Hold regular, pre-planned and productive staff meetings.

#1 “Definitely Don’t!”

Without adequate preparation and the right facilitator to ensure employee meetings are productive, positive and efficient, don’t go there.

I could stop writing now as the most critical points of my message are listed above.  A checklist is offered below, however, with a partial, non-prioritized listing of other ingredients to include in recipes for ensuring successful staff meetings.

For a far more comprehensive article, please check out my 2002 Lawyers Weekly USA column entitled, “Staff Meetings: Can’t Live With (or without) Them!” (October 18, 2002).  I would make the same recommendations today as I did then adding, of course, video conferencing and other newer technologies and systems that have since become smart management tools.

All of us bemoan unproductive, hot air only, waste of time committees and meetings and the agony of attending such “events” (many CLE programs, too, for that matter!).  Hope all of you agree with me that we should not want our names included on anyone’s list of terrible meeting planners and facilitators.  And, yet, I’d be a very rich gal if I had a nickel for every employee complaint I’ve heard through my 20+ years of law office consulting about negative, unproductive staff meetings!

Likewise, a #1 request by staff is the desire for upbeat and informative meetings to be held.  In some firms, they just want them to be taken seriously and not events that can be cancelled at a moment’s notice for non-emergency reasons (or excuses!).  For others, no meetings are held at all.  Instead, what information and instructions are shared is typically done in a “shoot-from-the-hip” and rushed manner.

History repeatedly proves, however, that productivity, office morale and efficiency flourishes continually with firm leaders who plan adequately for and hold productive, regular staff meetings. These critical office characteristics, however, will be present only occasionally and fleetingly at best in offices with poor meeting planners and ineffective leaders.

As an aside, we all know that the right and best leaders for law offices is often not the most senior attorney or biggest rainmaker.  The day we all “get it” re smarter law office management and tools will be a HUGE and positive turning point for our clients, ourselves and our legal system as a whole.

Thanks for sticking with me so far and now here’s the promised partial listing of recommended “other” ingredients for successful staff meetings (in addition to my #1 Must Do and #1 Don’t Do’s above):

1. Know what the objectives are for holding any meeting as well as what amount of time should be allotted to each matter (e.g. educational, updates regarding firm news, 10-15 minute workshops conducted by different staff members each time, brainstorming of solutions needed for specific issues, Q & A time, etc.).
2. Share an informal agenda with all participants a few days ahead of the meeting, ask them for suggestions about the agenda and remind everyone to come appropriately prepared.
3. Decide on what the parameters and “rules” will be for all (e.g. Cell phones to be banned from meetings?  Any accountability for tardiness or no-shows? Plan for ensuring all get fair time for asking questions, responding, etc.)
4. Plan ahead for how you the meeting will be kept moving in a timely manner, how to nip any verbal or body language negativity at its onset, how to set a positive tone at the start, during the meeting and at its closure.
5. Include time at each meeting for publicly thanking any deserving employees for things (big or small) they have done well and/or above and beyond the call of duty.
6. Mid-way, take time to review the written agenda to ensure all matters being covered in a fair and timely manner.
7. Before closing, have everyone write down what, if any, decisions were made, who is to do what by when and what agenda items need to be carried over until the next meeting or what new ones need to be added.
8. Thank everyone for their participation and ask them to give you some quick feedback about what parts of the meeting worked very well and what aspects may need some improvement.  Also, encourage them to send you their written, confidential feedback via a memo if they prefer.
9. Post-meeting – have a plan for monitoring who is to do what and ensure they are doing it.  Again, if not, are there any consequences for ignoring what they were asked and they agreed to do?

10. Consider rotating meeting planners and facilitators instead of depending on the same person or persons to plan and conduct re-occurring staff meetings.

As I wrote in the 2002 article mentioned above, any and all time spent on learning how to plan and facilitate more effective meetings yields great rewards. The firm, its leaders, staff and clients will reap immediate and ongoing returns.

I’m retained by professional firms to serve as their investigator, coach, consultant or temporary administrator.  My mission is to help them do a firm-wide “health check” regarding what’s working, what’s not, teach simplified strategic planning so their goals are reached sooner than later, help them minimize malpractice and other risks, enhance client services and retention, improve staff morale, efficiency and productive and a wide range of other things.

What does my work with law and other professional firms have to do with scooping the poop on our farm?   Regardless what assortment of services clients may opt for me to provide, I must always be on the lookout to identify and help them scoop up any poop lurking within their offices (a/k/a office BS).  We all know, however, that real poop is far easier, quicker and faster to spot and avoid.  Office BS can be extremely subtle and shrewdly dished out.  Cover-up disguises for BS’ers are also plentiful and may include chronic fake smiles, empty promises, excessive excuses and those oh-so-smooth talking big mouths.

