First contact

To help Bill Clinton maintain focus during the 1992 presidential campaign, his strategist, James Carville, erected a sign in Clinton's office observing: 'The economy, stupid!' '“ a phrase destined to become a cornerstone of his campaign.

Many lawyers could use a similarly gifted strategist: someone who, in the midst of our hectic schedules, in which we are constantly reacting to immediate pressures, powerfully reminds us of what's really important '“ where we really need to maintain our focus.

Yet, if we employed such a person, what message would he (or she) hang up in our office? Looking back on my own career, the message I wish I had been given, especially early on, would have been: 'It's the relationships, stupid!'

Worthwhile investment

The bottom line is this: at some point the success or failure of your career will come down to the relationships that you have or haven't invested in '“ far more than your scintillating intellect, academic qualifications, and magisterial legal expertise. The reasons are threefold:

1. There will come a time when your position in a law firm is no longer measured by your legal abilities but instead by your ability to bring in business, which is in turn contingent upon your having a network of clients and contacts.

2. Bringing in business means that you must be able to generate new and different work pipelines '“ relying neither on other people's clients, nor on their streams of work. In essence, you must 'feed' yourself (and others), meaning that you must have nurtured your own independent relationships.

3. Clients typically retain their legal advisers on the basis of their personal connections; not those elements of technical expertise, depth of experience, list of deals, or law firm credentials which so many lawyers rely upon to differentiate themselves from the competition '“ thus in effect making themselves indistinguishable. One general counsel of a global organisation said he views most law firms as 'similar organisations, providing the same services, in the same way' '“ by implication evaluating lawyers within those firms as being essentially interchangeable. Again, it's the relationships that make the difference.

Never too late to start

While these three statements may appear to be obvious, many lawyers tend to ignore reality until it's too late. For example, when you are being considered for partner you may suddenly realise '“ with a clarity that you've never noticed before '“ that you lack an impressive business base, or even the close contacts required to create one. Or, worse still, after becoming a partner, you may realise, with a sinking heart, that you can't sustain yourself in the position because of insufficient business and no means by which to attain it.

At such moments of epiphany, there might well be regrets, including: why did I spend all those gruelling hours in the office, rather than focusing on my relationships and network building? I should have stayed in touch with W (not to mention X) who is now the head of Y and in a position to retain legal services with Z. . . and why did I work so hard for other lawyer's clients, helping them build up their business, rather than develop my own?

What I'm urging is this: don't allow yourself to become one of these regretful lawyers: instead, begin building up your network of relationships now! We all know that the key to a financially secure future is to plan, and that only fools wait until the verge of retirement before contemplating their investment portfolios. Exactly the same principle applies to your portfolio of relationships. It's never too late to start but the sooner you do, the stronger those relationships will be when you need to leverage them for your business development objectives.

While relationship building is a straightforward enough concept '“ we've all built relationships '“ building a network for business is no different. That said, many lawyers become overwhelmed by the concept of networking '“ possibly because it can prove to be a minefield of misconceptions. For example, when still a young associate, I equated networking to walking into a room full of strangers with the sole and undiluted purpose of discovering the perfect client and dazzling him or her with my expert legal skills. In other words: an unrealistic goal and a huge misperception! It took me a while to learn that networking is much simpler and more enjoyable, being merely about relationship building.

Networking tips

1. Take an interest in people and be generous with your time, energy and resources '“ successful networkers consistently think about how they can provide a benefit to the people within their circle of connections. Further, they promote a mindset of expecting nothing in return, meaning that that their networking is not contingent on what they expect to receive. Having said that, of course, the goal of networking is to improve your professional contacts, and ultimately increase your business. So, to optimally achieve these objectives, you must network with a purposeful focus: prioritising, and enjoying, networking (i.e. not just doing it for the benefit) but at the same time being cognizant of your objectives. It is a fine distinction, but the point is still worth making. Over the course of a career, the person motivated solely by his own personal benefit is bound to be an unsuccessful networker for the simple reason that people '“ even if they can be fooled once '“ eventually see through insincerity.

