Tim Kidd, Chief Executive of the Institute of Legal Finance and Management (ILFM), shares his thoughts on how modern law firms can attract and retain talent - a conversation with Osprey Approach in their series of webinars.
I was delighted to take part recently in the final instalment of Osprey Approach’s webinar series, Build Better Habits, alongside guest speakers Joanna Gaudoin, Director at Inside Out Image, and Leah Steele, Owner of Searching for Serenity.
Our panel host Amy Bruce, Marketing Manager at Osprey Approach, was keen for us to explore how law firms can implement an effective workplace culture that empowers employees, retains talent, and improves overall performance.
Empowering Employees
The discussion started by defining what an ‘empower employee’ mindset means for modern law firms.
Joanna began by explaining the importance of career development for empowerment and suggested that staff...
“Put some time in the diary every week to work on your career. It’s important that the employer is supportive of that so individuals can ask about their current skill gaps, or how they can progress.”
It’s a great point. With my team, I try to make their lives a little bit better in one way or another, whether that’s through training, equipment, or identifying the support they need.
It’s also the reason behind the ILFM motto: knowledge, support, and confidence. We encourage members to concentrate on training and qualifications, because knowledge will lead to improved confidence, and people with confidence perform their jobs better.
Leah also highlighted the importance of learning from everyone in the team and that, for her, the "empower employee" mindset is about unlocking the traditional hierarchy structure that says the person at the top knows more; instead, we widen it out to say, ‘what do we all know?’… We can get a much richer source of information that way.”
For empowerment to resonate, people need to feel valued: recognition is a huge thing as far as I’m concerned.
Seven habits for law firms
The panel discussed and agreed seven habits that modern law firms should adopt to successfully implement an "empower employee" mindset.
Increase channels for feedback
Employees need to feel safe when proving feedback, especially if it’s negative. Leah suggested having multiple options for providing feedback to encourage communication such as having “an external consultant come in, someone that’s anonymous, confidential, and removed from the environment. Allow email feedback, ask surveys, and provide anonymous structures to give people safety.”
Model the desired behaviour
Improved human connection happens through vulnerability. Positive change is a result of curiosity. Both behaviours are needed for a more effective workplace culture. Leah commented that for an effective culture shift, the desired behaviour needs to be modelled by managers: “Transparency, vulnerability, and curiosity need to be visible. Managers should share experiences when they weren’t sure or got things wrong. You shift the culture by modelling it for others to see.”
Regular feedback
A report by LawCare showed that regular catch-ups were the most effective support measure in law firms. Joanna agreed and said that frequent feedback enables everyone to develop and improve: “If you’re only giving feedback once a year it’s hard to remember what happened months ago. Feedback isn’t going to be specific enough because it’ll lack examples and clarity, and nobody can act on that.”
Eliminate fear
I shared my view that fear in the workplace is awful; there’s a huge difference between respect and fear. It’s important to eliminate fear from your culture, but it can be achieved by encouraging people to ask questions - and the way you encourage people to ask is to say “yes” often.
Apologise
It's important for management teams to acknowledge that mistakes happen. We need to be open to the fact that we don't always get it right, and then apologise. That really starts to open doors and eliminate fear. It shows you’re admitting to mistakes and you're willing to put them right.
Team engagement
Joanna pointed out that dedicating time to team and firm-wide engagement events, or activities, is crucial for better communication and collaboration. It’s how individuals will get to know each other which then helps strengthen team performance.
Genuinely listen
People want to feel as though they are being listened to so that they can engage at a group level. However, if leaders are only listening to immediately offer advice or add their opinion, employees can feel overlooked. On this point, Joanna advised that leaders “ask questions of your employees and then genuinely listen to the answers, rather than listening to respond.”
Creating the right culture and environment
Ultimately, changing a firm’s culture isn’t an overnight process; it’s a gradual long-term strategy that involves a switch in mindset, success measures, and communication styles. Yes, firms must think about their profit margins, completing client work to a high standard, and productivity, to name a few, but all those things naturally improve by empowering your workforce and ensuring they feel appreciated and recognised. The other outcomes will happen automatically.
To gain further insight and contributions from the panel as a whole, you can watch the episode on-demand now.
If you would like to become a listened to and supported member of the Institute of Legal Finance and Management, please contact our Membership Coordinator, Sam who will welcome a chat and answer any questions you might have.
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