The good news, however, is that once identified, office BS (as well as other office negatives) can often be turned around and nurtured into great success stories….just ask any experienced gardener and they will tell you what great fertilizer horse and donkey poop makes if “seasoned” and applied appropriately.  Ditto re law office poop which is one of the best parts of my work…not the poop, of course, but watching these success stories evolve from …well…office poop piles.  And, the credit for this goes to a firm’s excellent leadership, resourcefulness and perseverance.

Read on for a starter list of repeatedly proven and highly recommended suggestions for turning office poop into fertilizers that yield successful, profitable “crops:”

SHORT VERSION

1. Our actions speak our truths. Chronic BS in the office  must be stopped in its tracks or we must at least quit griping about the crap that piles up because of it (e.g. unkept promises, procrastination, unmet goals, lowering of other employees’ morale and so much more!).
2.Getting rid of one employee’s BS is great.  As we all know, however, it does not make us immune to others’ BS.  Be on guard.  Act wisely and quickly when you smell it.
3. Be the kind of boss and mentor you’d want for yourself when you goof up or otherwise need reining in…fair, timely, thorough, clear, resourceful, patient but decisive too……
4. Monitor the employee’s actions carefully and regularly, ensure they have the “tools” and guidance needed to turn things around successfully.  Be patient. Making great fertilizer from poop is not an overnighter, but in more situations than not, it can indeed be done.
5. Recognize and celebrate your success stories, big and small. Review how you did in handling each situation, repeat the good and avoid things you learn you should/could have done differently.

A BIT LONGER VERSION

• ACTIONS = TRUTHS & POOP = POOP = POOP We all know our actual actions – not our words – reflect our value systems, priorities, work ethic and so much more. Yet, how often do firm leaders ignore the very things needing attention including the chronic BS’ers of the firm? Why…perhaps they don’t like confrontation or don’t know how to deal forthrightly with challenges without being combative. Or, perhaps the perpetrator is a big rainmaker for the firm…hmmm…now there’s an often seen “put-our-heads-in-the-sand” situation.  Bottom line: Chronic means CHRONIC — the BS won’t stop until exposed and no longer tolerated by leadership.  Why should it if there are no consequences – no accountability whatsoever – for one’s BS, bullying, ignoring of office policy and procedure, etc.?

• ALWAYS BE ON GUARD FOR IT Be on guard and wide-eyed alert to any existing or potential unfertilized donkey dung being spread around your office.  Identify it and act quickly to end it.  It’s really that simple.

• HANDLE POOPERS WISELY Once BS (or any other unproductive, toxic or morale killing situation) is confirmed, deal with employees privately, professionally and swiftly.  This means crystal clear explanations of what behavior will no longer be tolerated and what the consequences will be if the behavior continues.  Plan such meetings for a time when you can give it your full, undivided and unhurried attention allowing time for the employee to respond to the issues fairly.  Don’t talk yourself into thinking it’s not as important as your casework.  Of course, we all must set (and frequently reset) our priorities wisely, however, to put these types of discomforting supervisory tasks on hold or worse, never to address them at all, has a huge negative effect on your firm.  This includes leadership’s implied permission that it’s okay for any other employee to act in the same negative and unaccountable manner.  And, as any procrastinator has learned, most problems will not disappear as we wished they would.  Instead, they grow into far bigger issues which means the resulting negative fallout increases as well.

• MAKING GREAT FERTILIZER FROM POOP If you want the best fertilizer, then equine poop must be properly composted.  This includes an attentive monitoring process, time and patience.  Ditto re constructive changes we or our employees need to make.  Leaders must not think their job is done after identifying harmful behaviors and talking with the responsible employees.  There are multiple key steps to successfully evolve a problem employee into a productive, highly valued one.  This includes an improvement plan that is custom designed for each employee taking into consideration their strengths, weaknesses, learning styles and more.  Other critical steps  include: persistent and consistent follow up supervision; additional training if needed; and a positive attitude by leadership that there will indeed be a successful outcome.  More harm is done when leaders let employees know they must make improvements, but then fail to follow up on whether or not they are complying or to offer the “tools” needed for him or her to be successful (e.g. classes/coaching on specific substantive topics, communications, anger management, organization, time or stress management, etc.).  When we fail to recognize the essentials of the proper and well-planned fertilization process, an opportunity is missed to create a success story.  And the damages don’t stop there because such failures send out yet another “Don’t take us seriously” message to all employees from the powers that be.

A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING Just as the horses’ and donkeys’ poop on our ranch is a non-stop occurrence, the same is true for the BS in our lives and offices.  While we can’t totally eliminate BS, disingenuous people and other office management “challenges,” we can become better and quicker at identifying and exposing the poop and its carriers.  We should definitely not be too busy to recognize and celebrate our success stories – small or big – and we must also take time to heed the lessons learned from them.  This means de-briefing ourselves on how we made lemonade from lemons or fertilizer from poop.  In other words, it’s well worth our time to conduct self-audits to ask ourselves, what could we have done better, what should we continue doing, what have we learned not to try again, etc.  The extra time taken to analyze our successes increases the value of all rewards gained.

