Are the members of your staff working up to their potential? Are they working together to the greatest effect? Do you have effective recruiting, training, evaluation, and retention programs? Your firm’s success — its profitability and quality of life — depend, in large measure, on your people.
While this appears obvious at face value, far too many firms tolerate a drag on results because they either don’t have the right people on board, or they’re not helping them perform up to their potential. Others struggle with frequent turnover and the significant financial impact it causes.
I teach my clients how to implement a fairly simple set of staff management processes that improve communication and productivity while reducing both the inherent stress of working in a law firm and the amplified stress that can manifest when a team is not managed as it should be.
Assessing work flow needs and who should be doing what. Deepening employee engagement. Dealing with negative attitudes. Conducting meaningful performance reviews. Running successful, efficient meetings – I’ve helped clients become confident addressing all of these and more.
Call me at 203.806.1300 if you’d like to have a confidential conversation about your people, how they’re doing, or how you’re doing as their boss. Whether you’re sole owner of a boutique or department head in a large firm, managing your people can be one of the most frustrating aspects of your job.
Here’s an article I wrote for CT Lawyer magazine that lays out one key element of the staff performance puzzle: Staffing Success: Finding and Keeping Great People.
Once you have the right people in place, the real magic happens when you build a high-functioning organizational culture where your staff truly enjoy coming to work and help each other get better in the service of delivering a positive experience and a strong outcome for your clients.