Show Notes:

Michael’s change of heart. “For many of the early years of Crisp, I had this belief that I had to figure everything out — how we were going to solve every single challenge that we would experience, any how to overcome any obstacle that I would encounter. If I didn’t know how to do it, I had to figure out how to do it. Even areas that were not in my strengths, I just had to figure it out. What I’ve realized over time is that’s a very limiting belief and a very limiting perspective because there are going to be things that you’re not going to be willing to do or a vision that may not be as big if you have to know how to do it. You’re going to limit yourself based on what you know how to do, and if you’re going to pursue something that you don’t know how to do then that’s going to come with all sorts of obstacles. Instead the approach is very much around the fact that I do not have to be the one to figure it out. Sure, you can have the vision, but then it’s all about how I can find the right people and put those people in the right roles that can solve those problems. It’s a function of leverage and being able to figure things out through the skills and capabilities of others. Listen, my thinking is limited. My skills are limited. There’s only so much that I can do on my own as a leader, but with a team that has various skills and capabilities that knows how to do something that I do not — wow. The opportunities are endless.”

Be wrong. “What do you think happens when you admit that you were wrong? Do you believe that people in the room will think less of you? That they will not believe you’re as capable of a leader? That you are not intelligent? That you are not able to lead the organization? In my experience it is the exact opposite. Typically it’s our egos that don’t like admitting when we’re wrong, but at the same time, we like it when other people admit that they’re wrong. It drives us crazy when other people are stubborn and stick to their beliefs, even when they’re wrong. It bothers us when we see other people’s egos, but for whatever reason, it doesn’t bother us with our own ego. I think that’s fascinating.”

Check your blind spots. “Whenever I’m sure about something, that’s where my Spidey sense goes off. I start to ask myself, ‘What am I not seeing? What are my potential blind spots?’ When I speak to our leaders and even mentors of mine when I’m proposing some sort of initiative or a new approach or a direction we’re going to take with the business, I always ask them, ‘What am I not seeing here? What could go wrong here? What’s a perspective that I’m unaware of here?’ because if everything sounds too good to be true, oftentimes it is. There’s always another perspective. I think the more you are willing to embrace the fact that there’s someone that believes the exact opposite of what you believe — and there’s a reason for that — the better that you can understand multiple positions on an issue on any issue and the better of a leader it makes you.”

Change is constant. “What’s constant? Change and taxes. These are the two things that are always going to be a part of your life. What’s the alternative? Let’s say you don’t embrace change. In that instance, you don’t evolve and you stick to the things that you’ve been doing for 20+ years. How’s that going to go for you for the next 20 years? Now, there’s certain foundational aspects, like providing great customer service, that stand true over time. That being said, when there’s new technology, not embracing that — like not implementing a case management system, not embracing artificial intelligence, not doing things that can improve the output and productivity of your law firm — will put you at a competitive disadvantage. The only reason you would not embrace these things is because it either scares you and it’s unfamiliar, or because you are so set in your ways that you are purposely putting your firm at a competitive disadvantage, which is just silly.”

Adapt quickly. “How do you continue to evolve and navigate change? Accept that it’s constant and it’s a reality. You have to accept this is what it’s going to be, and a few years from now, something’s going to be different. There’s probably going to be different social platforms, and different algorithms, and different ways of marketing, and different ways of leveraging various tools and technology, and leading teams, etc. It’s going to change year over year over year, of course. Ten years from now, what we’re doing is going to be unrecognizable. Of course that’s going to happen. If change is going to be constant, then ask yourself how we as leaders can stay ahead of this stuff so our organizations are always ready and that we’re within striking distance of whatever it is that we want to embrace within our organizations. That’s looking ahead to up-and-coming technology and up-and-coming methodologies and so on so that you’re not the last one on. There’s of course the early adopters, but you don’t want to be the late adopter once everybody in your market has already embraced some sort of technology or case management platform, some way of marketing, leadership, culture, etc. If you’re the last one and your phone’s stopped ringing, that’s the worst time to start embracing this stuff.”

RESOURCES & REFERENCES

2018 Game Changers Summit
Who Not How by Dan Sullivan
TikTok
EVOLVE Summit
Apple Vision Pro