Same re our failures … heeding lessons learned creates invaluable fertilizer from the poop in our lives.

Seminar attendees and clients alike often ask me, “What are the characteristics of successful law firms?” It’s a great question as there are indeed shared traits among firms who seem to flourish year after year based on their number of satisfied clients, their survival of tough times and the loyalty and stability of their staff. Ditto re most law firm failures as well!  Keep in mind, however, that every firm and every success (and failure!) story also has its own unique characteristics including its collective personality and culture, its motivators and, of course, those destructive and often subtly hidden de-motivators!  With that said, however, firms that maintain success records do:

1. Make ongoing efforts to improve management and leadership skills including the identification and appointment of the most qualified and ethical people to be firm leaders (vs. leadership by seniority alone).

2. Ensure that strategic plans or action plans aren’t just agenda topics at retreats or other meetings.  They are created, monitored regularly and everyone – from the top down – is held accountable to do their part.   This means there are real and reasonable goals clearly defined.  And perhaps most importantly, there are real consequences when someone fails to do his assigned tasks (i.e. ACCOUNTABILITY is an action, not merely a word!).

3. Have a “doable” and innovative marketing plan that’s tweaked as needed.  Marketing is a firm-wide activity –the newest to the oldest of employees participate and are properly trained to do so effectively, professionally and successfully.  Referral sources and other “measuring sticks” for assessing a firm’s marketing success are reviewed often to ensure the plan is indeed attracting the types of clients desired.  And, the flip side of this means they are not threshold practices –meaning they don’t take whatever client may walk over their threshold.  Client selection is done carefully and selectively in sync with the firm’s marketing and strategic plans.

4. Treat all employees — from the newest file clerk hire to the partners — respectfully at all times (including treating/training/renaming receptionists as your primary “Marketers of First & Last Impression!”). Office bullies and chronic naysayers are never tolerated regardless of the seniority of the perpetrator.

5. Have leaders that act decisively and do not shy away from the tougher decisions.  Likewise, they avoid the many negative consequences of sticking their heads in the sand and/or procrastinating.

6. Hire wisely and offer continuing and quality training, frequent and timely performance and attitude evaluations and one-on-one coaching (e.g. new software/equipment, stress or anger management, organizational skills, associate development, substantive law skills, etc.).

7. Define success independently and creatively – in other words, by what’s best/right for the firm, its people, goals and culture vs. merely adopting society’s or traditional legal system definitions.

8. Treat each and every client with the utmost integrity, timeliness and respectfulness…and as if they were their only and/or their biggest client.  They also offer clients multiple ways to offer their feedback and recommendations anonymously and otherwise.

9. Embrace risk management and technology completely and in an ethical manner and with foresight, resourcefulness, and creativity (vs. attitudes such as “My staff takes care of stuff like this.“).  Likewise, they recognize technology changes can (and often do!) happen overnight and they are willing to be persistent and patient with each new learning curve challenge.  No employee –again from the top down — is allowed to be non-compliant (ever!) when it comes to the firm’s risk management systems and policies.  In addition, these firms recognize that no consultant or IT pro holds the magic wand for the success (or failure!) of the firm’s on-line presence.  Successful on-line development and continued presence is heavily dependent on the hands-on involvement of firm leaders and other employees AND in a timely fashion. Too many folks want things to be done for them, instantly and perfectly ad preferably, without their having to hardly life a finger.  This is just not reality and successful firms understand this.  They appreciate the commitment and active participation it takes by each of their leaders in order to build and keep a great online presence.

10. Believe in and practice diversity within a positive work environment. Such attitudes and conditions are clearly evident from the firm’s morale, satisfied, interesting assortment of client types and healthy, upbeat employees – employees who are encouraged to take care of themselves, practice smart stress management and to live balanced lives.

Tips on office sharing and executive suites  (from chapter in ABA/Law Practice Management’s Flying Solo, Edition 4 Publication)

Other questions?  Either leave a comment or email me at nbj@nbjconsulting.com and I will be happy to respond as soon as possible. You may optionally use the Contact Nancy Byerly Jones form.

