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- Partner's Perspective: Learn to Lead
- New Date: Construction Law 101 Seminar
- Last Chance to Register: Developer Turnover for Community Associations
- New Law Blogs
- Curiosities, Ruminations and Various Eccentricities of Firm Biz
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PARTNER'S PERSPECTIVE
Patrick Krechowski - Learn to Lead
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No matter your stage in life or your chosen profession, we all constantly hear about leadership. There are pillars of leadership, there are re-boots or modernizations to leadership models and hundreds of books have been written with claims of having the “secret” to the most effective leadership style. Communication, accountability, trust, integrity, and respect are just a few of the oft repeated leadership pillars. Throughout my life, I have experienced dozens of approaches to leadership and even more advice, instruction, training and guidance. Obviously, my first lessons came from my parents (a career Air Force pilot and career school teacher). In fact, I still learn from my parents to this day. Remember that word; learn.
Some of my most memorable leadership experiences came during my childhood as a Boy Scout where I was challenged with opportunities to explore my own limitations, to construct effective teams and to serve my community. My favorite Scoutmaster was an officer in the U.S. Marines, a Vietnam veteran and former drill instructor. Col. Clark constantly expected and demanded more from us than we thought we could give. He rarely answered our questions and never did anything for us – as boys beginning an uncertain path to manhood, we had to find our own way. When we faltered, he provided no pity, just an opportunity to try again. I didn’t recognize it at the time, but he knew us better than we knew ourselves. When my family was reassigned and I had to leave that troop behind, I wanted to quit Scouting. My parents said to me, “We’ll let you quit, if you can give us a reason that Col. Clark would find acceptable.” I became an Eagle Scout and I remain in touch with Col. Clark today.
While in law school, I read Gerry Spence’s “How to Argue and Win Every Time”. I think it was a tongue-in-cheek joke from my then-girlfriend/now wife, but it was a fantastic introduction to the concept of examining your opponent’s position, motivations and desires just as well as your own. How can you get where you want to go if you don’t understand the obstacles in your way?
As a young appellate lawyer, I was uncertain about an impending oral argument. A mentor of mine at the time suggested I teach law as an adjunct professor, giving me the age-old adage “you can’t teach what you don’t know.” I taught law school classes for over eight years. Attempting to explain the intricacies of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act to a group of near-comatose law students will force you to fine tune your public speaking skills – trust me.
As a member of Leadership Jacksonville’s Class of 2017 (the Most Impactful Class!) I met professionals from all corners of our great City and I was repeatedly challenged to step out of my comfort zone. Since I’m rarely comfortable, that wasn’t a big step. But I also followed the advice of a LJ alum and I kept my eyes and ears open as much as possible – taking in everything that was offered. I tried to replicate those same types of experiences when I helped organize the Urban Land Institute of North Florida’s Center for Leadership.
Recently, I was afforded the opportunity to listen to a panel of business owners and politicians as they discussed various aspects of leadership and their approaches to team building in our multi-generational workforce. Each speaker came from a very different background and all had different stories, anecdotes and suggestions. It was a captivating evening in which the audience contributed just as much as the panelists. But, throughout the discussion, I noticed a prevailing theme: Learn. Each comment, whether from the audience or the panel, contained an underpinning that was based on learning: know the strengths and weaknesses of your team members; be flexible in your approaches or adapt to situations as they are presented to you; listen to what your customers or team members have to say; find out what is important to your constituents or clients; make your mistakes or failures tools toward betterment.
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Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.
- John F. Kennedy
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The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything.
-
Theodore Roosevelt
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Keep learning. That’s what every influential person in my life has ever said to me. Maybe not that directly or succinctly, but that is the ultimate message. So, at the age of 47, having practiced law for over 21 years, I remind myself every day to learn from someone or something. Maybe it’s one of my children or Eckhart Tolle or a judge or law partner or Malcolm Gladwell or the 5-way intersection in Atlantic Beach. Lately, I’ve been trying to learn more about myself (midlife will do that for you) and it’s quite a daunting task! In my humble opinion, being a leader means never thinking of yourself as an expert craftsman with a complete set of tools. There’s just too much out there to learn – how could you possibly know it all?
So, I keep reading those books and listening to those podcasts. I seek out new experiences and I accept challenges as they are presented to me. And by all means, I keep making mistakes and picking myself up off the ground. Of course, it is not nearly as easy as it sounds, but the alternative just sounds too boring. Without trying to sound like a self-help book, I hope you can do the same. Keep learning, every single day.
