Organizational Applications in The Legal Environment: by John Besselman

Organizational Applications in
the Legal Environment

(A Look at the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)
By
John Besselman
Foundational Support
• Character vs. Personality Ethic (schools)
• Power of the Paradigm
• Habit Formation
• Maturity Continuum
• P/PC formula
Character vs. Personality
(Schools of Thought on Leadership)
 Character school of thought rests on traits and

values of person.
 Personality school of thought arose right after

WWI and continues, to a degree, today.
Dale Carnegie “How to Win Friends and Influence People” model
 Covey adopts wholly the Character School of

Though (though sees the occasional utility in
Personality-derived tools for short-term gain).
Personality
Traits
Character
Traits
(based on principles)
Power of the Paradigm
• “Seasoned Woman” vs. Young Woman
drawing
Habit Formation
Habit Creation Knowledg

e
Skill Desire
Maturity
Continuum
Interdependence
“We do it.”
Independence
“I do it.”
Dependence
“You do it.”
P/PC Formula
P roduction
/
PC
Three Assets
1)Physical
2)Financial
3)Human
Interdependence
5 6
Public
Victory
4
Independence
Private
Victory
1 2
Dependence
Habit One – Be Proactive
• Are we subject to our conditions?
(1) Genetic - ancestral control

(2) Psychic – mental control
(3) Environmental – product of our surroundings
Victor Frankl Story
Our Input
This is the area we
can control.
Stimulus
“Stuff
Happens”
Response
Proactive Model
(Act or be Acted Upon)
Reactive Statement Proactive Statement

There is nothing I can do. I have not practical
alternative.
I can’t do that. I won’t do that.
I have to do that. I decided to do that.
How often do we communicate to our

client (or other) in a reactive way?
Do we have to?
Personal
Arena Circle of Concern
New Boss
Health
Pending
Legislation Circle of Hobbies
Relationships Influence Promotions
Vacations
Trust Issues Professional
with the Client Arena
Circle of Concern
Circle of
Influence
Circle of Concern
Pending
Legislation
Relationships
New Boss
Health
Hobbies
Circle of Influence
Trust Issues
with the Client
Vacations
Promotions
Proactive Steps
(Expand Your Circle of Influence)
• The “Haves” and the “Bes”

ve
Rea c ti t
IfT thectiproblem
ve
is “out there” r
the
oa
u
thought
g h is the
hou P ho
problem.
ght T
“Things will be better when I have a big house.”
“I can be more thrifty with my expenditures.”

Proactive Steps
(Expand Your Circle of Influence)
• The Other End of the Stick

– Consequences Do we “own” our mistakes and
shortcomings with our clients?
– Mistakes
How easy is this to do?
• Making and Keeping Commitments
– Be a light, not a judge Does your client think of
– Be a model, not a critic you as a critic?
– Be part of the solution, not part of the problem
Habit Two – Begin with the End in Mind
• How do you want to be regarded by those

attending your retirement (or funeral)?
– All things are created twice (mentally then physically)

? -Centered Life
What have you centered
your life on?
Spouse, work, money,

social functions, self,
family, pleasure, friend-
enemy, etc.
? -Centered Life
Wisdom
Security Guidance
Power
Wisdom
Security Guidance
Principles
Power
Your Paradigm –
or how you view
the world. Wisdom
Security Guidance
Principles
Power
Principles
Paradigm
Mission
Statement
Habit Three – Put First Things First
Habit One puts the actor in charge
Habit Two begins the creation (mental)
Habit Three continues the creation
(physical)
This is the day-to-day, moment-to-
moment doing it
Time Management
• Where we spend out time tells us about our
priorities
• We should use our goals and priorities to

schedule our time
• Caution – time should be managed in week

chunks instead of daily chunks to allow for
variance
Urgent Not Urgent
Important
I II
III IV
Not Important
Quadrant I (Crisis)
Pressing Problems
Urgent and
Important
Critical Deadlines
Catastrophe Too Much Time =

Stress and Burnout
Urgent Not Urgent
Important
I II
III IV
Not Important
Quadrant IV (Trivia)
Busy work
Not Urgent and
Some mail Not Important
Some phone calls Too Much Time =

