Making Changes Dont Be Afraid Of Them

Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers Making Changes: Don’t Be Afraid of Them I meet many lawyers who are afraid of making changes. I have spent many years studying why it is so difficult to get people to change. I discovered it is how our brains are wired. If you are trying to make changes in your law firm, take a look at:  The Neuroscience of Leadership by David Rock and Jeffrey Schwartz. I also find valuable an article from Fast Company magazine: Change or Die. You will find it valuable for how best to get your lawyers to change. I like this quote: So instead of trying to motivate them with the “fear of dying,” Ornish reframes the issue. He inspires a new vision of the “joy of living” â€" convincing them they can feel better, not just live longer. That means enjoying the things that make daily life pleasurable, like making love or even taking long walks without the pain caused by their disease. “Joy is a more powerful motivator than fear,” he says. Nancy and I have always embraced making changes in our lives. In fact, we tend to get bored if nothing is changing. We make changes motivated by joy, not by fear. We have always felt that life is an adventure and we have made many changes, including picking up and moving to a new place.  Each time we have made a change, we felt we had made a great choice. And, we are doing it again. Yes, in one week Nancy and I are moving to Prosper, Texas, which may soon become one of the fastest growing cities in the US. See:  Prosper poised to become next North Texas boom town. When we first looked at homes in Prosper, I discovered there is already a street named after me. (Not really, but…) As you will see below, there is so much construction going on within a short distance of where we will be living that I have been tempted to go back to actively practicing law. We are moving from our home in far north Dallas (as far north as you can be and not be in Plano). We never put it on the market and we had not planned to move. But, a friend recommended our house to a great young couple with two boys and the rest is history. We just closed on the sale of it on Friday. We have lived in our home since 1997, the longest stay in one home in our 45 years together. So, we are a little nostalgic about leaving. I have been thinking about how I will now answer when someone asks where I live. Will I still say Dallas, or will I be more accurate and say Prosper? I think if I say Prosper, I will have to add Texas. Our new home in Prosper will be at the far end of the Dallas North Tollway, north of Plano and just north of Frisco, both of which are booming. I haven’t looked on a map yet, but I think we may be closer to the Oklahoma state line than my old Fountain Place office in downtown Dallas. The Dallas far north suburbs are bursting at the seams. Toyota is relocating it headquarters to Plano. See: Toyota’s Plano move to bring 4,000 jobs from California, New York, Kentucky. Liberty Mutual may be bringing 4000 jobs to Plano also. See:  Could Liberty Mutual be bringing 4,000 more jobs to Plano?   Frisco is also booming. There are over $5 billion in projects currently being constructed in Frisco. You have to drive through Frisco to fathom the boom going on there. See: Boom in Frisco is big even by Texas standards. Jerry Jones and others are developing the Cowboys headquarters, practice facility, office towers, apartments and medical buildings. See: $1B Frisco development near new Cowboys’ HQ to include Perot’s Hillwood Properties. We are moving to a Windsong Ranch.  I was amazed at how different a new planned development is. Within a block of our house is a amenities center, with a workout facility, a cafe that makes lattes the old fashioned way (and that cost a $1.00 less than Starbucks).  Just outside the building are a  Resort-style pool with cabanas, lap pool and children’s splash park. There is even a Community Lifestyle Director. There is a dance with a live band scheduled for March, 21. (And, no this is not a retirement community. Young families with children live here also.) You likely know for the last year I have been working out of my house. So, our address and phone number will change. I will have our new address and phone numbers in my emails. So, if you get one please make the change. What kind of changes have you been contemplating?  If you are a lawyer or law firm, consider making a change by opening a Plano, Frisco or Prosper office and watch your practice grow. I practiced law for 37 years developing a national construction law practice representing some of the top highway and transportation construction contractors in the US.