You want 'Clients for Life'?

Just finished my second read (is that endorsement enough?) of Clients for Life: How Great Professionals Develop Breakthrough Relationships by Jagdish Sheth & Andrew Sobel. This is a great read for any aspiring lawyer or any consultant-type individual. It is very applicable to the practicing attorney such as myself but it's pleasantly not lawyer specific. We lawyers are very much in business too!

These were some of the take-away points I outlined after reading (characteristics of great professionals):

a. Selfless Independence. Balance between dedication to clients and detachment.
b. Empathetic. Listening & learning. Put yourself into new situations, travel. More listening than talking.
c. Deep Generalists. Clients want your expertise beyond your core expertise. Enjoy exploring subjects that have nothing to do with work.
d. Cultivate Powers of Synthesis.
e. Develop Great Judgment.
f. Powers of Conviction.
g. Trust through Integrity. Deeper broader trust based on professional competence and personal integrity.

What I think adds to the book's readability is how the authors intertwine historical examples of great advisors. There are useful discussions of General George Marshall, Henry Kissinger, Machiavelli, Harry Hopkins and J.P. Morgan to name a few. Many thanks to Matthew Homann at The [non]billable hour who initially recommended the book to me.