptions of the various sites and structures and an infographic on “Iconic Olympic Buildings”, ArchDaily's dedicated site offers perspectives on the future use of the venues and the societal, environmental and financial implications of the Olympic infrastructure. Visit for the pictures, the content and the insider view of the role architects play before, during and after the Games.
One might expect creative agencies to be, well, consistently creative. One might also expect to find that isn’t always so. Case in point: Pinterest. While professional services firms are still trying to figure out how to use the site, some PR and advertising firms are featuring blank boards and white space. Peppercom, on the other hand, has established a strong presence with a distinct point of view and personality, reflecting their irreverent culture. Among their informative and entertaining boards: Audience Experience, Humor in the Workplace, Innovation Mill, Clean Green and Infographics, the last featuring (as of today) 35 examples.
Who couldn’t use a little advice on how to be a better leader? For that matter, who couldn’t benefit from a little clarity on what defines a great leader? Fortunately, leadership is a hot topic in the thought leadership universe these days, with a number of experts eager to share their perspectives. Just a small sampling of what’s currently on offer: Hay Group had released its annual Best Companies for Leadership report; IBM has published Leading Through Connections, Insights from the Global IBM CEO Study; Talent Innovations has some thoughts on how men and women differ as leaders in their report Gender Differences in 360 Degree Feedback; the June issue of Harvard Business Review features a spotlight on leadership; and Booz & Company provides a view of The New CEO’s First Year. On a slightly darker note, the latest issue of Booz & Co’s strategy + business includes a review of a new book by Barbara Kellerman – boldly titled The End of Leadership.
Everyone talks (and tweets and blogs) about social business, but what are businesses actually doing about it? MIT Sloan Management Review, in collaboration with Deloitte, recently conducted a survey of folks in management roles in companies representing 24 industries in 115 countries to get a handle on the reality of how businesses use and perceive the value of social business. The nearly 3,500 survey responses, together with selected interviews and a research review, form the basis of Social Business: What are Companies Really Doing?, the report published by the Review. The report also includes some thoughts on how organizations can put social business into action – particularly useful given the fact that survey respondents expect social business to become increasingly important, even if they haven’t completely embraced it as yet.
Catering to those who graze on information all day in all sorts of ways, PwC’s 10Minutes program offers a full menu, from appetizers to banquets, on current issues. If you’re interested in global talent mobility, for example – the current 10Minutes topic – you can take a quick look at the discussion on email, watch a video, download a pdf, or link to more substantive whitepapers and reports. And there’s an app for that. Upcoming topics, according to the website: supply chain flexibility, adjusting to changes triggered by the Eurozone crisis, and the transformation of business services.
Proving its devotion to the industry it covers, law firm Morrison & Foerster has moved its MoFo Tech magazine online, launching MoFo Tech Blog earlier this month. A tweet announcing the launch describes MoFo Tech as “a blog devoted to cutting-edge legal issues affecting science and technology companies.” The blog will offer original material in addition to the magazine content. Case in point: the site currently showcases the results of research the firm recently conducted on M&A in the tech arena.
It is a truth not always universally acknowledged that thought leadership benefits from a touch of color and personality. Fortunately, Gibbs & Soell just published a report reinforcing that truth: Sense and Sustainability®, easily my favorite title of the year so far. The report, subtitled Perspectives on Corporate Sustainability Among Consumers and Executives, highlights the fact that while there are encouraging trends, businesses have some work to do to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability – and consumers are watching. Gibbs & Soell partnered with Harris Interactive® and Cision Global Analysts to conduct the study, representing the perceptions of 2,200+ U.S. adults and 300+ U.S. corporate executives
Now that the PR industry has redefined itself after a high-profile, crowdsourced identity exercise conducted by PRSA, PR practitioners can turn their attention to other changes in their world. The USC Annenberg Strategic Communication and Public Relations Center has published its seventh biennial Communication and Public Relations Generally Accepted Practices (Gap VII) study. Among the key findings: budgets are up from the previous study; there’s an increased focus on measurement and evaluation; social media has become mainstream; and the field is expanding to include new functions, including customer relations. The study was conducted in cooperation with PRSA, the Arthur W. Page Society, the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).