1. An ongoing effort to improve management and leadership skills including having the most qualified (vs. most senior, etc.) leaders at the helm
2. Creating written action plans, monitoring them regularly and holding everyone timely accountable to do their part
3. Taking the need to market the firm seriously and doing it in ways right for the firm and its goals
4. Treating all employees and partners respectfully at all times (including treating/training/renaming receptionists as your primary “Marketers of First & Last Impression”)
5. Being decisive and avoiding the poisons of sticking our heads in the sand and/or procrastination
6. Offering adequate, timely and quality training, performance and attitude evaluations and coaching wherever needed (e.g. new software/equipment, stress or anger management, organizational skills, associate development, substantive law skills, etc.)
7. Defining success by what’s best/right for firm, its people, goals and culture vs. merely adopting society’s or traditional legal system definitions
8. Treating each client as if they were their only and/or best client & giving them multiple ways to offer their feedback and recommendations
9. Embracing technology with foresight, ethics, resourcefulness, creativity and perseverance for the learning curves
10. Diversification in areas of practice, clients, mindsets and employees

Sampling Characteristics of Not-So- Successful Firms in 2009:

1. Not doing one or more of the top ten success steps above
2. Failing to quickly put an end to office bullying, harassment and other ongoing negative behaviors/attitudes
3. Leaders in name only (e.g. with lousy leadership characteristics and skills)
4. Surviving day by day instead of charting, implementing and sticking with a plan for achieving long range goals
5. Failing to make timely, tough and wise changes needed in light of economic and other changing circumstances
6. Allowing negative attitudes and talking behind backs
7. Poor hiring/interviewing/training skills and systems
8. Lousy risk management systems or a failure to mandate compliance by all employees
9. Lousier stress management and office morale
10. Poor/sloppy client selection

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know low morale = stressed employees = a lower quality of work product including more mistakes are made.  Management and leadership who fail to put a stop to workplace bullying of any sort often bury their heads even further in the sand these employees just happen to be major income producers.

Bottom line is this — if verbal violence and other bullying behaviors are not stopped in their tracks, there is an obvious absence of smart, effective and progressive leadership.  In my opinion, this makes leadership and management as guilty as the actual bullies are for causing the resulting and ongoing widespread negative effects.  Thanks for “listening” as always and let me know if you want me to tell you how I really feel!

All the Best,

Nancy

All the Best,

Nancy

• Rules applied sporadically and unfairly among employees (e.g. starting time, length of lunch breaks, # of vacation days)
• An ongoing frantic pace — day after day — caused primarily by a supervisor’s poor planning and organizational skills … leadership should step in sooner than later to coach, train and/or mentor these folks….of which the legal profession and many others have a costly excess!
• Guilt trips over personal, sick or vacation time taken (see NBJ 2002 Lawyers USA column on how vacation policies …and attitudes… mirror a firm’s culture)
• Thinking that “real” lawyers always work a 60+ hour week and lacking the wisdom to understand that the most productive and satisfied employee lives a balanced and healthy life style (e.g. In addition to encouraging healthy behaviors, consider providing an exercise room for employees — even a small one with one treadmill and an aerobics workout video is better than none — and 10 minutes of exercise can rejuvenate energy levels far better than pouring on the caffeine)
• Frequent start/stops of promised (and needed) changes — too often not completing projects begun
• Allowing tensions or outright conflicts between partners or other employees to go unresolved for an unreasonable length of time (If they refuse to resolve their differences in a timely and responsible manner, firm leadership should mandate a resolution via the use of a firm ombudsman, mediator or the like — Every employee should have access to excellent resources such as Stewart Levine’s 2nd Edition of Getting To Resolution – eye-opening, thought-provoking and packed with simple and wise conflict resolution tips)
• Little or no constructive feedback given to employees in a timely manner
• Assuming staff have no personal plans after normal working hours and that they will always work overtime on short notice (the poison to morale of this culprit escalates in direct relation to poor planning and/or procrastination by supervising personnel)
• Acceptance by leadership of loud, abrasive, demeaning and other bully like behaviors
• A noticeable lack of common courtesies shown to employees (Good Morning greetings, showing appreciation, etc.)
• An absence of well deserved bonuses from cash to creative “Job Well Done” gifts (e.g. childcare fees paid for a week, dinner and other gift certificates, “free” personal days off, firm-wide recognition for achievements, etc.)
• Not holding regular staff meetings and if they are held, failing to give it our full, undivided attention (e.g. no looking at our watches or mobile phones, no shuffling of files around on our desks, etc.)
• Attorneys not taking the time to personally introduce staff members who will be working on the case to new clients
• Expecting top notch work quality produced at a 90 mph pace in spite of outdated equipment and software, unclear instructions, and/or insufficient training
• Romantic relationships between supervisors and subordinates giving the presumption — if not the actuality of –  unfair advantages for the participating employee
• Never (or too rarely) sending employees to appropriate work-related seminars or workshops for training and networking purposes
• Not providing the right kind and adequate amounts of training needed for new software, systems, etc.
• Talking negatively about employees (directly or within earshot) to other employees
• Failing to put an end to an employee’s chronically negative attitude either through mentoring, discipline or termination (firing should, of course, be the last resort after all other reasonable efforts to correct the situation)
• All work 24/7 day after day after day….Never making the time for non-work related group activities (e.g. sporting events, cookouts, community group volunteer projects)

A few Morale Boosters include:

• Not allowing any of the above morale busters or others to exist in your office; and …
• when they or other morale busters do occasionally show up, acting quickly and decisively to rid your office of these progress, morale and productivity thieves

Happy Weekend everyone and I hope you go into work on Monday ready to try out some new morale boosters! We all function far better in a positive environment regardless of our type of work, title or years of service.   As always, thanks for visiting my blog.

