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January is a month of new beginnings. Indeed, the very word “January” derives from the Latin Januarius mensis meaning ‘month of Janus,’ the Roman god of doors, transitions, and openings. As you start in on 2022, this is the time to assess what’s been going well, what could be going better, and how your firm can best grow in the new year.

If you’re a parent and have ever hosted a sleepover, you’re familiar with the childish competition to see who can stay up the latest. And if you were ever a teenager, you know about the myriad of dumb challenges teenagers use to size each other up. As adults, you’d think we’d have grown out of such juvenile behavior, and yet the number of professionals who measure their worth—and that of others—based on how busy they are says otherwise. But here’s the thing: being “too busy” is neither respectable, nor healthy. Work life balance, on the other hand, is both—and top talent knows this.

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously stated that the only constant in life is change. This applies as much to the world of business as to anything else and one of the main changes businesses owners face is an evolution in the fundamental concepts that keep their enterprise ticking. Communication does not mean the same thing it did thirty years ago. Hiring today has nothing to do with bygone times when a person stayed with a company for life. Productivity is in flux as individual cultures grapple with new global norms. The most recent change of this sort involves employee engagement, which in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic does not mean what it used to.

For years now, the labor market has been undergoing a generational shift. Workers of the Millennial and Gen Z generations dominate the talent pool, and their priorities have little to do with those of their forebears. Experts have long warned of this change, but it took a global pandemic to cast it in clear light and force even the most skeptical of observers to admit that old norms are gone for good. These days, if you want to attract and retain top talent, you need to offer not just a generous salary and benefits package, but purpose, too. Young professionals prioritize meaning above all else (yes, even money), which means defining “the why” of your firm matters now more than ever.

Ask any successful attorney what makes their firm great, and every single one of them will tell you that it’s their team of highly trained associates, legal assistants, and support staff. Top people make a top firm, and let me tell you…if you’re offering $19.00/hr you won’t be getting top people. Why? Because in today’s labor market any 15-year-old can make that kind of cash with full benefits and a $1.50/hour raise after a year. The best legal talent (in any aspect of the industry) is not going to settle for Chick-fil-A wages, which means you won’t be getting the best legal talent with such an offer.

A lack of accountability creates chaos and crisis, which leads to frustration, mistrust within your organization, and poor results. Learn five signs to help you identify low accountability leaks and how to plug them up in this episode. Accountability starts with culture. As a leader, it is also your job to empower your employees to hold you accountable to attend meetings and follow processes. Empower your team members with responsibility, authority, and permission to do their jobs.