Clarify core values for law firm hiring success—this was the theme we explored in our recent conversation with Rick Girard. If you haven’t tuned in to that episode yet, we recommend giving it a listen.
In my conversations with law firms, I keep coming back to the need to clarify core values. Many firms either aren’t clear on what their core values are or mistakenly conflate them with their mission and vision statements. This lack of clarity creates disconnects within the team, especially during hiring and employee reviews.
Too often, I hear “family first” cited as a core value. It’s added to employee manuals and firm websites. But if you get frustrated when a team member leaves at 5:30 PM to get their child to soccer practice, is that value really practised? Clarify core values to avoid such inconsistencies. Core values are non-negotiables—they hold even when inconvenient.
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Clarify Core Values vs. Mission and Vision
It’s common for law firms to confuse core values with their mission or vision. Mission and vision statements describe where the firm is headed or what it stands for. However, core values reflect the behaviours and beliefs your team lives out every day. Clarify core values, Firm’s, and you clarify expectations for how work gets done and how people are treated.
Clarify Core Values During Hiring
You can use tools like the Kolbe Index or StrengthsFinder to help identify the personal values and working styles of your team. But ultimately, it’s about knowing what your firm will—and will not—tolerate. Clarify core values and then embed them into your interview process. It becomes far easier to identify candidates who align with your culture from the outset.
Clarify Core Values Before Problems Start
If a value is only upheld when it’s convenient, it’s not really a core value. For instance, if your firm says it values open communication but team members are penalised for speaking up, then clarity is missing. Clarify core values so there’s no ambiguity around what behaviour is rewarded—and what’s not.
Explore more free tools and insights at hiringandempowering.com to help clarify your firm’s culture. Learn more about strengthening your hiring process on our blogs, and check out one of our weekly podcasts for practical, leadership-focused strategies.
Authored by Molly Hall McGrath