Nancy (& Jessie, our resident Tennessee Walker comedian!)

What's Your Brand?

Below are the initial sentences of a succinct and excellent blog post at www.biziboom.com by attorney Scott Gibson.  I encourage all my readers and clients to read and reread this well-written post on such a critical subject for us all.  If you’re on Twitter, don’t miss Mr. Gibson’s great tweets as well (@tradesecretlaw).

Everybody Has a Brand. What’s Yours?

Marketing experts talk about the need to develop your brand.  The process often sounds daunting, and you may wonder whether you should spend the time and money to brand your business.

Wonder no more.  You already have a brand…..(click here for Mr. Gibson’s full blog post…worthwhile reading that you will be glad you did!)

Thanks for stopping by and please give me and our readers the benefit of your comments, ideas and valued input.

All the Best,

Nancy

Far too many business and law firm partnerships go the same route unfortunately.   We must never underestimate the dark side of the greenback (e.g. greed and/or desperation) or longstanding unresolved disputes both of which seem to raise their devastatingly destructive heads even more often in the midst of  tough economic times.  It is indeed tragedy over tragedy when partners or families experience the ugliness and wide-ranging “costs” (financial and otherwise) generated by plain ol’ greed or the failure to timely and civilly settle our disagreements or misunderstandings.

Listed below are a few tips regarding family or partner disputes that are on my mind as I write this late night blog:

(1) if you have an “issue” or disagreement with a partner or family member, talk it over sooner rather than later AND with your imaginary “thick skin” on so as to minimize emotional eruptions and progress stoppers.  In other words, go directly to the source vs. depending on often malicious rumors or incorrect/false information.  Give these discussions your undivided attention and commit to acting with class and respect as you work through the painful issues that must be addressed.

(2) if you don’t have the emotional stability or necessary communication skills to work toward resolution with all concerned parties then hire a third party neutral such as a mediator to help you navigate through the waters of awkwardness, miscommunications, false impressions, the pain of conflict and/or points of strong disagreement; and

(3)if you choose to handle family or partner conflicts disrespectfully, hastily or harshly (without first trying to do really get to the truth of the matter or to resolve things in a fair and respectful manner) then brace yourself.  There will be consequences and fallout for there WILL be long lasting consequences as a result of your choices and actions. many of which you may never have anticipated.

I address this subject from my perspective as a mediator, former practicing attorney, and southern gal who has seen firsthand what runaway greed and unresolved conflicts can do to a  law firm, family or business.  It’s never pretty, always costly and there are no winners.

All the Best,

Nancy

The ABA used to have some good books on mergers and if they’ve been updated recently, that would be one good source.  What’s not written about enough is the effects that mergers have on staff members and how to help your staff transition successfully (pre-merger, actual transition period and post-merger). You’ve probably already discussed this w/your client but if not I’d suggest that one of their primary goals be to keep in close touch w/their employees, get their input regularly re how merger is going for them, what’s working/what’s not, their suggestions on improving whatever needs attention, etc.  Also like to see firm-wide attorney/staff meetings held fairly regularly for a while that are focused solely on “How are we doing w/this merger, what’s needs attention, etc….”  If staff’s given plenty of private and “public” opportunities to share their input and/or concerns, but the partners learn they are nevertheless nay-saying the merger (and/or folks from the “other” firm) behind closed doors, then that too would need to be addressed promptly (and firmly) to avoid the spread of their venom.

My years of experience has shown that too often mergers are entered into haphazardly, too quickly, for the wrong reasons (or expectations) and without the proper preparation being made before the actual merger itself occurs.  When rushed through too quickly there are usually costly repercussions and lots of “clean-up/repair work” to be done office wide.   Mergers can be a very smart thing to do, but only if there’s careful pre-planning done not ony about the financial aspects but also the merging of two different workplace cultures and how to do so respectfully, professionally and successfully!

Let me know if you want me to write more on this subject and as always, thanks for stopping by my ever-evolving new blog!

With smiles & best wishes,

Nancy

I’ve previously blogged about telecommuting in regard to handling in-house employees who may be disgruntled over remote working employees  (http://lawbusinesstips.com/2009/06/24/telecommuting-disgruntled-co-workers/) and experiences shared by other companies (http://lawbusinesstips.com/2009/07/08/telecommuting-cost-savings-cisco/).  Today, I found this blog post that is also worthwhile reading about the management of telecommuters: http://bit.ly/3NxO3N.