Irresponsible
Management
Pleasant Activities
Urgent Not Urgent
Important
I II
III IV
Not Important
Quadrant III (Interruptions)
Some mail
Some phone calls

Not Urgent but
Important
Some meetings
Too Much Time =
Short Term Focus
Some reports
Urgent Not Urgent
Important
I II
III IV
Not Important
Quadrant II (Prevention)
PC Activities
Not Urgent
but Important
Relationship Building
Planning
Recreation
Quad II Activities
 Covey states this is where our mission statement has
the greatest impact
 Do not be “problem-minded” but rather,

“opportunity-minded”
 Learn to say “No” – move all available time into

Quadrant II activities
 Quadrant II activities are planned

Planning Quad II Activities
Plan for a “people” dimension
Effective vs. Efficient – our relationships with

persons are gauged by effectiveness, not
efficiency
Plans require flexibility
Schedule tool is a servant, not a master

Getting Started
(1) Identify your roles (spouse, parent, partner,
lawyer, leader, supporter, etc.)
(2) Choose Goals for the Roles (at least some

of these goals should reflect Quad II activities)
(3) Schedule What can you do

in the next 15
minutes?
(4) Daily Adapting
Be Proactive
Begin With the End in Mind

Private Victories
Put First Things First

Public Victory
• Success with ourselves (or within our
own organizations) before we can have
lasting successes with others
• Mastery over ourselves (Habits 1, 2 and

3) leads to independence
• Public victories lead to interdependence

Emotional Bank Accounts
• Relating with other persons requires that we
have some common ground to exchange with
them, or emotional bank accounts
• One spends out of his or her account by being

discourteous, dishonest, distrustful, cutting
people off, ignoring people, arbitrary actions,
betraying trust, or threatening
Bankrupt Account
Lack of trust leaves an organization that is
filled with measured words
Tension is high
MFRs are plentiful
Politicking
Flexibility is gone
Goleman and Co. would call this a dissonant
organization (Primal Leadership)
Habit Four – Think Win-Win
Based on work of Getting to Yes
by Roger Fisher and William Ury
Many people/organizations see

world through a competition
paradigm
Employees do what gets counted

6 Possible Outcomes
 Win-Win: mutually  Lose-Lose: revenge
beneficial driven
 Win-Lose: only one  Win: winning party does

party gets what they not care what others
want want
 Lose-Win: capitulation  Win-Win or No Deal:

(think Neville mutually beneficial or
Chamberlain) we seek elsewhere
Relationships Win-Win
Agreements
1. Integrity
2. Maturity
3. Abundance
Mentality
Precursors to Win-Win
(in the organizational setting)
Trust
Abundance Mentality
Organizational Rewards Win-Win
Visible Rewards
Commitment from the Entire
Organization – training, planning,
communications, etc.
Abundance Mentality
• There is enough for everybody

• As opposed to the Scarcity Mentality
• Share credit, power and profit
• Does your worth come from comparative
value?
• Those involved in Abundance Mentality are
excellent teammates
Relational Trust
High Emotional Bank Account needed

Respect is a natural bi-product
Differences can be effectively
communicated
This can lead to a greater number of
alternatives for solutions (Win-Win)
Habit Five – Seek First to Understand, Then to
be Understood
 This habit requires diagnosis (to understand)

 Diagnosis requires effective listening
 We spend years learning how to read, write
and speak, but not how to listen
 “Intent to reply” is how most of us listen
(formulating a response while the other
person is speaking)
 This is listening through our own paradigm
“Empathic Listening”
Listening with the intent to understand
Professionals need to understand the needs,

concerns and situation before recommending
a course of action…this requires empathic
listening
4 levels of competencies
4 Level of Competency
a) Mimic Content
b) Rephrase the Content
c) Reflect the Feeling
d) Rephrase the Content & Reflect the Feeling

Paradigm Check Point
 Pre-existing prejudices (young woman vs. old woman
in picture)
 I’m spouse-centric while you are work-centric
 I am of the Scarce Mentality and you are of the

Abundance Mentality
 I am Right Brain holistic while you are Left Brain

analytical
Habit Six – Synergize
• Synergy = the whole is greater than the
parts, or the real definition of a team
• Trust is an indispensable element
• Diversity of viewpoint is an indispensable

element
Competition Paradigm
• Too many adopt the win-lose outlook
• Can you identify internal competitions in your

agency?
• Are you ever in competition with your client?

