By David Daggett on 3/24/2008 6:50 AM

Lights, Camera, Action!

     Are you ready? Prom season is now just right around the corner. Lights, Camera, Action - it will be here. We are all excited and ready for this special time.

SSPN Commercial Shoot - Glenn High School

     This past week we really experienced "Lights, Camera, Action" with a group of students at Glenn High School. Glenn had the highest percentage of students take the Safe Sober Prom Night "Do It Right!" pledge out of all the all local high schools. In doing so they won the opportunity to participate in this year’s TV promotional advertisement.

     The Glenn students have great leadership with Principal Coplin, and faculty leaders Ms. Wilson and Ms. P-H (as the students call her). They helped coordinate the students for this extra-curricular activity, which really turned out to be a great experience.

     With the help of WXII TV we were able to turn the auditorium at the high school into a temporary studio in order to shoot the spot. In the process, Mike Lewis and I were able to give the students a bit of a lesson in actual production, as well as having a good bit of fun with them.

     Our Lewis & Daggett team is always impressed with our local students. These students at Glenn were top notch in all respects. We enjoyed the afternoon we spent with them, had a lot of fun, and are excited about their futures.

     This year’s SSPN ad should hit the airways in the next week or so. It will also be posted at www.safeandsober.com. Also at the website students will be able to take the virtual pledge, contact friends, get prom tips, and keep up with all of the SSPN activities.

     Please join us in encouraging our students - they are off to a great start!

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By David Daggett on 3/17/2008 6:49 AM

Connecting to Our Community

     This past week we made a presentation on Social Security and Disability to Leaps & Bounds, a multiple sclerosis self help group in Winston-Salem. The presentation was led by L & D attorney John Koontz.

L & D Attorney John Koontz

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By David Daggett on 3/10/2008 6:47 AM

The Artist

     It is hard to believe that the time changed for spring this weekend, and prom season is right around the corner! Our Safe Sober Prom Night program is getting ready for its 18^th season. We of kicked things off this past week by announcing the winner of the T-shirt design contest.

     The annual T-shirt design competition is open to students at all high schools in North and South Carolina. We received many impressive designs from a number of schools in our area. The final decision proved to be quite difficult for the selection committee.

     The winner of the 2008 Safe Sober Prom Night T-shirt design contest is Tyler Pennington, a senior at North Surry High School. Tyler’s design will be featured on more than 10,000 t-shirts distributed to high school students in the Triad area, and available to all high schools throughout North and South Carolina as part of the Safe Sober Prom Night program.

     During a surprise presentation in his classroom at North Surry High School, we presented Tyler with the very first 2008 t-shirt produced and a scholarship check for $500.

     Our team had a great time with the surprise coordinated by Tyler’s art teacher, M.s Jennifer Via, and administrators at the school. They included and coordinated Tyler’s family, school officials, and the Safe Sober staff. Tyler was really caught off guard!

     Ms. Via, as well as other art teachers across the triad, did an excellent job motivating students to submit entries to the t-shirt design contest, and supporting the artists in their efforts. She has also used this as an opportunity for further learning and case study in her class.

     During this past week, WSJS radio feature a live interview with Tyler and highlighted the safe Sober Prom Night program. Several newspapers in the triad area covered the story as well. This was a great experience for Tyler. He handled it all very well. We are proud of him and optimistic for his future.

     In just a few short weeks, T-shirt distribution will begin at area high schools for student who sign the "Do it Right!" pledge to stay safe and sober on prom night. Please help us support our promising young people.

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By David Daggett on 3/3/2008 7:01 AM

Amazing People

     Wow! Do you ever find that some people are so amazing that they just leave you in awe? At Lewis & Daggett we seem to have a number of folks who leave us feeling this way. That is one aspect of what we do that is so much fun.

Diane, Grady, and L & D Team Members

     This past week we made a visit to some past clients out in Davie county. Normally, due to our ethical responsibility to maintain confidentiality we do not talk about clients or their affairs.

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By David Daggett on 2/25/2008 6:42 AM

Healthy Living Expo

     Last weekend our Lewis & Daggett team participated in the Healthy Living Expo at the Winston-Salem Convention Center. This is an annual event in town that brings out our large cross section of folks from our community.

     From the photo above you can see that members of our L & D team had a good time, and engaged a number of attendees in the fun of the event. As you know from our Values and Culture, we enjoy this sort of interaction and it makes us feel like we are furthering our law firm mission.

     The event is a good opportunity for all of us to improve our teamwork outside the office. We are always favorably impressed at the commitment of our folks to events like this that are strictly voluntary in participation.