In addition to the tips and discussions found in the posts above, I add these suggestions for law firms and businesses that already have employees who telecommute:

(1)  one to three times each year hold events that require employees with shared work goals to meet for continuing education and training, social time and general business sessions.

(2)  If your telecommuters are not far away, have them come into the main office at least once a month (pre-scheduled for the convenience of all!) to touch base with their supervisors and co-workers in person.

(3) Create and maintain a diverse working environment mindset among all employees.  This means management will not tolerate nay-saying or any other negative attitudes to develop toward its telecommuters (and visa versa!).  Supervisors who say or imply anything negative against telecommuters are especially “poisonous” …..their negativity gives all employees implied permission to do the same and it ratifies the destructive act of behind-the-door backstabbing….destructive because it significantly decreases productivity, office morale and a team spirit mindset.

(4) Many things can cause friction between in-house employees and telecommuters including:

• jealousy,
• general distrust of management and/or one’s co-workers,
• a lack of understanding about a telecommuter’s responsibilities,
• a failure by management to make it clear that each and every employee brings value to the team and plays a role in its success stories;  and
• employees (in-house or telecommuters) with a “holier than thou” attitude and/or total lack of empathy for their co-workers’ responsibilities and related on-the-job pressures (most of us have been around the “Poor, poor me” types who think their job involves more stress and their plates are fuller than others!

Stop these poisons in their tracks or beware the rapid spread of negative consequences among the troops and on the quality of services or products.

(5)  Via your internal newsletters or in person at department meetings, etc., regularly share positive comments about employee contributions, their different success stories — big and small, creative ways they’ve helped clients/customers or co-workers, etc.  All too often we only let others hear about what someone hasn’t done or what they’ve done wrong (“When I’m right who remembers and when I’m wrong who FORGETS!”)….it’s important to ensure that we are sharing the positives as well – often and openly.

Telecommuting is becoming more widely accepted and utilized and it can be an extremely successful addition to any workplace IF we give it the planning and management attention needed.  Please share your experiences, tips and other comments about telecommuting my taking a few minutes to submit your comments below.  Many thanks for “listening” and adding to this discussion…wishing everyone a great week ahead!

Nancy

1. RESPECT IS 24/7 ….. you appreciate, value and genuinely respect employees at all times — even the smallest showing of disrespect negatively affects everyone’s morale, productivity and work quality.  And, removing the memory of manager’s disrespectful actions  is difficult (and in some cases impossible) to achieve.
2. ENTHUSIASM ….. your enthusiasm for your clients, customers, product, service, overall mission never falters and it is highly contagious….as is your lack of enthusiasm for the job to be done!
3. SYNCHRONIZATION ….. your actions are in perfect sync with the professionalism, ethics, work habits and attitudes you expect from your employees  (old Indian proverb….“Your actions speak so loudly, I cannot hear what you say.”);
4. PROMISES ….. if you fail to fulfill a promise you made (any promise whether small,big, in-between), you acknowledge it and let employees know if and when you will do what you said you’d do or why you now cannot or will not do as promised;
5. ENGAGEMENT ….. your engagement of employees does not stop upon their initial hiring date…you must make employees a part of finding solutions for problems, hurdles and the like ….. benefit from their perspectives, ideas, concerns by asking for their input and truly listening to what they have to say – - the ongoing, active engagement of your entire employee team is an essential cornerstone in the building of lasting success stories;
6. CLARITY ….. you take the time to clearly communicate your requests and expectations of employees; and
7. TIMELY INFORMATION ….. leadership and management beat the miscommunications and other hazards of the gossip grapevine by keeping employees timely informed re non-confidential changes made or in the works.

Remember – respect means the genuine, consistent showing of your best side …

NOT your “other” side!

What we don’t hear as much about, statistically or otherwise, are the more subtle impairments that many people have. A few root causes of the more subtle impairments to our mental (and physical) health include: chronic workaholism; addictions to our high tech tools; ongoing sleep deprivation; obesity; food allergies and intolerances; irregular or no exercise regiment; sexual or other harassment such as office bullying; burnout; long-term excessive stress loads; and the stubborn denial skills many folks have regarding all of the above.

Thinking right now how lucky you are NOT to have any addictions? Good for you unless of course you’re overlooking being overly attached to your tech “tools”. With brutal honesty, think back to your out of the office hours last night or last weekend. How frequently did you check your mobile phone, Blackberry or PDA for messages? How many work-related text messages or emails did you send? How often do you check for messages while supposedly “listening” to others?

Acknowledging and taking steps to address mental health concerns can be very difficult for many people. Instead, they resort to out-dated mindsets that push these types of problems under the rug, too embarrassing or sensitive to be discussed and certainly not shared with others. That traditional and naïve mode of thought feeds the destructive fires of denial and contributes to the damages caused by ignored mental health addictions and other impairments.

