Senior marketers gain capital ideas.

• Author: Downey, Marguerite G.
• Position: LEADERSHIP FOR ALL SEASONS - Conference notes

IN AN EFFORT TO BETTER SUPPORT ITS MEMBERS, the Legal Marketing Association conducted a pre-conference workshop specifically for veteran legal marketers at its 23rd Annual Conference. The small group program, "LMA Masterminds: Leading Change," offered the most senior members--CMOs and directors with more than ten years of experience--the rare opportunity to have one day dedicated entirely to them.

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The goal of "Masterminds" was to give CMOs a convenient, intense program to support them during a time in which they have taken direct hits. "LMA is the original and most credible resource to help firms through this economic crisis," says former LMA president, Donna L.G. Shaft, principal of DLG Consulting and chair of "Masterminds." The program planning committee, which also included Heather Gray-Grant, Nathalie Daum and Megan McKeon, focused on serving the continuing professional education needs of LMA members who hold positions of influence in marketing and business development within their firms. Shaft adds, "Our goal was to present our attendees with futuristic thinking about the core elements of the job for discussion with experts and peers--more collaborative brainstorming than lecture."

Key take away points from this eight-hour pre-conference program included:

[1] "The Risks of Ignoring Future Uncertainty: Scenario Planning for Law Firms," with Ken Sawka of Outward Insights LLC, Bill Fiora of Nixon Peabody LLP and newest LMA Hall of Fame inductee, Ann Lee Gibson of Ann Lee Gibson Consulting

This focused small-group session allowed attendees to determine which strategies were appropriate for four possible future scenarios for the legal industry. The interactivity of the scenarios proved that the ability to predict the future--to be some legal marketing Nostradamus--is not necessary, as long as solid strategies are in place.

"Firms that are doing the scenario planning will be much further ahead," said attendee and former LMA president Maggie T.Watkins, chief marketing and business development officer for Best, Best & Krieger LLP.

[2] "The Art of High Performance Leadership Under Pressure," with Karen Hough and Kim Proxmire of ImprovEdge LLC

It goes without saying that today's firm leaders are under tremendous pressure. This fast-paced session demonstrated, through an improvisational style, that long-term successful results come from balancing the tools (the what), the process (the how) and the relationships (the who). A...