Hiring & Empowering Solutions

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What Every Attorney Business Owner is So Desperate to Hear

what all attorney business owners want to hearWe talk to attorneys all day, every day. We typically start the conversation off with, “What are you not seeing that you really need and want to?” It starts with what’s not working, what is working and what they so desperately wish they could find time to work on, but can’t because they’re not confident that anyone has their back while they step away from the business.

“So, what I’m hearing is your desperate to know someone in your firm has your back. To know that someone’s got yours (the business owner) and the firm’s (reputation) and the client’s (why we all still have jobs) back?

Every attorney is desperate to hear, “I got your back!” and then see consistent evidence that their employees know what this means.

There is no lonelier feeling than being a business owner. You start off as a solopreneur, practicing law independently. You’re good at what you do, and business is coming in. You soon recognized the need to hire a few people, start growing your team. You got juuuust the right people in place—in your mind, they were going to dive in head-first, clear your plate of the day-to-day operational tasks, and completely free you up to keep growing your business.

But somewhere between your new employees diving in head-first and you being able to focus on growing your business, you get that gut feeling that you need to start paying closer attention. Turns out that people are a lot of work. They require training. They need to be developed into the type of employees who can step up, suit up, and start taking over the tasks that you simply don’t have time for if you really want to focus on building a successful and sustainable business. They need to be taught how to be their own leaders…and unfortunately, that just doesn’t happen overnight.

If you’re feeling frustrated with your team—if you’re sick of balls dropping, office drama, details slipping through the cracks, etc.—chances are your team is feeling just as frustrated. They probably want to help, but are struggling with where to start. They are just as desperate to get you out of the day to day. They want to take the management tasks off your plate, how to stand in for you at that industry event, how to problem solve without asking for your input every 5 minutes…

But training and development alone won’t turn your team into effective leaders—you have to be willing to hand over some ownership. Teach them how to do what you do, and hand over your responsibilities—along with the authority to make decisions without your approval. Not only is this huge for improving employee engagement and loyalty, but it’s what will ultimately free you up to focus on growing your firm.

You also need to let your team members get connected with each other, and with other industry colleagues. It’s no secret that powerful leaders are skilled networkers. Learning from you is great—learning from other industry leaders, too…now that’s a truly valuable experience…for your team member and your firm.

Employee development isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it deal. As your employees progress and really start to stand into their roles as leaders, it’s important that you continue to mentor them. Meeting with your team members one-on-one, whether to discuss new ideas, brainstorm solutions to problems they may be struggling with, or to open up a dialogue about a work-related book or article you both read, is key to keeping the lines of communication open, and making sure your insight and appreciation is evident, always.

We get it, it is a big investment. Not just financially, but time-wise, too. Developing your team members into leaders, hearing “I got you and I got this firm” and having confidence that is finally true, is scary. But Investing in the right people now will reap huge dividends later.

If your team is good, but you’re ready to make them “I got your back” great, schedule a call and we can strategize mastering your next move.

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If Bosses & Employees Both Know That the Boss Doesn’t Have ALL the Answers, Then Why Do We Keep Continuing On As If They Do?

bosses don't have all the answersIt probably won’t come as a surprise that bosses don’t have all the answers. If you’re a boss, you’re probably nodding your head, thinking, No kidding, that’s why I keep asking for help! And if you’re an employee, you’re also nodding your head, thinking, No kidding, that’s why I keep offering to help.

But if leaders and employees both know that the boss doesn’t have all the answers, then why do we keep continuing on as if they do?

I can remember, like yesterday, when our business was starting to grow, and I recognized that some of workflow processes just weren’t working. Not only were they not working, but their inefficiencies seemed to be coming to a head. I knew we could no longer tolerate these weaknesses, but somehow we kept limping along. And nothing changes if nothing changes.