Do you personally have any problems with alcohol, other drug abuse or depression that you are not squarely facing? What about the quality of your diet, exercise regimen and sleep? Are there any exhausting stresses on your plate that have been there for a long time? Do you want those same stresses on your plate this time next year? If not, make a list today (for your eyes only) of what steps you can start taking to ensure they won’t be.

Is there anyone in your office showing signs of an existing mental impairment or at a high risk for developing an addiction? What is being done to help them, to ensure clients are not harmed in any manner, and to protect other employees?

Office Impairment Policies

Do you have a written impairment policy in your office? If so, is it current, followed, known and understood by all attorneys and staff?  How do you hold attorneys and staffs accountable if they fail to comply with your policy?

An effective mental impairment policy includes many basic components. First, it defines the mental impairment issues that the policy addresses. Second, it teaches about and explains the signs of mental impairment. Third, it tells employees how to handle a situation when they suspect or know of a co-worker’s or a client’s addiction or problem. Fourth, an office policy outlines how employees will be held accountable if they fail to report mental impairment incidents which could harm a client’s matter, another employee or do other damage. Fifth, the policy should include what resources, if any, the firm offers to employees with mental impairment challenges along with information on local external resources. Finally, the policy should address the firm’s confidentiality policy regarding these types of matters. Of course, the policy can be much broader than the minimal inclusions discussed above.

A written firm policy on mental impairment raises the awareness level of all employees, reflects the firm’s commitment to maintaining the highest level of legal services and ethics, acknowledges the firm’s intolerance for drug or alcohol abuse and the efforts and resources it offers employees needing assistance with mental impairment issues. Here’s just part of what a well written mental impairment policy says about your law firm: our integrity, commitment to clients and respect for them and our high standards for providing excellent services will not under any circumstances be compromised.

Plentiful Resources

The resources available for help with these matters are plentiful. From bar association programs to private therapists to online help and community outreach options, we have an endless number of resources from which to choose. A good place to start is with your local community, your state’s bar association and the ABA’s Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (COLAP) at http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/colap/ or by calling 1-800-285-2221, Ext. 5359. Also, ask other attorneys how they handle these issues and if they would share a copy of their firm’s impairment policy.

Two More Reminders …..

(1) Firm leaders should consider making at least a portion of employees’ vacation time mandatory for all employees each year. Likewise, they need to set good examples of the importance of living balanced professional and personal lives.

(2) Firms should hold stress management/quality of life/mental health workshops at least twice a year for all employees or send them to quality programs offered by other groups. The firm will benefit tremendously from providing this type of education to employees (e.g. higher productivity, fewer absences, reduced stress and improved morale to name a few). In addition, your professional liability and medical insurance providers will applaud you and hopefully offer discounts for your efforts. And if not, check out their competition before applying for re-issuances of your policies.

Courage, fortitude, persistence, awareness, initiative, respectfulness and wisdom. By honing these characteristics in our own lives, we can be a part of the solution rather than keeping our heads in the sand or worse, our becoming one of the statistical nightmares.

Only some of our colleagues suffer from the more serious mental health challenges. But “some” is way too many. Each one of us is responsible for protecting ourselves, our employees and our great profession from the dangers of ignored mental health impairments. A great place to start is with the creation and implementation of a well thought out firm policy on mental health impairment. Equally essential is that we all take an honest, complete look in the mirror and that we get busy “fixin” whatever needs attention in our own lives and lifestyles.

An NBJ article on this same subject was published in 2008 by Lawyers USA

• (a) jealous;
• (b) always looking for new “stuff” to stir up trouble in the office:
• (c) don’t trust that your are REALLY working at home (often because they wouldn’t be if the situation were reversed!):
• (d) busy bodies since birth; or
• (e) don’t trust leadership to be making good decisions

Of course, there are other reasons co-employees may not like the situation, but if they were helpful, friendly and courteous to you prior to your telecommuting and then attitudes shift south…wellllll, my bet would be it’s directly linked to your new situation. Now keep in mind I am talking about the disgruntled co-worker who is that way in spite of the successful, productive and economically-wise use of telecommuters. I am not talking about co-workers who have legitimate reasons for disliking the acts of a telecommuter who is abusing the situation.

Soooo…how do telecommuters minimize the chances of alienation from in-office co-workers?  First, pre-telecommuting preventive steps are always better than having to fix and repair relationships later.   Here are a few recommendations to get you started:

• Ask your employer how your co-workers will be notified of the change….by your supervisor or should you do it?…;
• Next, once the word is out, I’d discuss (sooner rather than later) the anticipated changes that will occur with fellow employees ….ask them:

• what, if any, concerns they may have about your telecommuting,;
• what you can do to ensure your telecommuting is not a burden on them in any way;
• would they be agreeable to scheduling regular lunches together to help keep all the advantages of in-person communications alive and well?….; and
• make sure you initiate similar conversations down the road as well….someone that may have seemed OK with your telecommuting at the onset may have decided they don’t like it now for an assortment of reasons…the telecommuter should ensure these types of healthy, “how is this working for you” types of discussions occur along with frequent in-person meetings.