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NEW DATE:
Jimerson Birr's Annual Construction
Law 101 Seminar
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Jimerson Birr's annual Construction Law 101 Seminar has a new date.
Join industry experts and your peers on
Thursday, November 7th
for our annual refresher course that includes presentations on:
- The construction licensing process
- Construction liens and bond law
- Construction defects
- Construction contracts
This seminar will last from
9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
and participants will receive four (4) CE credits:
- Laws & Rules (1 hour)
- Business Practice (1 hour)
- General (2 hours)
Lunch will be provided during the seminar from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m., and there will be time after the program for attendees to have one-on-one time with the presenters. Although this event is
FREE
to attendees, space is limited and solely on a first-come, first-served basis. Therefore, be sure to register as soon as possible to ensure your spot is reserved.
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LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER:
Developer Turnover for Community Associations
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For new communities, the transition from developer control to member control through an appointed board, is one of the most critical events in an association's history. Knowing how to manage the process can make for a much easier future for the community.
This FREE certification course is designed to guide community associations through the challenging transition from developer to homeowner control. In this session, participants will learn:
- Turnover Basics
- HOA Turnover
- Condo Turnover
- Developer Obligations
- Turnover Documents
- Developer Contracts
- Post Turnover Considerations
Join us on
Thursday, October 3rd
from
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
at St. Johns Golf & Country Club. Participants will receive two (2) CE credits.
Although this event is
FREE
to attendees, space is limited and solely available on a first-come, first-served basis. Therefore, be sure to register as soon as possible to ensure your spot is reserved.
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Jimerson Birr Legal Blogs
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Are you keeping up with the latest information in business and law? Jimerson Birr publishes weekly blog posts covering topics from construction law, business litigation, eminent domain law, community associations law and everything in between.
Click here to subscribe
today and stay up-to-date on the latest legal news from these core areas:
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Commercial Real Estate and Land Use Law Blog
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You Break It, You Fix It: Commercial Landlords' Obligations For Repairs of the Premises
It seems like common sense that if the lease for a commercial space is silent on the issue of who’s responsible for maintenance and repairs of the Premises, including the infrastructure and equipment serving the Premises, that the landlord would be liable for maintenance and repair costs. After all, the Premises belongs to the landlord, so if the tenant isn’t contractually obligated under the lease to pay those amounts, why would the tenant have to pay those costs? But, that is not the case...
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2019 Amendments to Florida's Riparian Rights Rules (otherwise known as Chapter 18-21, F.A.C.)
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Construction Industry Law Blog
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Five Key Construction Contract Provisions for Contractors and Subcontractors
The importance of the terms of a construction contract in the event of a significant dispute on a construction project cannot be overstated. Simply put, the terms of the contract can be the difference between successfully navigating a dispute in a manner that still achieves a financially successful project, and a project ending in expensive and protracted litigation at best, or in an absolute financial disaster at worst. This article highlights five key construction contract provisions that every contractor and subcontractor should pay attention to...
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The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act: An Introduction For Creditors
Northeast Florida has some of the largest Naval bases in the country and many active duty military personnel call the area home. These servicemembers face stresses that those of us in civilian life will likely never encounter, such as long deployments overseas, or a change of station to another base requiring them to move across the country or abroad. Due to these unique circumstances, Congress enacted the
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
(“SCRA”)
2003. The SCRA served as an update to the Soldiers’ and Sailors Civil Relief Act of 1940. The overall goal of the SCRA is to ensure...
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Minority Shareholder Oppression: Minority Owners Have Rights Too
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Prejudgment Writ of Attachment in Florida
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Community Association Law Blog
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Is It A Golf Cart Or A Low Speed Vehicle? Florida Community Associations Beware
Nearly all of Florida’s community associations have rules and regulations governing various aspects of community living. It is common for those rules and regulations to include restrictions on vehicle usage, and often there will be specific restrictions on the use of golf carts within the community. But, Florida community associations should beware; what looks like a golf cart might not actually be a golf cart after all.
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Curiosities, Ruminations and Various Eccentricities of Firm Biz
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#AllForTheGators
UF Law Alumni Summer Tour
Jimerson Birr was thrilled to host the UF Levin College of Law and Dean Rosenburg last month as part of UF Law Alumni Summer Tour. The purpose of the tour is to help
generate support of the Law Firm Giving Challenge, an annual competition that encourages law firms with multiple UF Law graduates to achieve 100% participation giving back to their alma mater. By giving back, the school is able to provide scholarships that are vital to recruit extraordinary students from across the country. Go Gators!
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Jacksonville, FL 32202
Telephone (904) 389-0050
Facsimile (904) 212-1269
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