2. Successful networking involves using some basic people skills, which, ironically enough, can be unfamiliar to many gifted lawyers:

a. People want to feel important and be appreciated and, when you fulfill this core need in them, you receive goodwill in return. So, rather than trying to impress someone with your own worth, you can make a much better impression by bolstering him or her. Compliment. Give recognition. Show admiration.

b. When you first meet someone, do you try to convince them how clever, funny, or cultured you are? Do you find yourself worrying that you won't have anything worthwhile to say, or that what you say might sound stupid? If so, remember this rule: be interested '“ not interesting! This means you should listen, ask questions, solicit information, and involve yourself in the feelings of the person you're addressing. This is by far the easiest way to make a good and lasting impression. Even if you happen to be one of those rare and lucky people with a knack for relating entertaining anecdotes, the tragic reality is that other people are inevitably more interested in themselves than in anyone else.

3. Successful networkers are rarely at a loss for words, not necessarily because they are (by nature) charismatic extroverts, but because they are prepared. They never leave home without having considered how they might best approach people. You can be one of them if you:

a. Create (and practise) a personal self-introduction, which describes who you are and what you do in a way that is informative, interesting and memorable.

b. Brush up on some topics of interest that are likely to appeal to the people you will be meeting. Appropriate subjects can include virtually anything: current events, sports, movies, books, food, celebrities, business news '“ even political scandals, as long as you know your audience.

c. Determine your objective beforehand and then do your homework. For example, if attending an event with known speakers or attendees, read their bios and research their companies. You might just find something of interest, or at least a link steering you towards the formation of an intelligent question.

Once there, make things easy for the other person. For example, if two people are standing next to you and one smiles, says hello and then makes a casual comment, while the other person avoids eye contact, which of the two are you more likely to strike up a conversation with?

4. Where information is concerned, be a sponge and then permit yourself to let drops fall where they might be of most use '“ gather information about your clients and the people that you meet: their partners and children, hobbies and interests, likes and dislikes. Then develop a way to keep this information at hand. If gifted with a photographic memory you don't need to worry, but if you're a normal lawyer with a hectic professional schedule, jot down some notes. Once you're back in the office, put the information into your contact database. Although some such information may seem insignificant, it's probably far from trivial to the people concerned. And why on earth collect enough information to write a short biography without using it? Send John tickets when his favorite band comes to town. Email Frank when you see that his idolized football team has just won some championship. These things count.

Networking is, by its very nature, unpredictable. There are no set rules or predetermined avenues for success. You never know when certain people in your network might individually make a difference, and sometimes all your investment is bound to feel like a waste of your (precious few) spare hours. You might even look at your network and think that nobody there is of real value. Perhaps the people in your inner circle have no current relationship to your area of law. Yet, someone who might not appear helpful today can become helpful in the future. When talking to lawyers about their clients, one of the most common stories I hear is about work that resulted from unanticipated circumstances or unexpected people. So don't discount anyone.

5. Always remember that it's worthwhile to network at all levels. Even the most junior contacts can prove useful, particularly for lawyers just starting to build their networks; soon some of these juniors will have the power to give work to you '“ or take it away '“ when they later end up in positions of clout!

6. Spend as much time networking with your existing clients as you do trying to find new relationships. This means:

a. Keeping yourself visible to your clients '“ especially in times of 'non-engagement' with them.

b. Consistently thinking about ways that you can provide your clients value (beyond your role as their lawyer). Remember, no value is too small. Even a simple compliment or gesture can be crucial. The focus with your clients is not: what can they do for me? Instead it's: what can I do for them?

In short, one builds a network of relationships one day and one person at a time. It takes a lot of investment: keeping in touch with people, following up, and being proactive, which is admittedly not easy in the midst of the lawyer's busy, often reactive schedule. Maybe it's time to put a reminder up in your office: 'It's the relationships!'