Trust Issues
• Low Trust Environment is a defensive
environment
• CYA, MFR, email follow-ups and stilted

conversations
• Communication is curtailed
From “Speed of Trust”
“When leaders fundamentally don’t believe
people can be trusted, they create a system
and structures that reflect that belief, such as
hierarchy, multiple layers of management, and
cumbersome processes.”
-Stephen M.R. Covey-

Driving Forces
Personal
Inspiration
Book We
Initiative
FromFriends
the Are
Top
Just Read To
Boss Said
GoingDotoItHelp Restraining Forces
Q. Where does your office sit?
Q. What role does it play in overcoming the obstacle?

Diversify
 Value differences in the environment
 No team made up of just punters
 Every NFL team has a punter
 Every NFL team has a place kicker
 Some NFL teams have a kick-off kicker
Why?
Habit 7 – Sharpening the Saw
Four Dimensions of Renewal
Physical
Nutrition
Mental Spiritual
&
Exercise
Quad II
Social/Emotional Activity
Physical
Habit Two: Begin with the End in Mind
Serving others leads to centered-existence
Mental Spiritual
Social/Emotional
Physical
Challenge
Mental Spiritual
your mind!
Social/Emotional
1 Hour a Day
Physical
Emotional
Intellectual
Mental Domain
Domain
Spiritual
Social/Emotional
Physical
Mental Spiritual
Social/Emotional
Habits 4, 5 and 6 Are Emotional-centric
Habit 4: Think Physical

Win-Win
Our social and
Habit 5: Seek emotional
First to
Understand renewal comes
Mental Habit 6: Spiritual
from living our
Synergize
values every
day.
Social/Emotional
Organizational Renewal
Physical renewal is typically financial but can also
include employee wellness programs
Spiritual renewal can include re-inspiration of the

employee to engage the agency mission
Mental renewal is the opportunity to take on news

challenges and training
Social-emotional renewal is dependent on the

employees’ sense of justice
Concluding
Thoughts

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Organizational Applications in

the Legal Environment

 Character school of thought rests on traits and

 Personality school of thought arose right after

 Covey adopts wholly the Character School of

Habit Creation Knowledg

• Are we subject to our conditions?

(1) Genetic - ancestral control

Reactive Statement Proactive Statement

I can’t do that. I won’t do that.

I have to do that. I decided to do that.

How often do we communicate to our

Relationships Influence Promotions

• The “Haves” and the “Bes”

“Things will be better when I have a big house.”

“I can be more thrifty with my expenditures.”

• The Other End of the Stick

• How do you want to be regarded by those

– All things are created twice (mentally then physically)

Spouse, work, money,

• We should use our goals and priorities to

• Caution – time should be managed in week

Catastrophe Too Much Time =

Some phone calls Too Much Time =

Some phone calls

 Do not be “problem-minded” but rather,

 Learn to say “No” – move all available time into

 Quadrant II activities are planned

Effective vs. Efficient – our relationships with

Plans require flexibility

Schedule tool is a servant, not a master

(2) Choose Goals for the Roles (at least some

(3) Schedule What can you do

Begin With the End in Mind

Put First Things First

• Mastery over ourselves (Habits 1, 2 and

• Public victories lead to interdependence

• One spends out of his or her account by being

Many people/organizations see

Employees do what gets counted

 Win-Lose: only one  Win: winning party does

 Lose-Win: capitulation  Win-Win or No Deal:

• There is enough for everybody

High Emotional Bank Account needed

 This habit requires diagnosis (to understand)

Professionals need to understand the needs,

b) Rephrase the Content

c) Reflect the Feeling

d) Rephrase the Content & Reflect the Feeling

 I’m spouse-centric while you are work-centric

 I am of the Scarce Mentality and you are of the

 I am Right Brain holistic while you are Left Brain

• Trust is an indispensable element

• Diversity of viewpoint is an indispensable

• Can you identify internal competitions in your

• Are you ever in competition with your client?

• CYA, MFR, email follow-ups and stilted

-Stephen M.R. Covey-

Q. Where does your office sit?