♫ Baby, my world’s been movin’ way too fast
I need to slow down and catch up with some of the past
Maybe go back home and stay for a week or two
I’m takin’ some old things and makin’ ’em new…♫

Lyrics and music by Bill Anderson, Paul Overstreet, Buddy Cannon, recorded by Joe Nichols.

LinkedIn has just released a survey about office tools and trends that are no longer considered ‘in’:

According to professionals, the top 10 items and office trends that are becoming rare and could even disappear in the next five years are:

1. Tape recorders (79 percent)
2. Fax machines (71 percent)
3. The Rolodex (58 percent)
4. Standard working hours (57 percent)
5. Desk phones (35 percent)
6. Desktop computers (34 percent)
7. Formal business attire like suits, ties, pantyhose, etc. (27 percent)
8. The corner office for managers/executives (21 percent)
9. Cubicles (19 percent)
10. USB thumb drives (17 percent)

Some of these items should be no surprise …others more so.  I have my doubts about the death of the corner office…of all the things to change, the power structure in law firms and other businesses will keep the coveted corner office around for a good while yet, I suspect.  I am also a bit skeptical about the disappearance of the USB thumb drive..they are still very handy to move big files around..

Oh well…guess I should slow down some and get a few of these out and catch up with some of the past…before they are all gone…

♫  All waitings up
I’m on that team
That says go forward
With a Head Full of Steam…♫

Lyrics and music by Grant McLennan and Robert Forster, recorded by The Go-Betweens. 

This is a guest post by my friend and colleague Robert Denney.  This time he has chosen to write about one of my favourite subjects, namely change management.  Here are Bob’s thoughts on change:

There’s an old adage, “The only constant is change.”  This has certainly been true in the practice of law as well as in life.

And the evolution of the “New Normal” will result in further change in the legal profession.  However, rather than attempting to predict what these changes will be, we address here the broader issue: If change is constant and inevitable, how do you bring it about?

Effecting change, particularly in a professional firm, can be agonizingly slow and painful, beset by such powerful emotions as fear and anger.  Therefore, the first thing to remember is this:  Resistance to change is natural and inevitable.  When forced to change, people push back, no matter how minor the change is or how beneficial it may be. Firm leadership must recognize this fact and address every reaction to change, no matter how trivial or irrational it may be. (more…)