A key employee emailed me about two of the most glaring issues. Without thinking too much about it, I responded with a series of suggestions about how we could resolve the issues. I didn’t suggest any follow-up actions, or concrete plans about how to implement my suggestions, so it’s no surprise that, two days later, I got frustrated with the lack of resolution and started to type up the usual “boss email.” You know the one: overflowing with frustration and rambling on about all of the things “we” need to fix. No clear directions or solutions, just verbal vomit.

It struck me sometime around midnight, as I was typing up bullet point #23, that the email, well, it was completely pointless. I paused for a minute and tried to sit in her seat. I realized I was trying to have a strategy meeting via email, addressing issues that she had been trying to bring to my attention for months. Sending this email would only add to her already growing list of “still no answers,” and the truth of the matter was that I didn’t have all the answers. I needed input from her and the rest of my team about how to actually fix these issues. I need KPI’s, cost analyses, and input from our outsourced vendors. Sending a hastily-written email in the middle of the night would only exacerbate the issues we were struggling with. It would leave my key employee feeling as though she needed to respond to all 23 of my bullet points, while leaving my entire team concerned that their leader was burning out, preparing to shut the business down, wanting to fire people, etc. That’s the dark place employees go to when the leader is not leading.

In that moment I realized that bosses do this…a lot. We feel the need to respond immediately to every problem: client complaints, process issues, cash flow issues and employee frustrations. The problem is that, when we jump the gun and respond without stopping to think, we forget to include important information, such as a plan for follow-up, a road map for implementation, or how to gauge the effectiveness of our suggestions in the long-term. And forgetting this information just makes us look flaky and inconsistent to our team. And honestly, email communication ping pong is not an effective platform from which to master your next moves.

How many times have you had to send a follow-up email to that big, long, hasty, frustrated “boss email?” It usually starts something like, “You know, I thought more about this and…”

I know I’ve sent quite a few of those emails.

What if instead of shooting off shotgun suggestions to solve complex operational problems we learned to step back and respond with, “I need to think about this. Let me get back to you tomorrow with some thoughts, add it to our daily huddle list.” Let’s learn to acknowledge a problem, and let our team members know that finding a solution is a priority…without making shoot-from-the-hip suggestions that don’t actually solve anything in the long run. Let’s start having well-prepared, thought-out discussions about how to fix our problems, get feedback from relevant team members, and make an informed decision that comes complete with an action plan with deadlines and accountability.

If you aren’t sure how to lead a conversation like this, about improving inefficient processes—or creating new processes—at your firm, download our e-book, “Intrapreneurs in an Entrepreneur’s World: How to Empower Your Employees to Step Up and Lead!” You’ll learn how to effectively connect and communicate with your team members in a way that not only leads to effective problem-solving for your firm or business, but that also drives employee retention and loyalty!

 

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Hold Your Team Members Accountable…to Each Other

micromanagement and accountabilityIf you are micromanaging your employees, please stop! Now. It is literally debilitating to your law firm or business. Micromanagement prevents your business from evolving with the times. It thwarts innovation. It pushes strong team members out the door, hinders workflow, disempowers staff, closes communication channels, and turns “teamwork” into a four letter word.

Shall we continue?

Micromanagement could be the biggest nail in your firm or business’s coffin. Do you find it difficult to delegate responsibility to team members, taking an if-you-want-something-done-right-you-gotta-do-it-yourself approach instead? Do you have high employee turnover, or do you get the feeling that your team members are walking on eggshells around you? Are you the only person at your business responsible for making decisions? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, well, we’re sorry to say it, but…you might be a micromanager.

But there is hope! Many a micromanager has been able to turn their leadership technique around and create a workplace environment rich with empowerment. Here’s how:

1. Hire the right people. The #1 reason why leaders micromanage is because they don’t trust their team members. Hiring quality people who you truly believe are capable of delivering the caliber of work you expect will reduce the need to micromanage them. One of the best pieces of advice we were ever given was this: hire people who are better than you. Put your ego aside and think about that for a minute. Hiring people who are better than you only stands to benefit your firm in the long run.

