When Robert B. Weltman attends conferences, he doesn’t go for the chit-chat and friendly banter. He’s there to learn, to listen
and figure out what the new issues and needs are so that he can convert what he learns into a creative business plan for Weltman,
Weinberg & Reis Co. LPA, the 950-employee, $68 million creditors’ rights law firm of which he is senior partner. Smart Business
spoke with Weltman about the need for speed in implementing ideas and why it’s important to set a good example for employees.
Delegate. Learn to delegate by having confidence in the people that you delegate the
responsibilities to. Lead and guide them
where they need assistance. Measure them
by how creative and original they are with
the ideas they come back with.
I will also measure it by how quickly you’ll
get back to me with the first round of
responses, and I’d rather have a person pushing me for feedback than me constantly
going to them asking for the status.
Look for people that are very busy. If a busy
person agrees to take on a responsibility, you
know that they’ll complete the task. I like
people that ask a lot of questions. I like people that understand, by their body motions
and their actions, what the task is about.
I like people that listen and understand the
concept of what I’m trying to delegate
instead of scribbling down a lot of notes.
Communicate your vision. It’s more difficult to
retain the No. 1 spot than to achieve the
No. 1 spot.
When somebody is ahead of you, you
know what you have to do to pass them by,
but when you’re No. 1, you have no one to
look up to as to what your goals are. You’re
fighting against the invisible giant that is
out there.
Continue to do well at what you’re doing,
but also realize that others are attempting to
achieve what you’re doing. You have to
come up with new and better and more creative ways to complete the job that have not
been touched upon by other organizations
or people.
Implement ideas quickly. Sit down with your
most trusted employees or leaders, kick the
idea around and weigh out a schedule of
what you want to do and how you want to
accomplish it.
You have to get started right away. You
can’t just sit there and let it linger. Be proactive in addressing whatever it may be. Ideas
tend to become stale, and too many people
like to say, ‘I’ll get to it when I have a chance.’
To be best at what you do, you must
address the idea immediately rather than let
it just drift along. Too many people like to
procrastinate and put things off.
Don’t let it become a stale idea.
Set the example. I’m not the kind of person
that comes in late while the employees are
working. I’m not the kind of person that
leaves early and lets the employees work.
I get here early and I work longer and
harder hours, so I set an example by the way
I conduct myself in the office and in the
workplace. Being a good leader requires
you to do everything, if not more than, what
your employees are doing, so they can see
that you’re a contributing member of the
team.
Don’t rest on your laurels. If you did a good job
on something, that was yesterday’s news,
so what are you going to do for me tomorrow?
Too many people, when they achieve
some level of success, become stagnant and
hope that the idea that they’ve created will
last indefinitely. Once you create an idea and
a product, immediately focus your attention
on the next idea or product that you’re going
to come up with.
Listen and learn first. When you start at a
place, start at the beginning. If it’s a warehouse, work in the warehouse. If it’s an
office, do the initial grunt work.
When I started at the firm, I was the lowest
employee. I picked up the mail. I put files
away. I pulled files, and I did it until it
became second nature.
Like any athlete, the way you become
good is to constantly do it over and over
again so it becomes second nature. The
quicker you learn basics, the faster you can
go to the next level.
Be patient, keep your eyes and ears open,
and master every part of the job that you’ve
been delegated. Know your customers.
Know your industry. Know your field.
Become a important part of what you’re
doing.
Don’t just jump in and say, ‘This is a great
idea,’ and have a schedule of when you want
to achieve success.
Give a professional product. Too many people
are too negative on their ability to accomplish. That’s one of the reasons I’m so sour
on the Cleveland Indians — not because
they’re losing, but because professional athletes should not perform the way that
they’re performing. For the kind of money
they’re getting paid and the kind of money
we’re paying to support them, we’re entitled
to a much more professional product.
I’m the same way in my practice. My
clients are coming to me for help. They’re
paying me good money to give them help,
and I have a sense of responsibility because
somebody has come to me and asked for
help. I owe it to them to come up with a creative solution for their problem.
Go the distance. Too many people aren’t
equipped to run the marathon. They like to
run the dashes, and they like to run the
relays, but very few of them are prepared to
dedicate themselves to be the best at what
they do.
The best athletes don’t just wake up in the
morning and perform at that level. They
work hundreds and thousands of hours
behind the scenes refining their skills. If you
went to a basketball game, before and after
the game, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson
and Michael Jordan would be out there
practicing.
You say, ‘Why do they have to practice?
They’re the best.’ The reason is simple. You
can’t be good at what you do unless you’re
ready to give the job all of your time and
attention to be the very best at what you do.
HOW TO REACH: Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co. LPA,
www.weltman.com