We receive an influx of calls from law firms coming to us for help in getting their Conflicts of Interest and New Business Intake projects done after suffering a failed implementation. These firms, of all sizes and make-ups, are working their way through what I call the ‘Waiting for the Bus Syndrome’.
Years ago, as a young professional in the city of San Francisco, I was 100% reliant on the local bus system, having no car of my own. I love San Francisco, but I have no love for the city bus system. For 6 years I spent hours and hours of my life waiting for the bus. During that time, I identified that I suffered from what I coined ‘Waiting for the Bus Syndrome’.
Throughout my career, I’ve been able to apply this syndrome to all kinds of situations. Here's what Waiting for the Bus Syndrome looks and feels like:
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You get to the bus stop in time to catch the next bus home, due within 10 minutes, after a long day of work.
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Twenty minutes later, you start wondering, “Where is that bus…?”
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You think to yourself, “Well, it’s only 10 minutes late.” So, you keep waiting....
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Now it's 30 minutes later. Ok, this is starting to get annoying. You think, "Should I jump in a cab?" Remember, you can't afford a car, so taking cabs in the city every day is not a trivial expense. So you say to yourself, "No, I've already waited 30 minutes. I'm sure it will be here soon. I shouldn't spend the money. I should just wait." And so, you keep waiting....
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Now, it's over 1 hour late. You're beyond annoyed, and you're tired and hungry. While you've been standing at that bus stop for over 1 hour, you've seen DOZENS of empty cabs go by. You could have jumped in any one of those and been home AGES ago! But, you waited....
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So, what do you do? How long do you wait until you make the call to stop waiting for the bus, pay that cab fare and capture that time in your life back? When is that cab fare worth the ultimate savings of your time investment?
The answer to that last question, which is the pivotal point of recovery from the ‘Waiting for the Bus Syndrome,’ is a VERY TOUGH answer.
- It means that you have to accept that the investment you’ve made up to that point is worthless. You spent it and you can’t get that time or money, as the case may be, back.
- It means facing the fact that the decision you could have made sooner is going to cost you the same additional investment that it would have if you had just made that choice sooner, but that your overall investment got much larger. Because you waited, you spent more time, more money, and had a higher loss of overall value and return on your investment. In other words, the longer you wait, the more loss you incur. The trick is to make the 'call' as soon as you can and move forward.
- It means admitting you were wrong in continuing to wait. More importantly, it means accepting it and giving yourself permission to move forward.
‘Waiting for the Bus Syndrome’ obviously isn’t just about buses. It’s about a lot of things in life that we decide to invest in and then realize that investment isn’t just not going pay off – it’s lost forever. For law firms who call us after an unending or failed implementation of Conflicts of Interest or New Business Intake, we understand it is a tough pill to swallow.
Self-Diagnosis For Your Firm
Want to self-diagnose your firm? Ask yourself the questions below:
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Are you in a software implementation that no matter how hard you try you just CAN’T really understand where you are and when you are going to be done?
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Are you feeling frustrated because after a lot of time and money, you aren’t seeing what you expected coming to fruition, even after several re-attempts
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Do you have that sinking feeling that you are just never going to get back your time and money?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then unfortunately you may be suffering from ‘Waiting for the Bus Syndrome’.
The good news is, Elegrity can help you STOP WAITING FOR THE BUS. We’ve helped other firms with the same diagnosis cure their implementation woes and get the value they deserve from their investment of time and money.
Elegrity’s E-Valuate™ Conflicts of Interest module and E-Win™ New Business Intake module are innovative and flexible but they are even more powerful when paired with The Elegrity Difference – value delivered start-to-finish. Call us today to hear how other law firms gained immediate value from partnering with Elegrity.
Call us today - STOP WAITING FOR THAT BUS!!
