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From There to Here, How? Part II
By Jim Kelly, Former CEO & General Counsel of Carl Zeiss, Inc.
Copyright 2006.

Solve Cases/Issues. Lawyers are trained to solve difficult cases or negotiations with analysis, research and logic.
Everyday, the world of the business executive is full of the need for problem solving: it is always a balancing of
opportunities, risks and rewards and having to render decisions. Advice: Business executives appreciate lawyers who
make things clear and point to the best alternative solution rather than just listing and balancing them all without an
opinion. I know we are trained not to make decisions for our clients but only to advise. I say, forget that! Offer up the best
possible solution and explain why it is so within the given legal AND business considerations. Not only will it increase and
improve your reputation but it will also give you the practice which you need when you ultimately wear the hat of the
business executive.

Complex Facts. You have been trained to dissect the most complicated fact patterns imaginable and organize them
based on relevancy. If you are good, you probably do this very quickly and learn to think on the fly. This includes everything
from technology considerations in product and patent cases to practice considerations in service malpractice cases.
Advice: Seek all the complex business problems you can find. They are key areas for learning and for growing in your
business acumen. Challenge the client to go even deeper. Take good notes and fit the pieces together, if not on the spot,
then when you get back to your office. When you find that you are routinely connecting the dots, you are ready to make the
move to executive management.

Winning Cases/Negotiations. The line that weaves all of these elements together is the same for lawyers and
management: a strong desire to win. As soon as you learn what your client has defined as a successful result, align all of
your activities to make that win happen. All managers want winners on their team and that will one day mean for you,
growing out of the law department.

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS
So as a good lawyer we now believe we have all the basic tools and have some ideas on how to use them, what else do
you need to be make the transition to executive management? The answer is three fold: seize all opportunities, show
leadership and develop some financial acumen. The first two are less tangible but the third is nuts and bolts.

Financial Acumen. Unless you had an undergraduate degree in business or accounting, you may not have finance and
accounting skills. Advice: Take some practical accounting and finance courses designed for lawyers. You will need to
understand how your company keeps score and to be capable to have your eye on the key financial parameters at all
times. Your Board and shareholders expect that and, at the end of the day, you must deliver targeted financial results.
Once you understand the profit and loss statement and balance sheet as your scorecard, it will become automatic for you
to use it to drive your business to growth and profitability.

Opportunity: This one is key. To increase your chances, try to practice law in a corporate legal department or at least, in
the commercial law section in a law firm. Volunteer for “projects” which maximize your exposure to business. Try and do
as much M&A work as possible and take part in the due diligence activities. Look for ways to buddy up with business
clients to answer your underlying technical questions, including, for example, those about the products and markets. Offer
to take minutes of Board or management meetings. You will get to play a key role and gain lots of inside knowledge for
your business education. Be bold, and offer advice even if not strictly legal. Network with your business clients and let
them know you are interested to become more a part of the business in some capacity. Volunteer to run a business unit
or department on an interim basis. Marketing, Business Development or National Sales are all great avenues in which to
learn and grow especially for those with legal backgrounds.

Leadership. Leadership is paramount of course and not quite as easy to learn. However, here is one proven technique
which I would recommend: Observe all managers that you meet and see those who are most effective and respected by
employees. Study them and understand why they are so. Also look at those least respected and also try and understand
why. You will end up with a list of leadership traits both to practice and to avoid and personal examples which you can
imitate just like the moves of the best athlete in your favorite sport. These leaders become your silent mentors – practice
what they show you. You too will succeed and be the one to represent your company before the Board.

NAVIGATION AND MENTORS
There are two additional influences which you need for the new road: (i) your own personal dream and (ii) personal
mentors. I chose to use the word ‘dream’ because I want to convey more passion or emotion than a vision alone. In my
case, my father was my role model. He worked his way through college on the GI Bill, became a CPA and developed his
career through management ranks ultimately becoming the Chairman of The Board of what was then a fairly large, publicly-
traded corporation. When I was young, he told me that if he had the chance to do it all over again, he would have chosen
the path to management from law school. Why? – because of the broad based experience the lawyer gets and the
practice in critical thinking. He helped inspire my dream and was also a mentor. There is no scientific analysis possible to
describe the importance of your own dream and the influence of role models who give you the image to emulate and the
belief it can be done. If you ask any NBA star how they got there, they would all say the same thing, I wanted to be
like…Magic, or Dr. J or Larry Bird, etc.

The best help to you of course is having a personal mentor - preferably an executive who sees how hard you are
trying, who sees your potential and who wants to help you succeed. Never hesitate to ask someone to be your mentor-
you will never regret it. He or she will be your coach. The great part is that most successful executives have had their
own mentor coach in their careers and are flattered to be asked. I had three: an attorney in my law firm, now a
federal district court judge in New York, one in my first law department job, now deceased, and two executives in
business, who believed in me, saw me dream and coached me to make the dream come true.

This article is dedicated to helping you lawyers with your own dreams and providing you with some mentoring you need to
make your dreams a reality. It would a thrill for those who work on this site to help you get there from here!!

Good luck and keep us posted on your success!

Jim Kelly