Want success? Connect your actions with your purpose and service.
I have a new obsession: listening to the Good Life Project™ podcast by Jonathan Fields. (Find the video series here and the audio podcasts on iTunes.) Good Life Project™ presents a weekly deep-dive interview with an entrepreneur, artist, author, or thought leader. The interviews are educational, informative, and often moving.
The Project’s creed gives insight into what you’ll find:
A couple of weeks ago, I was listening to Fields’ interview of Simon Sinek while on a 90-minute drive. I found Sinek’s story and insights (covering storytelling, leadership, impact, service, and purpose) so fascinating that I was too spellbound to move when I reached my destination, and so I sat in my car for an extra 15 minutes until the interview ended. Here’s what Sinek shared.
Connect what you do with why you do it to fuel your efforts.
Nothing creates better fuel than serving those who serve others. Isn’t this what we seek to do when our businesses are also in some way our ministry? I serve lawyers who serve their clients, and I never for a moment forget that I have an opportunity to help a lawyer change not only her life, but also the lives of her clients, who can change their own clients’ or employees’ lives, and so on. For me, helping lawyers get more clients so they can build the practice and life they’ve dreamed of is only a middle point—an important middle point, to be sure, but not nearly the end of the story.
So, why do you do what you do? Connect actions with your “big why” to help you move forward even when times get challenging. The motivation matters, especially when you need to power through the tough spots.
But here’s the interesting secret to connecting purpose and service to your business: feeling a sense of purpose and service will embolden you to go further than you otherwise might. Rather than getting stuck on “how is this helping me,” you reach to serve because it’s the right thing to do.
An example: some of my clients are reluctant to get in touch with a new potential client or referral source because they fear coming across as pushy or annoying. We’ve all been there, right? Sometimes, I’ll have a conversation with a potential client, they’ll promise a return call, and then they’ll disappear. Until I got clear on this place of purpose and service, my habit was NOT to follow up because I didn’t want to pressure someone into a decision. (And, to be honest, because I interpreted silence as “no,” and I didn’t really want that to become explicit.) I still don’t want to pressure anyone, and I’m not any more excited about the prospect of hearing no, but I follow up with potential clients now because being of service to them demands that I follow up.
A sense of service outweighs discomfort every time.
Sometimes I get the “no” response, and almost without exception the potential client appreciates the follow-up.
For your reflection:
- Where are you stopping yourself from being of service? How can you become of even greater service?
- Ask yourself the question Fields uses in closing each interview: What does it mean to you to live a good life? Are you doing that? If not, how is your business (and your life) affected?
ABOUT JULIE FLEMING
Julie A. Fleming, principal of Lex Innova Consulting, teaches lawyers to use innovative and effective measures to build a strong book of business and a lucrative practice. A former patent litigator, she is the author of The Reluctant Rainmaker: A Guide for Lawyers Who Hate Selling, Seven Foundations of Time Mastery for Attorneys, and the forthcoming Legal Rainmaking Myths: What You Think You Know About Business Development Can Kill Your Practice,as well as numerous articles focusing on topics such as business development, practice management, work/life balance, and leadership development. Before launching her consulting business, Julie practiced law for over a decade in firms of 3 to more than 2100 attorneys, specializing in patent litigation. A graduate of the Emory University School of Law, Vanderbilt University (B.A.) and Georgia State University (B.S.), Julie is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and currently serves as Vice Chair of the ABA Section of Science and Technology Law.
Jory has invited me to write on how to grow a solid business, and I’d love to hear your questions! What frustrates you? What challenges would you like to transform into opportunity? What are you curious about? Comment on this post and/or send your questions directly to Julie@LexInnovaConsulting.com. Please let me know you’re a friend of Jory’s. Can’t wait to hear from you!
Jory Fisher says
It’s so easy to let fear hold us back from following up with a prospective client, isn’t it, Julie? Thank you for addressing this. If we hold on to our purpose and remember why we are reaching out (to HELP OTHERS!), then we can bust through those oh-so-scary-make-pretend-dragons that stand in our way.
Yet another excellent article, Julie. Thank you!!!