     The last several years we have also used the Healthy Living Expo as sort of a kick off for our Safe Sober Prom Night activities. Prom season is just around the corner so we try to start raising awareness within the community.

   Planning, teamwork, and friends made the Expo memorable and enjoyable. We enjoyed the time we spent together and the fun the we had sharing with the community what we all like to do here at the firm!

     Each year at the Expo we meet new friends, and rekindle old relationships. If you dropped by our booth, thank you! We were glad to see you!

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By David Daggett on 2/18/2008 7:31 AM

The Unexpected

     How often do really face the unexpected? Of course, many times the unexpected is a pleasant surprise, or even something beautiful. Last Thursday morning we woke up to an unexpected covering of snow. While we may have had to adjust some plans, it certainly was a beautiful morning!

Early Valentine’s Morning

     Unexpected beauty, unexpected surprises, unexpected visits, and unexpected treats are all fun to experience. The unexpected is many times part of what makes life so much fun. Presents during the holidays are always better when unexpected.

     Of course, as with most areas of life, there are also unexpected things or events that are not quite so positive or pleasant. As humans, we just hope that the positives outweigh the negatives so we are able to keep a bright outlook.

     At Lewis & Daggett we help people who encounter a different type of unexpected. We many times work with folks who are dealing with the worst unexpected event of their lives. It is our job to deal with the unexpected and try to obtain the best possible result.

     An automobile accident that causes serious injuries can be devastating. An illness or other condition that turns into a lifelong disability changes everything. Or, getting hurt at work not only can threaten your job, and your income, but also the well being of your whole family.

     Children and families who suffer life changing injuries or events need our help. I am always amazed at the quality, caring concern of our team of lawyers and professional staff. We are proud of the way they really take care of those who need us.

     Our L & D team embodies a collective ability to assist people with the unexpected in ways well beyond just the law - they care and want a just resolution so folks can have dignity and respect to continue even with their difficulties. Perhaps in today’s world that is an "Unexpected" positive we can all appreciate.

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By David Daggett on 2/11/2008 7:44 AM

Values and Culture

     Do you consider what causes any organization or group to well? What motivates any group to perform successfully? This was an interesting topic of conversation at a recent lawyer conference. We spent a good bit of time just listening.

L&D Team members Gail Fisher and Elvis Horning

     To us it seemed interesting that a large percentage of the conference focused only on business, numbers, costs, and expenses. The bottom line was that these were all money matters. While we certainly believe it is prudent to be financially responsible, we felt deep down that we were a bit different.

     So, the curious side of us pulled back out some of our old books on motivation and leadership. We also looked at models of what makes organizations really effective and have meaning. Our reading, I suppose, confirmed what we already knew and felt deep down - the strongest organizations are based values and culture, not just money and profit.

     Organizations appear to work best when the core or fundamental values and ethics are the driving forces. The organization then surrounds itself with individuals who believe in those values. Those values then become the culture, or feel, of the organization. Interestingly, research shows that organizations with money as a driving force have lessor continuity and tend to burn out more quickly since this is a rather weak "value."

     Then, from a business point of view we develop strategic plans that support those values and the culture derived from them. We previously discussed our Lewis & Daggett strategic plan in Renewal of Purpose. This supports our values and beliefs so there is really no effort to get folks to buy into our firm mission.

     If you have been reading here over the past several weeks, or if you have come into our office, you may have a bit of a feel for our driving values and ethics. We are proud of our team’s concern for folks who are seriously injured, disabled, or hurt at work. Certainly our Safe Sober Prom Night campaign is consistent with our firm culture. This caring is just part of our overarching values of caring, concern, compassion and respect for individual dignity resulting in client service.

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By David Daggett on 2/4/2008 6:54 AM

Always Under Construction

     Are we always working on something in our lives? Are we building for a better future? One of the exciting things about our work at Lewis & Daggett is that we are always working and improving how we do things, on each client we represent, and every case we work on.

     This past week was a bit of a tough week in our Lewis & Daggett family. We had two extended relatives of folks here at the office pass away. Those sorts of times are always difficult. At the same time, we are always impressed how we all come together in support of each other.

     The pastor at one of the funerals delivered a very interesting, heart warming, and even motivating message. He used construction as a metaphor for building in our lives. The lessons are worth sharing.

     All good construction begins a plan or blueprint to guide you along the way. Just like building a house, we need a plan or blueprint in life to guide us along the way. The plan is something we can refer back to and use to keep us on track. Perhaps that is one of the benefits of the resolution journal we are offering.

