“Shoot for the stars” is common advice, but no one actually specifies what this means. Where do you shoot when there are more stars in the sky than grains of sand on Earth? How do you calibrate your law firm goals when you face an endless list of challenges? The answer is: you look for help. Anyone who has ever done anything meaningful has done so with support—and you’re no different. To get you started, we present the following curated list of short term goals for lawyers, devised by industry leaders.
Law Firm Goals and Objectives: Top Four Tips from the Top of the Field
- Up Your Employee Incentives
You don’t need us to tell you that legal staffing is a nightmare right now. Talent can take its pick of where to work, and that doesn’t make retaining a strong team easy. Fix this by providing at least one notable incentive to each employee. Often, this looks like a mix of engaging work and generous pay…but you can’t stop there. Everyone wants to be seen, so it is crucial that you cater these incentives to the individual such that they develop a personal reason to love your firm.
- Make Growth a Mindset
No rocket has ever reached the stars by laying off the gas. Big law firm goals require big boosters, which is why you need to ALWAYS be thinking about growth. Every year should be better than the last, and the only way to make this happen is to work for it. Every. Single. Day.
Now, this doesn’t mean making constant sweeping changes. Rather, it means making regular small tweaks that add up over the course of a year. Toggle your sales strategy; better track relevant data; train your team, etc. Do one of these things each day, and pretty soon you’ll be experiencing celestial success.
- Nurture a Positive Work Environment
Everyone works better when they’re happy, including you. Happiness isn’t just a thing that happens, however; it’s a thing you build. In a law firm context, this means welcoming feedback, listening, and responding to your team’s needs. It also means providing opportunities for professional growth and, crucially, giving your employees the tools they need to do their best work.
- Learn Compassion
This goal is a sort of caveat to that last, but it’s so important that it deserves its own entry on this list. The last three years have been hard. You’re feeling it, and you can be sure your team is, too. Compassion takes many forms, but honest consideration of your team’s needs is a universal characteristic. Is an employee struggling to juggle work and child care? Maybe offer them flex days. Have you noticed a team member’s motivation slump? Consider a professional development course that allows them to rediscover meaning in their role.
The best short term goals for a lawyer all involve caring for your team because, at the end of the day, it’s they that carry your firm.
So, which star do you aim for? Whichever one supports your staff.
To learn more, read up on our Law Firm Admin Bootcamp—a twelve-week course that accelerates the success of your firm and ensures your employees understand the true value of all they do. Enrolling your team in a program like our Bootcamp checks off all four of the law firm goals listed above…and so much more!
