ADVANCED PRAISE FOR THE 66 DAY LAW FIRM TURNAROUND “Read this book to transform your job and life. Your boss will thank you and reward you for becoming the rarest of all things – an wonderfully engaged team member. What a difference it would have made when I worked for my entrepreneur!” Ross Slater, President, Metris Group Inc. “Wow! An incredibly insightful and practical book for every team member who’s dreamt of having a better career. Chock full of practical tools, and written in a easy-to-read conversational style, you learn HOW to think about your job, not just about how to do it better. I highly recommend it.” Shannon Waller, Coach and Team Program Designer, The Strategic Coach, Inc. Co-author, Unique Ability: Creating the Life You Want “Insightful, original, and chock full of spot-on advice for anyone who wants to exceed in working for an entrepreneur. And, if you are an entrepreneur and are aching for a team that will work with you to build your business to greatness, this book should be required reading for everyone in your company.” Teresa Byrd Morgan, Principal, Morgan Law Center for Estate & Legacy Planning, PLLC and Chairperson, The Florida Bar/Solo Small Firm Section “This is a unique and powerful guide unlike any out there, authored by two remarkable women who have actually been there, just like you. The 66 Day Law Firm Turnaround is fi lled with practical steps you can take starting right now to STOP feeling frustrated, held down, overwhelmed, and like you’re just a pawn in someone else’s game, and instead START experiencing the career respect, advancement, and deep satisfaction that should be yours. If you truly want to love your job -- and your life -- do yourself a favor and read this remarkable book!” Brian Vaszily, world-renowned business and life coach, founder of IntenseExperiences.com, one of the world’s most popular personal transformation destinations, and author of The 9 Intense Experiences: An Action Plan to Change Your Life Forever “A sassy, butt-kicking, wake-up call to the career you’ve always dreamed of.” Andrea Costantine, co-author of Speaking Your Truth Table of Contents Preface .................................................................................................................9 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 13 Week One Dumping the Employee Enittlement Mentality ....................................................17 The Secret Concept ......................................................................................... 19 Why is the “Entitlement Mentality” Harmful? .......................................... 21 The Entrepreneurial Environment ............................................................... 21 The Importance of Providing Value ............................................................22 The Two Rules of Survival ............................................................................23 The Roots of Entitlement Mentality ...........................................................25 Techniques for Your Day-to-Day Life .........................................................26 Entitlement Checklist .....................................................................................28 Week Two Find Passion and Fulfi llment ..............................................................................31 Your Unique Ability®1 ..................................................................................35 Using Your Unique Ability ............................................................................36 Finding an Appropriate Work Environment ..............................................39 Finding Your Passion ......................................................................................40 Locating Your Passion Keys ..........................................................................44 Week Three How to Always Provide Value ...........................................................................47 The Eight Laws of Replacing Yourself ....................................................... 51 Don’t Ask… Present! ......................................................................................55 Week Four How to Not Lose Your Sanity, Your Spirit...and Your Job .................................63 How Do You Identify the Slippery Slope? .................................................67 The Eight Steps to Wonderland ...................................................................68 Week Five House Rules of Engagement ...............................................................................77 What is a Yes Chick? .......................................................................................80 House Rules of Engagement ........................................................................82 Yes–the Right Answer for the Wrong Job ..................................................83 Week Six Controlling Your Workplace, Not Letting it Control You ...................................89 Keeping Your Boss Focused ........................................................................ 91 Working Smarter ..............................................................................................92 How to Lead Your Boss .................................................................................97 Confi dence/Communication Builders ..................................................... 107 Week Seven The Key to Empowering Conversations ...............................................................115 What is an Empowering Conversation? ....................................................117 The Who, the What and the Why ................................................................121 Week Eight Building Your Team and Making it Work ....................................................... 123 I Can Do it Faster Myself ........................................................................... 125 Making Your Dream Team Come True ..................................................... 127 The Absolute Biggest Hiring Mistake ........................................................ 128 Keys of Integrity ........................................................................................... 130 Team Hires Team .......................................................................................... 130 Building a Dream Team ............................................................................... 134 Week Nine Why Becoming a Leader is so Important ...........................................................137 Why is Being a Leader so Important? ........................................................ 140 Stimulating Loyalty: Doing the Dirty Work .............................................. 142 Team Reviews ................................................................................................ 144 Team Member Growth Map™ ................................................................... 145 Goals, Goals, Goals—Enough with All the Fluff? ................................. 148 Week Ten The Difference Between Managing and Leading ................................................153 To Fire, or Not to Fire, That is the Question ........................................... 156 The Smart Fire™ 7 Step Test for Termination ........................................ 158 Firing for Results ............................................................................................161 Firing Checklist .............................................................................................. 162 Closing Becoming a True Intrapraneur ........................................................................... 163 Preface “Champions aren’t made in the ring, they are merely recognized there. What you cheat on in the early light of morning will show up in the ring under the bright lights.” - Joe Frazier Are you stuck in a rut in your career? Do you feel somewhere deep inside that your work should be more fulfi lling–that this can’t be all that you were meant to do? Sometimes you may love what you do, but you may feel out of control due to your work environment. You might be frustrated by your company’s general “climate,” which may include chaos and lack of effi ciency that may cause you to leave work feeling overwhelmed because you couldn’t complete everything you needed to do. Perhaps you are in a new job and are hoping that this will be “the one.” If so, you may be nervous or tentative about showing your talents, skill sets, and full potential to your new boss. Maybe you love your work and your co-workers, but you feel ready to take on more responsibility to advance in your career. Are you unsure where to get what you need to fulfi ll your future? Are you considering going back to school, getting more training or certifi cations, or searching for a new, more fulfi lling job? Whether you are feeling out of control or uninspired in your current job or excited about a new one, The 66 Day Law Firm Turnaround is for you. It’s a no-degree-required, no-night-classes-needed way to take control of your professional life and learn to run your offi ce, and stop letting it run you. This book will help you realize your personal passion and position it in your professional life. That’s right; we just said “passion” and “professional” in the same sentence! It is possible–just like it’s possible to achieve success at work while keeping - 9 - boundaries between your work and personal time. In The 66 Day Law Firm Turnaround! we will break through many