Legal

Robert B. Weltman

By Kristy J. O’Hara

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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