LMA introduces its core competencies: part II.

• Position: Legal Marketing Association

In the March 2010 issue of Strategies, the LMA International Education Committee introduced five of the 10 core competencies. As Amy K. Smith, co-chair of the committee explained in her article: "The Core Competencies are the common threads binding every educational endeavor such as e-learning, sponsored Webinars, senior programs and accreditation." The following pages include details on the remaining five competencies not previously covered in March.

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Communication

Alycia Sutor, Partner, Akina Corp.

Communication is at the heart of everything we do. The core elements of communication--word choices, messaging, speaking and writing--may seem simplistic, but those are the things that create meaning, and meaning is what we are after as marketers and business developers. that's the stuff from which relationships are built, maintained and deepened. Knowing how to be purposeful in how we communicate allows us to proactively create possibilities by design rather than settling for being reactionary to what we have been given.

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As an organization, we set explicit expectations on how we communicate with one another and with our clients. For example, we set a high priority on flexing to meet others where they are. From a communication perspective, this means that we value the use of questions as a way to better understand what others may need, clarify information and avoid erroneous assumptions. As a team, we not only train on the behavior of asking good discovery questions and then taking time to listen, but we model it and we actively provide feedback to one another to strengthen that competency.

Branding

Burkey Belser, President, Greenfield/Belser

I wrote the definition of competency in branding some years ago and see no need to change it. the entire idea of branding has been challenged over the past few years by the pendulum swing toward business development. Who was it that said, "Nothing like being hanged will focus your attention more"? Is business development critical to your success? Absolutely. But during this last and greatest recession of the past 80 years, we did not abandon a single program to reinforce our brand. In fact, we took the opportunity to extend the brand even further online. Without a brand, you have nothing to sell except hours. You have no differentiation from competitors. You have no engaging personality and thus, no engagement. You atomize your efforts, becoming "one lawyer, one...