2. Hold your team members accountable…to each other. Nothing ensures quality control more so than peer pressure. Allowing your staff to provide anonymous feedback about the performance of other team members and departments will create a sense of ownership, and can help you implement systems that keep your team satisfied and productive.

3. Be clear about what you expect. If your staff doesn’t know what you expect, then how can they work towards it? So many times we see micromanagement emerge as a response to poorly communicated expectations. Be clear, give your team specific benchmarks and objectives, and eliminate the need to micromanage them!

4. Empower your employees. Providing your team members with the freedom to engage—meaningfully—in decision-making processes will help them “own their role” at your firm. They’ll be willing to go above and beyond because they know you won’t be sweeping up behind them, changing everything that they’ve done. They’ll be excited about their job, and will take the success (or failure) of your business personally.

5. Recognize your own bad behavior. So the saying goes, the first step is admitting. Once you recognize your own micromanaging tendencies, you can begin to change them. Working with a management consultant or executive coach can be a huge help for those with the tendency to micromanage.

No matter how you look at it, micromanagement is a huge problem that needs to be stopped before it destroys your firm. You want—no, you need—empowered employees who aren’t afraid to step up and lead. Forget about the robots who need to be told what to do, and how to do it. Hire cream-of-the crop-employees, empower them, and you’ll find there is no need to micromanage anything (or anyone) anymore.

Schedule a FREE Discovery Session

Is your firm or business struggling with micromanagement? Are you confident that you have hired amazing people? Are you confident that you have communicated your process for holding your team accountable…to each other? Maybe it’s time to hire your next (or first) superstar hire and empower them to take ownership of your business. Hiring & Empowering Solutions specializes in legal staffing, and offers the only Team Empowerment Academy (TM) in the country. Schedule a 30-minute discovery session with our co-founder, Molly Hall, today. Find out how we can support the evolution of your firm, and ensure its viability today and tomorrow.

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Increased Productivity and an Improved Bottom Line are Just Secondary Benefits Next to the Cost Savings of Retaining Your Employees

cost savings employee retentionLosing an employee is expensive. The process of finding and training a replacement can cost twice as much as your former employee’s salary. Then, once your new hire is properly trained and onboarded, keeping them engaged and loyal is the next challenge. And it’s a big one…

Companies are usually shocked to learn that financial incentives are not the secret to employee retention. In fact, a 2018 LinkedIn survey reports that an incredible 94 percent of employees admitted they would stay in a position longer if their employer invested in their training and development. Ironically, these employees also claimed that they didn’t have time to continue their educations independently.

The solution? Make employee training and development part of their day-to-day jobs.

The same LinkedIn survey showed that both executives and employees agree that soft skills are highly important: leadership development, communication skills, and team collaboration were just a few of the skills that survey participants identified as instrumental to their careers. And wouldn’t you know, empowering your employees with these skills can—and will—make a magnificent difference in your company or firm’s performance. What a win-win.

Of course, implementing an out-of-the-box training program isn’t enough to yield results for your employees or for your firm. Here are a few tips to help align your training program with the wants of your employees and the needs of your business:

1. Set learning goals. Each member of your team will have his or her own educational objectives. Identify where their goals intersect with the goals of your firm—and voila! You’ve got a mutually beneficial goal that will keep your employee engaged while reaping rewards for your business.

2. Go with the workflow. It doesn’t matter how solid your training and development program is—if it’s not teaching skills that integrate seamlessly with your firm’s operational processes, employees won’t be able to leverage their new skills in a real-world environment. Try to align learning processes with the actual tasks your employees manage on a day-to-day basis. Your employees will be able to feel the improvement in their performance…and your bottom line will feel it, too.

3. Reward your employees for a job well done. It’s simple: employees who feel appreciated and valued are more motivated to perform at the top their ability. When your employees reach their learning goals or measurably improve their performance, reward them however you are able: give them extra flex time or a paid day off, take them out for a nice lunch, grant them the most coveted parking spot for a week. It doesn’t have to be a grand reward—just some way of showing them that their hard work has been noticed and is appreciated.

