As clients and other attorneys enter our office, one of the most common questions we get is…
Why all the Eagles?—what’s that all about?
When I was a teenager, my Dad was always very motivated. Whether it was being proactive with his many activities as a Leader in our church, opening various businesses, investing in real estate, volunteering for numerous charities and causes, or serving his country with his Naval Career that resulted in achieving the rank as a 2-Star Admiral in the Naval Reserve. I would observe and watch him set his goals every year, and was always intrigued when he achieved many of these goals or thoughtfully moved in other directions as needed.
A large part of my dad’s motivation was inspired by reading books and listening to tapes, remember a thing called cassette tapes? These were motivating, inspiring, and helped folks that dared to dream big become successful. I would see books in my Dad’s office like “How To Win Friends and Influence People” and tapes by inspirational leaders, all of which I started to read and listen to myself.
One of our favorites was a set of tapes by Wayne Dyer where he discusses the differences between “Ducks” and “Eagles”. Mr. Dyer explained that folks often fall into one of two categories, which carries over into one’s personal life and business life. One’s attitude and actions often land each as being an “Eagle” or a “Duck”.
How ducks vs. eagles respond:
Each of us as individuals, all with numerous imperfections, deviate throughout each day between “Eagle” actions/behavior and ‘Duck” actions/behavior, yet we find that when we consciously think in this manner, we will begin doing more “Eagle-like actions” and less “Duck-like actions”.
When we hire new team members at Fry | Goehring, our goal is to hire only Eagles. We strive to compensate our members significantly more than other law firms, along with immense flexibility and a “family first” culture. In return, we don’t hire “average” team members and we expect significantly more than what is normally expected, in terms of both productivity, commitment, loyalty, and team spirit that no job or task is too small to perform.
Finally, after years of working for, and leading organizations, we have found that Eagles encourage and boost each other up, always looking for solutions, while Ducks complain, criticize and hang out together—where?-at the DUCK POND OF COURSE!
So remember-“FLY LIKE AN EAGLE”—“DON’T QUACK LIKE A DUCK”!
Randy E. Fry, Esq.
