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MANAGING WITH

How to adopt Hawaiian management philosophies in your rm

By Lindsay Welbers While legal administrators in Hawaii are enjoying serene beaches at a time that most of us are buried in snow, law ofces there face many of the same problems as those across the globe. But law ofce managers in the Aloha State claim that they dont work the long hours or under the same stressful conditions that their mainland counterparts do attributed not to the weather, but rather to a management style from which we should all be taking notes. Its not a formal system; its more like a byproduct of a culture that puts a high value on employees and personal relationships. Here we explore these Hawaiian management

Aloha

philosophies by way of kaona the Hawaiian concept for using fewer words that have a lot of meaning. Along the way, youll hear from Conference Chair Lisa Dasher, CLM, and closing speaker Rosa Say about managing with aloha and the 2012 Annual Conference & Exposition in Honolulu.

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ALOHA Hawaii might be miles away, but the management philosophy prevalent on the islands isnt a foreign concept. Aloha means more than just hello and goodbye; aloha is about treating everyone around you, from your managing partner to your support staff or even opposing counsel, like family. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, there were about 1.4 million people living on the Hawaiian Islands, and in 2011, the Hawaii State Bar recognizes 4,632 active attorneys. With a population that size, it isnt hard for people in the same eld to know each other well. Because we are such a small community, a lot of times even if youre adverse in a litigation matter, you know the judge or the other attorneys. Because its such a close knit community, we do treat each other with that spirit of aloha, said Ann Hisamoto, 2012 Annual Conference Committee member and Chief Operating Ofcer at Cades Schutte, LLP in Honolulu. Really, everyone knows each other and we try to treat our attorneys and staff as well as we treat our adverse parties with the same level of respect and aloha. At the Conference At the ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition you can foster that spirit of aloha by attending these sessions: CM34 Saying the Hard Things with Aloha HR30 Bullying It Aint Just Kids Stuff LI30 Mentoring: New Models for Developing the Next Generation of Lawyers OHANA Ohana means being a part of the family and being a strong member of your community. We use the phrase ohana a lot; we use it here in the rm. Its how we treat our family, and we look at our rm as part of the family. We are part of the Hawaii ohana, Hisamoto said. Hawaiian rms are focused on people before anything else. They take care to create mentoring and nurturing environments in their law rms, and in turn, employees stay loyal. Employee turnover is less common in Hawaii than on the mainland, Hisamoto said. There are fewer mergers and acquisitions and unless a partner becomes a judge s/he will stay in the rm until retirement. Hawaii is a very diverse place; four-in-10 residents identify as being of Asian descent, and nearly a quarter are of mixed races. This

diversity and isolation that comes from being on an island gives Hawaiians a greater understanding of and sensitivity to other cultures. ALA Annual Conference & Exposition Chair Lisa Dasher, CLM, CPA, Chief Financial Ofcer at Wicker Smith OHara McCoy & Ford PA said she believes this diversity and variety of cultures enhances their sense of ohana. At the Conference To help create a more familial and communal environment in your rm, consider attending these sessions at the ALA Annual Conference & Exposition: CM14 Best in Show: Make your Firm the Place to Work HR31 The Complex Law Ofce: Generations in the Workforce New Values for the 21st Century DVIE Diversity and Inclusion Idea Exchange

A Word with the Chair

The 2012 Annual Conference & Exposition is just as much about knowledge, resources and networking as it has ever been. As our tagline goes, I always come back from Conference with a renewed and energetic spirit, so this years theme of, Ignite Your Future, Renew Your Spirit speaks volumes, said Conference Chair Lisa Dasher, CLM. When she returns to the ofce after Conferences, she brings back new ideas and a fresh spirit to implement them. This year, photographer Dewitt Jones will present the keynote address, Clear Vision. Jones session will kick off a week of education that will have you doing the same. You denitely dont want to miss the keynote, said Dasher. He allows you to be creative and look at the world through a different lens, and hopefully youll be able to see things you werent able to see before.