The above lists are by no means all-inclusive, but just some of my on-the-fly thoughts about telecommuting opportunities…..I for one am all for them IF structured, monitored and lived in a manner that’s truly good for the whole team.  And, even in spite of the best efforts by a telecommuter, there are always some folks that we just can’t and aren’t going to please no matter what.  Give it a try with them because miracles do happen daily, but don’t take it personally if they are just determined to whine about it (or at least until they have new material to gripe over)!

That’s it for today…it’s hump day and another weekend looms ahead…check out my posts are exploring the treasures in our own backyards and on ensuring we make time for those special things in our lives in the midst of our all-to0-short weekend moments.

Thanks for visiting my blog and I leave you for now with smiles from me and one of our miniature donkeys (Miz Star),

Nancy

Smiles from Our Burro, Miz Star

Even today in spite of the drastic changes taking place within so many firms, some attorneys claim that practicing law is not a business but a profession.  And, some of these folks, unfortunately, have had the seniority to dilute or completely override others’ efforts to implement smarter business practices in their firms.  Put another way, far too many so called “leaders” have helped set their firms up for failure in times like these.  How?  Because they’ve refused to accept that what made a firm successful twenty years ago is far different than the business savvy needed to successfully lead and manage today’s law office.  For a law office consultant there is nothing tougher than witnessing the “veto” power of a few squash the progressive efforts of those who realize their firm’s survival is as dependent on smart business practices as it is on top legal skills.

Practicing law is absolutely both a profession and a business.  I believe among the silver linings arising out of today’s economic mess for our great profession will be: no more second class citizenship status for the application of smart business practices; no more “to be a real lawyer you must be a litigator” attitudes; no more will attorneys who oversee firm administration have to do so without fair compensation and; perhaps most importantly, firms will know that everyone from the most senior attorney to the newly hired file clerk must participate in the practice of smart business skills.  Attorneys and staff who refuse to change with an attitude of  “let someone else worry about it” will no longer be tolerated regardless of their title or seniority.  This realization in many firms is long past due.

With smart business practices in mind, the remainder of this post focuses on the value of short-term action plans.  The odds for achieving our objectives increase significantly when we make the time to create written strategic plans.  They help us realize our dreams, successfully accomplish the “must do” tasks and they help us avoid becoming stagnated (and ultimately overwhelmed) by procrastination, fear of failure or unrealistic expectations that someone else will “take care of it.”  The alternative is to keep wishing things were different while our chronic, unorganized and chaotic habits keep weaving their destructive threads into our lives.

While long-term plans are invaluable in helping ensure successful endings of “big picture” visions, during more challenging times short term plans for three months or less are well worth our efforts.  These smaller “road maps” can be adapted and revised more quickly than longer-term plans and they help us keep a steady foothold so that we  can move productively forward rather than stagnating or worse. (Click here to view the very simple beginnings – and samply only -  of a three month action plan)

With so many unknowns about when and how our economy will heal, all the more reason to keep control in our professional and personal worlds.  The fallout from procrastinating or expecting someone else to take care of us is more dangerous than ever in times such as these.  We must act calmly, smartly, timely and deliberately.  For some this means a change in attitudes, methods, systems, procedures, comfort zones and more in order to survive.

The use of action plans helps us stay in control so that we successfully achieve desired goals. Without the right “tools” to help remind us what we must do to, our best intentions all too easily get buried beneath a million other thoughts, tasks and distractions.

As lawyers, we know how to be resourceful and the value of digging as deep as necessary for solutions.  Now is the time to dig deep within ourselves for the strengths within and to have the courage to do things differently.  If we refuse to change, refuse to be apply the business of law and allow chaos to dominate, we greatly increase the odds for failure.

In closing, I truly believe as we look back years from now that some of the silver linings from today’s upside down world will be: (1) our profession survived admirably in spite of the hits it took and the naysayers who said we would not; (2) our professionalism and our excellent management and leadership skills have become the norm not the exception; and (3) our compassion and empathy for our clients’ tough times is more genuine and heartfelt than ever before.  Put another way, our great profession will indeed emerge stronger and smarter than ever.

Former practicing lawyer Nancy Byerly Jones is a regular contributor to Lawyers USA in which this article was published.  Nancy is the author of the ABA’s book “Easy Self-Audits for the Busy Law Office.”  She serves as a law office consultant and solutions coach for attorneys and staff and businesses.  Also, she serves as a certified mediator for employee/business disputes and family law matters. For more resources, information and contact information, please visit Nancy’s website at www.nbjconsulting.com.