     Of course, all quality construction begins with a strong foundation. Our personal foundation is the principles and values upon which the rest of our lives are built. Our foundation usually includes our families, physical self, spiritual self, and our work. Supporting and building a strong foundation seems to allow us to have strong structures like friendships and relationships that we can build upon and continue to work on.

     Quality construction requires us to use good material, equipment, and tools. For example, at Lewis & Daggett we believe we have built a strong team of good people who use technology and processes to make us as strong as possible.

     As a building progresses, it is important to continually measure to make sure we are on track and that everything fits together properly. Likewise in life it is prudent to take time to measure to make sure our pieces are correct and that they fit together properly. I've noticed that successful people tend to measure and adjust frequently.

     On construction projects everyone works together. Of course there's a foreman or leader, but everybody works together with scheduling, timing, and doing their separate roles. That spirit of cooperation certainly makes our own personal and professional lives more fulfilling and more successful.

     There are always things that are not in our control, like the weather, that can affect our construction projects. Just like in construction, success in life will be dictated by how we react to unforeseen problems. Our ability to adapt and make good decision when the unexpected arises certainly applies to our legal profession. As things change, or we find new evidence, we adjust the plan so that the project will continue to be successful.

     Life, unlike a physical building project, is always under construction. However, having good plans, building a solid foundation, working with good materials, remembering to measure, and being able to adapt will allow our lives, careers, and relationships to be strong. The improvement and growth of the building process is exciting!

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By David Daggett on 1/28/2008 6:57 AM

Play Doubles Tennis

     How well do we adapt to different and complementary roles in various aspects of our lives? Are we able to be flexible, cooperative, supporting, or yielding as the case may be? Perhaps these are some areas we can all work on.

Mike & Dave - Safe sober Prom Night Event

     Mike Lewis has been an avid tennis player for as long as I’ve known him. In fact, he and his wife Kathy have been among the top players in the Southeast since before I joined Mike in 1985. Their specialty is doubles tennis, and mixed doubles in particular. They play really well together as a team.

     During the recent conversation with Mike he used the term "doubles tennis." Crack! The term and the concept were metaphorically ingrained in my mind. He might not have realized the significance at the time, but I think he hit a winner!

     So, another goal for our firm in 2008 is to continue playing better "doubles tennis." For example, we have a buddy system at L & D so we are there to cover for each other. We also need to continue to work to recognize the ideas and accomplishments of others.

     Our law firm is full of fast paced, self confident, results oriented, effective people that get things done. Most of the folks on our team are already pretty good at playing "doubles tennis." We have discussed some of this previously when the subject was Teamwork.

     To continue to play better doubles tennis we will need to actively work on not always taking the lead, recognizing areas to be more complementary in action, perhaps yielding at times, and help the other person to better get the ball over the net when in the best interest of the team.

     "Doubles tennis" probably ends up being more fun, makes other people better, encourages team work, and maybe even helps us become better people along the way. Most importantly, it makes us better at serving our clients who are injured, disabled, or out of work.

     Thanks for joining us. We look forward share our "doubles tennis" experience with you!

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By David Daggett on 1/21/2008 7:49 AM

Ask More Questions

     Do you ever feel exuberant? Are you ready to jump right in and give answers? Perhaps it would serve us well to ask more questions. We are reminded of this at Lewis& Daggett every time we make a presentation at a school - the students love to ask questions!

Students naturally ask questions    

     First thing this morning, right after I got out of bed, my wife told me I was "exuberant!" Exuberant! I had not even gotten started yet… I hadn't had a workout, I hadn't begun working, I hadn't even gotten going and I was already exuberant. Perhaps this exuberance is related to Slow Down! and Take a Chill Pill.

     At Lewis & Daggett our exuberance has us always ready to go, and we help people with answers very quickly. Folks at a law firm are probably more inclined to give answers than the average person. We are always moving very fast, ready to go, and are "exuberant" in our willingness to answer questions.

     So, our next resolution is to ask more questions. Do you ask more questions or do you give more answers? The truth is, we all sometimes act like we know more than we really do. Of course, none of us knows everything, and one way we learn is by asking questions. In fact, children learn how to ask questions at a very early age.

     Our own children can get us trapped in the "why?" game very quickly. They always want to know more. Perhaps we can learn from children that we learn more when we ask more questions.

     Asking questions instead of giving answers (or even direction) is probably a more effective form of leadership. Asking questions gets others involved and participating in achieving a result. Perhaps the results are even more meaningful.

     The art of asking more questions will probably take some practice and some patience, so we will need you to help us along the way. The good part is we will probably become more interesting, more effective, and learn more along the way.

     Can you help us ask more questions?

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