Practice Development Counsel

Phyllis weiss haserot
Phyllis weiss haserot


President & Founder


212 593-1549
pwhaserot@pdcounsel.com
www.pdcounsel.com

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How to Engage Partners and Influencers

Questions for Building Rapport with More Senior Professionals and Mentors

In my work with motivated younger workers, I’ve observed they’re like sponges. Mostly this is good as long as they absorb and think through the wisdom and implications of information they soak up. Many young professionals are eager to build strong relationships with partners, senior managers and mentors on an individual basis. They seek to learn their paths to success and to be known themselves on a personal level. The best route is through questions that show a personal interest but in a professional manner. However, they may feel unsure of what is both appropriate and engaging.

Here are some questions that fill the bill when conveyed with sincere interest. They are flattering to the more senior person or mentor on a professional level and usually lead to important learning as well as a new level of rapport.

  •  What do you wish someone had told or taught you from your first day at the firm (or on the job)?
  •  What were the most important things you learned from your mentors?
  •  Who was the best professional (or ________) you ever worked with, and in your opinion, what made him/her so great?
  •  What is the most enjoyable part of your work?
  •  What are you proudest of?
  •  What are your interests outside of work?
  •  What would you most like to achieve this year?
  •  What contributions to the firm would you most like to be remembered for?
  •  If you could start over, what would you have done differently?
  •  What’s your best advice about serving and pleasing clients?
  •  How would you characterize your approach to marketing?

And don’t forget to ask how you can help the individual by asking:

  •  What do you think you would like to learn from me or someone of my generation?
  •  In what ways (other than my assigned work) can I be most helpful to you?

What additional questions would you suggest? Share them on the Cross-Generational Conversation group on LinkedIn or at pwhaserot@pdcounsel.com.

 
© Phyllis Weiss Haserot, 2015. All rights reserved.


Phyllis Weiss Haserot
helps firms increase profitability and productivity by attracting and retaining clients and employees of different generations and improving the working relations of their multigenerational teams. She is president of Practice Development Counsel, business development and organizational effectiveness consulting and coaching and a recognized expert on workplace intergenerational challenges, speaker, facilitator and author. She is the author of The Rainmaking Machine (Thomson Reuters) and The Marketer’s Handbook of Tips & Checklists and a regular contributor to Next Avenue Forbes, and the Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute among others. Reach her at pwhaserot@pdcounsel.com, www.pdcounsel.com,  http://www.linkedin.com/in/pwhaserot

10/2015