Why are business development skills more important then ever for women lawyers?
Because in my opinion as female professionals we have reached an impasse.
In the words of Alice Eagly and Linda Carli in the September 2007 issue of Harvard Buisness Review (HBR) the glass ceiling is a misnomer. There is not artificial barrier beyond which we cannot ascend but rather a labyrinth of challenges and obstacles that must be overcome throughout our careers.
The statistics tell the story:
“According to the National Association for Law Placement, a trade group that provides career counselling to lawyers and law students, only about 17 percent of the partners at major law firms nationwide [US] were women in 2005, a figure that has risen only slightly since 1995, when about 13 percent of partners were women.” New York Times, March 19, 2006
“Gender inequality continues to exist in management functions, and the increase in the number of female university graduates will not itself be sufficient to close the gap.” Women Matter, McKinsey & Company, 2007
“The latest findings from Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR), released today to coincide with International Women’s Day, reveal that 38% of businesses do not have any women in senior management roles, a figure that has remained unchanged since 2004. The survey, which covers the opinions of 7,200 privately held businesses in 32 countries, represents 81% of global GDP.” Press Release, Grant Thornton, 2007.
“Consider the most highly paid executives of Fortune 500 companies – those with titles such as chairman, president, president, chief executive officer, and chief operating officer. Of this group, only 6% are women. Most notably, only 2% of the CEOs are women, and only 15% of the seats on the boards of directors are held by women.” From HBR Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership
The rising number of women graduating from law school and entering the legal profession is not enough to shift the balance. The same applies to women entering the business world with MBA’s and other professional degrees. More women entering the labyrinth doesn’t result in a corresponding rise in the number of women making it through.
Business development in this context becomes a means for advancing. It’s about taking leadership of one’s practice. It’s about determining what you want and how to get there.
Keep in mind that your female clients are experiencing the same challenges. How can you assist them? What can you do to help them get ahead?
Now it is up to each and every one of us to take this in our own hands.
“The lessening of activism on behalf of all women puts the pressure on each woman to find her own way.” From HBR Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership
In January I presented on this topic for the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) Vancouver Chapter and then again in February to the TAGLaw legal network. Watch for my upcoming article in The Lawyers Weekly.
I also recommend reading Larry Bodine’s list of ten recommendations “that law firms should adopt to reduce turnover among women lawyers, geneate more business and thus boost firm revenue” with one caveat:
Women lawyers are busier than ever. Business development activities must be implemented as a vital and strategic component of the lawyer’s own career plan. Not as yet another hoop jumping exercise.
This entry was posted on Friday, February 8th, 2008 at 1:58 pm and is filed under Leadership, Business Development, Women lawyers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.3 Responses to “Rainmaking for Women Lawyers”
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February 9th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
while professional women, women’s issues and women’s initiatives are attracting a great deal of publicity in recent months, women in firms still grapple with how to translate their relationship building skills into actual business. One of my clients saw herself as having a very easy time making friends and generating a successful rewarding social life. Yet, she saw business development and rainmaking as calling for very different relationship-building skills. She also saw leveraging her natural affinity for people to producing rainmaking results as being “salesy” and almost distasteful. Her male colleagues at the same level don’t experience this distinction. Women have to break through the chasm of perception that rainmaking is not for them or is disingenuous earlier in their careers. Women mentors can do a great service to their proteges by showing them that using their relationship skills are a tremendous advantage, personally and professionally, for them and especially for their clients.
Nancy Fox
Fox Coaching Associates
nfox@bizdevsuccess.com
www.bizdevsuccess.com
February 11th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Alison, the statistics you quoted are a pretty searing indictment of a playing field that is simply not level. The prevailing model of advancement and leadership in law firms is skewed in such a way that men invariably find it much easier to gain positions of power in firms. The really irritating part is that this has been clear for at least a decade if not two, yet firms’ lawyers have not responded en masse and addressed this obvious unfairness and missed opportunity.
I commend your proposal for a dialogue that involves women and men working together to fix this situation. To that end, I feel compelled to note that the dilemma of the original labyrinth was finally solved by a man and woman working together: Theseus may have slain the Minotaur, but it was Ariadne who came up with and executed the plan to bring him back out with a trail of string.
February 13th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Jordan - I just came across your comment, thanks so much! I very much enjoyed the reminder about Ariadne!
I think the challenge for women lawyers is that there are measures to take on two fronts. First, taking the required action in their own law firms to establish their personal power base, while at the same time engaging with their male colleagues in a discussion about the current billable hour bind that is so crushing for lawyers both male and female. I know many young fathers who struggle too with trying to spend the time they want with their children. Regrettably there isn’t much time (if any)in our firms for discussion of any kind. At the heart of the matter is the fact that profitability is currently measured on number of hours billed. The answer will and must be how can we work smarter not longer?