What Do The New Overtime Rules Mean for an Agency’s Bottom Line?

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Over the past few weeks, I’ve explored the ways I think new overtime rules will affect professional services firms here and here. But these articles looked at the sorts of larger trends or cultural shifts the new regulations might cause. When it comes down to it, what will these rules really do to an agency’s bottom line? … Read more

“That Will Destroy Every Agency’s Talent Model” – More Thoughts on The DOL’s New Overtime Rules

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When I was explaining the Department of Labor’s new overtime rules to an ad-agency veteran over lunch, he nearly spit out his drink: “That will destroy every agency’s talent model.”  My earlier post on the subject was a little more subdued, but he’s right that the new rules have potential to shake things up in … Read more

Firing is More Important Than Hiring

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Building a great team has two parts: making sure you get the right people on it, and quickly getting the wrong people out. But while leaders spend a lot of time thinking about hiring, they push firing to the back of their minds. That’s a problem, because while firing might be uncomfortable, it’s even more … Read more

What Do New Overtime Rules Mean For Professional Services Firms?

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Earlier this week, the US Department of Labor released new rules for overtime pay, doubling the income threshold below which firms are required to pay time-and-a-half to employees who work more than forty hours per week. Traditionally, long work hours have been the norm at professional services firms, who avoided providing overtime rules because professional … Read more

Five Tips For Turning Your Relationships Into New Business

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One of the most common pieces of advice given to professionals who want to develop business is to network: attend industry events, get involved in professional associations, and become a member of non-profit or community boards. Yet I frequently hear from professionals that despite the time they spend meeting new people and cultivating relationships, it … Read more

Five Professional Services Marketing Ideas You Can Use Today

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One of the hardest parts about marketing and business development in professional services is actually finding the time to do the ground work required to execute a marketing plan.  It’s too easy for immediate client needs or firm management to get in the way.  Unfortunately, marketing activities build on each other, so neglecting them will … Read more

Why Are All the Polls Wrong?

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Going into last week’s parliamentary election in the UK, commentators were predicting an election so close it would precipitate a constitutional crisis: opinion polls predicted no party would have a majority in the house of commons or an obvious coalition to form one. Yet when the votes were counted, it turned out that the Conservative … Read more

We Tried That Once

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One of the most dangerous and common barriers to new initiatives, especially in a professional services context, is “we tried that once.” It’s a common refrain – somebody new enters with great ideas for how to improve marketing or sales. For instance, they might suggest a new research project, or inviting clients and prospects to … Read more

Everybody Hates Their First Job

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This summer, hundreds of thousands of young adults will graduate and enter the full-time work force for the first time, many in professional roles. It’s a tough labor market for new graduates, so it’s with all sincerity that I say congratulations on your first job. Unfortunately, prepare to hate it. Everyone hates their first job, to the point where it’s a rite of passage. It will be a painful reconciling between your expectations, self-awareness, and reality, like a professional adolescence. But if you go into it with the right attitude, you’ll learn a lot about what you want out of life that will guide the rest of your career. To help you through it, here are some observations and advice that will make the transition a little less rocky.

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Happy First Birthday Dworin Consulting

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One year ago today, I fulfilled a dream I’ve had since my first consulting project: to start my own firm.  At two separate companies, the head of a consulting firm tapped me to help them develop and execute internal strategy.  I knew I could do it, I knew there was value, but would a professional … Read more