Top 5 Moments From Practice With Purpose and Tri-Annual Retreat

Sitting in the airport restaurant next to the gate for my flight home, I was physically exhausted after two weeks of travel, but mentally I was pumped!  While I was excited to go home to my family, my mind was spinning as I was forced to sit still for some time while waiting for boarding to begin.   

Grabbing a notebook from my bag, I began reflecting and “dumping down” all my takeaways.  I wanted to be sure to capture all the things I knew I needed to work on to “knock it out of the ball park” for the final two months of 2014. 

Below are my top five takeaways after spending a week of legal technical support training, marketing, coaching and team training with our members.  The members and their teams always inspire me so much with their focus and commitment to put their heads down and work hard with their teams to reach the goals they declare on their Money Plans. 

• Two and a half days on Medicaid planning, asset protection, Veteran’s benefits, marketing your practice and every question asked along the way in Practice With Purpose.  Every moment was about the best approach to serving clients in the most effective way, while members added to their growth and understanding of estate & elder law planning.  Case studies were analyzed that probably mirror those sitting on attorney desks awaiting each attorney’s return. 

• The arrival of the members and their teams on Wednesday for our highest attended Tri-Annual Retreat ever.  Attorneys and their teams started to trickle into the hotel and everyone hugged each other.  There were a few handshakes but most were hugs.  The LWP membership is a national group of attorneys and team members who hug when we see each other.  We know each other and grow together.  This warms my heart.

• The breakout sessions.  An entire track each day was dedicated to either (1) technical legal; (2) marketing; or, (3) team development.  Just look at the titles of the sessions:
  • Key Features to the Trust Drafting Software You Need to Know
  • Busting Financial Planner Myths
  • You’ve Defined Roles, Now What?
  • Business Succession Planning
  • Community Presentations & Relations
  • What’s Happening in the Conference Room – The Signing & Funding Meetings
  • Post Death Trust Administration
  • How to Generate Facility Revenue: Getting & Staying in the Door with Nursing Homes
  • Communication Skills 

• Firm Retreats.  We kicked off the firm retreats with each firm sharing a win since the last retreat in Orlando.  The shares were all HUGE in my personal opinion.  A common theme was that they all had more than one thing to share – but since we were limited to one – it was hard to decide which one to share with their mic in hand.  So much building and growing toward the practice of their dreams had happened.

• The Why Coaching Day.  Breakthroughs from The Why Coaching Day were kicked off by Dave with a high level overview of every single conversation we’ve had in the Why program since Day 1, January 29, 2013, just 21 months ago. Going through the activity of “Where were you ten years ago?” to putting down “How you can be now to assure a future and present you love!”  My favorite share came from a team member who said that she’s doubted herself as a “leader” in the firm but now has 100% confidence that she IS and WILL be a leader in the firm – all said with tears in her eyes (and mine too).

It felt as though the focus in the room was completely on point. After being on implementation calls this past week with so many of our members, I know one thing for certain … there is a level of focus and determination among our members I’ve not seen before.  Drive, determination and commitment to “hitting it out of the ball park” for the future was defined for members both personally and professionally. 

I can’t wait for the February 2015 shares in Charlotte. 

Roslyn Drotar – Lawyers With Purpose, Coaching, Consulting & Implementation, Marketing & Social Strategist.