VISIT WWW.ALANET.ORG/CONF/ for more information about the ALA Annual Conference & Exposition in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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HOOPONOPONO Hooponopono is about making things fair for everyone. Blane Fujiwaras rm Char Sakamoto Ishii Lum & Ching strives for hooponopono. If attorneys can nd a way to settle before going to court, everyone involved saves money, time and hassle. Ideally all the parties would be able to feel like they won at the outcome, even if that isnt always the case. One saying goes, If both sides dont get what they want, that means it was a fair settlement. It means were looking for what we would consider fair, Fujiwara said. At the Conference To help your rm achieve a sense of overall fairness consider attending these sessions: CM20 Communication in Negotiation: Merging Blue with Pink FM21 Collaborating with Clients on AFAs The Key to Win-Win HR40 Win at Work! The Everybody Wins Approach to Conict Resolution

KULEANA Kuleana means thinking of responsibility as a personal value. Rosa Say, author of Managing with Aloha and ALA Annual Conference closing speaker, said kuleana is often used in Hawaiian street slang, but it does have a place in the ofce. As a manager, you get to the workplace thinking of responsibility as a negative concept and you want it to be positive, she said. Many businesses, inside and outside Hawaii, have adopted kuleana as a positive concept and use it as a challenge to help each other perform better. At the Conference To help your rm embrace the value of kuleana you may consider attending these sessions: CM41 Managing with Aloha (presented by Say) LI11 Navigating the Seas of Change: Leveraging Your Firms Future HR23 Building the Ownership Mentality Why the Road to Partner is Always Under Construction

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MALAMA Malama means taking care. Whether thats taking care of your family, your neighbor or your rm, malama is the spirit of stewardship in your life and your work. Take care of your sense of place and your community, said Say. Your business would not exist or would not be as healthy without the support of the community. Malama could also mean taking care of your customers and your employees, who serve other roles besides employee: mother, father, PTA member or soccer coach. Malama means helping them to succeed in those goals. At the Conference To help apply the malama principles in your rm, consider attending these sessions: CM21 Lifes a Beach: Om-ing Your Way to Better Health HR12 Legal Wellness Programs: The Challenges and Rewards OM24 Take the Paper(less) Challenge LOKAHI No business or law rm is an island most every task completed in a law ofce is a team effort. Lokahi is the value of teamwork, cooperation, unity, collaboration and consensus. When lokahi is in action, teams work together with grace and efciency. It doesnt mean everyone needs to completely agree on all things, but a consensus allows everyone to work toward a win-win, or hooponopono. The word lokahi translates to unity and teamwork, but it can sometimes mean one heart, one mind. Individual strengths are recognized and both contrasting and complementing characteristics are valued. At the Conference Learn to implement unity and teamwork in your rm with the following sessions: LI10 ROI Marketing and Business Development Skills for Leaders OM31 Building Blocks to Project Management To Hawaiians, kaona offers a simple package to many concepts that are common across the globe. Whether or not you attend the 2012 ALA Annual Conference & Exposition, there are lessons to be learned from the Hawaiian management philosophies that can contribute to a more relaxed, caring and better workplace. Aloha! X CM23 Are You Listening? Listening and Communication

Toss the Paper, Lighten Your Load

For the 2012 ALA Annual Conference & Exposition, nd session handouts exclusively on the ALA website. No more loose paper. No more schlepping heavy papers. No more expensive shipping of print materials back to your ofce. Instead, use the one small, easy-to-carry notebook we will provide. Before You Leave ALA will send a link to the session handouts; be sure to take a look at them before departing for Honolulu. Perhaps print a page or two for reference, and if you have an iPad, bring it for the ease of note taking. After the Conference Download or print the materials that you know will give you the specic tips and strategies you learned from the sessions. Session Evaluations To further lighten your paper load, session evaluations will be completed online. Completely mobile and tablet-friendly, the online evaluations will work on all of your electronic devices. And while the presentation is fresh in your mind, we encourage you to complete an evaluation at the end of each session or at the end of each day. We think youre going to love the ease and convenience of our new paperless conference. So come to Honolulu to ignite your future, renew your spirit and lighten your load!

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