Wait! Why You Procrastinate & What You Can Do About It

April 2017

Featuring — Paul H. Burton, Founder & Principal, QuietSpacing LLC

Do you procrastinate? Ninety-five percent of us do. That’s right – 95%. Procrastination is one of the most common self-destructive behaviors we exhibit.  Procrastination is the result of favoring short-term relief over long-term gain. It reduces our productivity, causes us stress, and contributes to interpersonal and professional conflict. The good news is that procrastination is relatively easy to overcome.

Paul Burton will engage and entertain attendees, teach us why we procrastinate, and what we can do to reduce those behaviors. This Signature Seminar will use a quiz-based format focused on three categories – Fun Facts, Education, and Techniques – to help participants understand the roots of procrastination and how to overcome it through:

– Fun facts of procrastination – entertaining and interesting things that keep our perspective regarding how hard it is to be productive all the time.

– Educational aspects of why we procrastinate – the neurological, biological, and psychological reasons we procrastinate.

– Techniques to overcome procrastination – a host of ways to procrastinate less, get more done, and enjoy greater personal and professional satisfaction.

Creating A Road Map For A Holistic Flex Policy

February 2017

A successful flexible work program requires strong buy-in, thoughtful implementation, and regular monitoring. It also needs to be adaptable – evolving with the organization as the employees’ needs and clients change. While many professional service organizations have flexibility policies on the books, providing flexible work options without stigma remains a challenge. There has to be a clear understanding of why flexibility is a business imperative and how to make it work for all parties.  Whether your organization needs to create a flexibility program from scratch, expand its existing program, or pinpoint issues within the current program, Manar Morales, the Alliance’s President & CEO, will discuss and guide members through a road map for developing and supporting a successful flexible work program to achieve your organization’s flex objectives.

Creating A Game Plan For Business Development

December 2016

Featuring — Tasneem Goodman, Managing Director, Akina (A GrowthPlay Company)

Most professionals know that preparation, planning, and strategy are critical to achieving success in developing business. Yet many end up winging it because they are pressed for time, uncomfortable, or lack simple and practical tools for planning.

This seminar will cover what skills and tools professionals need to be more effective in their business development efforts and how they can approach business development with the intentionality and discipline that produce results.

In particular, this seminar will equip participants to:

– Understand the framework and underlying principles of business development

– Identify their potential clients and most important internal and external stakeholders

– Create a business development roadmap that supports creating opportunity over time

Making It Work: Attorneys Putting Flex Success™ in Action!

November 2016

Featuring — Beth Dickstein, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP; Kelly Hughes, Shareholder & Co-Chair of the Flexibility/Awareness Subcommittee, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. ; Erik Lemmon, Associate, Holland & Hart LLP; and Charise Naifeh, Associate, White & Case LLP

Join us for our November Signature Seminar Series teleconference and hear from previous Spotlight on Flex interviewees and Flex Success™ Award Honorees on how they are exemplifying Flex Success™ to achieve both personal and professional success. Our speakers will share their stories on how they have fully utilized their firm’s flex policies and showcase how men and women make Flex Success™ possible at all career stages!

Orchestrate: Four Productivity Skills Every Manager Needs

September 2016

Featuring — Paul H. Burton, Founder & Principal, QuietSpacing LLC

Managing cases, deals, and other people are vital skills mid-level people must develop. Yet, there are scant legal-focused resources available to help them build that skill set. Productive managers focus the right people on the right efforts to deliver top-quality work to clients in a timely manner. Mid-level managers can repeatedly achieve that result if a strong foundation is established first. Join us for September’s Signature Seminar with Paul Burton as he provides immediate, actionable suggestions around these four quadrants – consideration, collaboration, communication, and coordination – so anyone can orchestrate and control their time management skills. Participants will learn to: see the connection between larger goals and how things get done; effectively connect and engage those with whom you work; diplomatically manage up and manage down; and navigate the important landscape of middle management.

Using Flexibility to Recruit Your Next Generation of Superstars

June 2016

Featuring — Kori Carew, Director of Strategic Diversity Initiatives, Shook, Hardy & Bacon & Kia Scipio, Associate Director, Georgetown University Law Center

We all know students are vying for jobs, but employers are just as competitive with each other to recruit top talent.  The needs and wants of this generation are vastly different than the typical recruit 5-10 years ago.  Research shows flexibility is a key consideration when students and lawyers are choosing their firms (and when they are deciding to leave).  If you don’t have a flex policy, you are missing an easy, effective, and inexpensive way to recruit great lawyers.   If you do have a flex policy, how is it being messaged and translated during the recruitment process (if at all)?  For CSO’s, how do you counsel students on navigating flexibility without stigma from a potential employer?  Hear from both perspectives of the recruitment process and learn how to use flexibility to recruit and retain your next generation of superstars!

Investing In Your Success: Preparing Yourself For Sponsorship

April 2016

Featuring — Ritu Bhasin, LL.B., MBA, Principal & Founder, bhasin consulting inc.

Are you ready to be sponsored and be a sponsor? Sponsorship is a highly effective approach to advancing career development. It’s more than just mentoring or a passive relationship – it’s an investment relationship that requires winning the confidence of others and building and sustaining relationship capital. In this session, global inclusion specialist Ritu Bhasin will discuss key strategies and tools for becoming “sponsor-ready” from the individual and organizational perspectives.

More Women Need Seats at the Table

February 2016

Featuring — Roberta D. Liebenberg, Senior Partner, Fine, Kaplan and Black, R.P.C., Justice Fernande Duffly, Associate Justice, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and Beth Kaufman, Partner, Schoeman, Updike & Kaufman LLP

Roberta D. Liebenberg, co-author of the new ABA Report, First Chairs at Trial: More Women Need Seats at the Table, along with Justice Fernande Duffly and Beth Kaufman, will highlight the report’s findings, lead the discussion on why more women litigators need a seat at the trial table, and how women can get there. Each of the presenters will highlight their own experiences (both in front of and behind the bench) and provide recommendations on how to start closing the gender gap in the courtroom.

Saying No to Others and Saying Yes to Yourself

December 2015

Featuring – Sara Holtz, Founder & CEO, ClientFocus

There’s no doubt that business development is a key to success.  But how do we avoid the pitfalls of over-extending, over-exhausting, and over-committing ourselves to things all in the name of business development? Learning to say no is just as important to your personal and professional success. Listen as Sara Holtz, Founder & CEO of ClientFocus and author of Bringin’ in the Rain, guides us through the art of saying no to take back control of what really matters and enhances our careers.

Pitching Success: Six Ways to Guarantee Your Pitch Cuts Through the Clutter

November 2015

Featuring – Suzanne Franchetti, President, Franchetti Communications

You have only a few moments to capture someone’s attention…How do you reduce the risk of being just another distraction? Effective pitching is directly related to your bottom line. Suzanne Franchetti will lead participants through the Six Ways to Guarantee Your Pitch Cuts Through the Clutter.  This process, specifically designed for legal and professional services audiences, will provide the missing links to your presentation and media communication efforts. Whether you’re speaking to one person in an informal meeting, a large crowd at an industry event, or preparing to speak with the news media – partners, associates, and corporate legal teams will benefit from these messaging strategies.