Increased productivity and an improved bottom line are just secondary benefits next to the cost savings of retaining your employees. Training and development programs are undoubtedly a win for your business and a win for your employees…as long as you find the right program.

Our Team Empowerment Academy is a virtual training program designed to equip leaders and employees with a wide range of hard and soft skills. With over 200 tools and techniques, plus weekly master classes focusing on a variety of subjects, members of our program typically generate measurable results after just eight modules. We help take the guesswork out of employee training and development.

Schedule a FREE Discovery Session

If you’re tired of a revolving door of employees wasting your firm’s time and money, we can help. Whether your challenge is finding and recruiting top talent, training and developing your team, or retaining employees for the long-term, Hiring & Empowering Solutions can help. Schedule your free 30-minute discovery session with Molly today.

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Why Employee Training & Development Programs Don’t Offer an Immediate Solution

employee training and development programSmall law firms are investing more than ever in employee training and development, seeking to better engage their employees and keep them invested in their jobs for the long-term. Don’t get us wrong, employee training and development is hugely important to any small or solo law practice. But we see it time and time again: law firm leadership identifies a learning opportunity or behavioral problem and thinks that investing in an employee training and development program will offer an immediate solution.

But an employee training and development program is only as effective as a law firm’s leadership. If your firm’s leadership has not clarified which groups and individuals are responsible for making certain decisions, they are negating your training efforts. If authority has been delegated in a silo—and only at the very tippity-top of that silo—you are impeding your own team training efforts. If you have not outlined a measurable way to hold your employees accountable for decision-making, then you are standing in your own way. And you need to step aside.

Employee training and development is a highly-effective solution for a lot of traditional business problems: it helps keep balls in the air rather than constantly dropping; it snuffs out office drama; it streamlines operations and keeps your firm running like a well-oiled machine; it draws out each employee’s superpowers; and it empowers your employees to step up and lead rather than await orders and execute as dictated.

But if, at the core of your firm, you’re not meeting these three requirements, there isn’t a training and development program in the world that could help you:

1. An internal system that is aligned with your training & development goals. So, you want your team to feel more ownership of the firm and its performance—you want them to make confident decisions and run with their intrepreneurial ideas. But is your firm structured in a way that enables this level of employee empowerment? Or do you have a managerially “tall” organization, where each layer of leadership is required to approve decisions? Is access to important information limited to certain members of your leadership team? If employees keep running into red tape and feel that they need to ask permission to make even the tiniest decision, how can they be empowered to become leaders?

2. Leaders who are 100% committed to making positive changes at your firm. You’ve taken the first step and figured out the root cause of dysfunction at your firm. Now, are your leaders willing to make changes that solve internal problems and open the doors to an effective employee training and development program? If leaders aren’t ready to relinquish control of your firm’s decision-making processes and trust that their newly-empowered team would be capable of calling the shots, then training and development efforts will be moot.

3. Find solutions, not bandaids. There is the case of one particular firm leader whose team kept reporting back to her that they were stressed out and overworked. With the best of intentions, she rolled out a mindfulness workshop at her firm. This would reduce stress, right? But even though her team reported back that the mindfulness workshop was “interesting”…it still didn’t reduce their stress. The problem is that, to reduce stress, the root cause of that stress needs to be addressed. The mindfulness workshop was just a bandaid—not a long-term solution.

Implementing an employee training and development program under the wrong conditions is a waste of time and money. If you’re unsure about the conditions at your law firm, we’d love the opportunity to connect and assess your situation. Depending on where you are, our Team Empowerment Solution might be the perfect fit for your firm’s leadership and employees alike. Schedule a free discovery session with Molly and find out if your firm is ready to empower its employees and equip them with the tools they need to grow your business.

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