Career Success Work Hard, Dream Big

Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers Career Success: Work Hard, Dream Big How big are your dreams for your career? I ask because I encounter many lawyers whose dreams are smaller than they could be. They are limiting their own success in the process. I have always valued this quote, attributable here to Ray Kroc. Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. â€"Ray Kroc   A few years ago, I read an interesting blog post titled:  This mindset will crush your business by Jim Connolly. His post made me think of those many lawyers. I urge you to read it. Connolly talks about people who work really hard, but focus their work on things they are comfortable doing. He says the fear of failing guarantees failure. On the other hand, Connolly describes those who have the mindset of success this way: Their mindset, if that doing just enough is never enough. They constantly wonder; how far can I take this? Their passion and energy is contagious.  It not only powers them forward, it encourages others to join them and invest in their ideas. When I finish coaching lawyers I like to ask: What did you get out of our coaching? You might be surprised that one of the most common answers is: Confidence that I can be more valuable to my clients and achieve more than I ever dreamed. Confidence that I can be successful developing business my way. Do you remember this blog I posted in 2012?  Client Development: Change What You Think it Takes to Succeed. I told two stories about lawyers I coached who once they believed they could attract clients became far more successful. Put simply, those lawyers started dreaming bigger dreams. You can and should also. When you do, your passion and energy will be contagious, not only for other lawyers in your firm, but more importantly for your clients and potential clients. 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.