First 100 Days - Transitioning a New Managing Partner - (Page 20)

that will be doubly more difficult. If you succeed early, everything thereafter will be easier. T h e r e are managing partner groups in most major legal centers where managing partners get t o g e t h e r periodically usually breakfast or lunch to discuss issues of mutual concern. These g r o u p s are useful to get some good ideas and more importantly, learn that virtually every firm e v e n the ones that you perceive to be incredibly well run are struggling with most of the same i s s u e s that are keeping you awake at night. New managing partners need also to be reminded that their relationships with colleagues in t h e i r own firms will change once they take office. Some partners who were friends will now be j e a l o u s , while others will seek to take advantage of the relationship. Others will look for evi- d e n c e of favoritism even when none exists. Self-awareness of this phenomenon helps. N e w managing partners cannot be afraid of making mistakes. In a large firm, at least, the new m a n a g i n g partner will make or influence hundreds of decisions each week. You cannot approach t h e job with the view that you have to be perfect. Perfect is the enemy of the good. So long as y o u understand the consequences of being wrong a relatively minor decision gone wrong where y o u can later get it right is different than a major decision that commits substantial firm r e s o u r c e s , you can afford to make mistakes. Importantly, learn to know when you made a mis- t a k e and act promptly to deal with it. Making decisions promptly and correcting erroneous deci- s i o n s will build your authority, while agonizing over ever decision will undermine it. F i n a l l y, understand that you will not win every battle within the firm or within the Executive C o m m i t t e e . Learn to lose with grace. If you lose, analyze why and attempt to address those fac- t o r s the next time. Not every issue that comes to the Executive Committee is worth a war. C h o o s e your fights carefully. S t u a r t M . P a p e Managing Partner Patton Boggs LLP Washington DC I w o u l d suggest some early attention be directed to the staff and leadership partner teams you h a v e in place to leverage your time and get your early plans executed effectively. Early meetings t o set objectives and build a sense of purpose and commitment can greatly amplify the impact of t h e first 100 days. Our early agenda was to stimulate our partners to embrace change as a good thing. At our first partner's retreat, we took the partners on a sacred cow hunt: we invited the author 20 

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of First 100 Days - Transitioning a New Managing Partner

First 100 Days - Transitioning a New Managing Partner

https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NXTbigthing/julyaugust2006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NXTbigthing/july2006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NXTbigthing/june2006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NXTbigthing/may2006
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com