Employee Terminations: Self-Audit Tips from Hiring to Firing…..okay…I know personnel management and especially employee firings are NOT desired or enjoyable subjects for most of us…but it is reality. You can read my partial list of recommendations on the hiring process, the management and supervision of employees and the termination of them when things just don’t work...
Many firms are still reeling and trying to survive the economic tornado we’ve all experienced the past couple of years. Others may be in the midst of defending allegations of ethical violations or malpractice. Still, others may be grieving over the death of a beloved co-worker or trying to stabilize after a valued employee’s or partner’s departure.
Paralegals, legal...
I’ve taught and written about the increased risks of ethics violations and legal malpractice when attorneys’ lives are out of control (this goes for legal staff too). We fool ourselves into thinking that we’re better lawyers and legal assistants when we remain in a 90 mph non-stop mode…worse, some attorneys think you’re not a real lawyer unless you are working 80...
MANAGERS/LEADERS/SUPERVISORS
(Note: No Order of Priority Intended….I Consider All These Red Flags as Needing ASAP Attention!)
(c) Nancy Byerly Jones 2010
Excessive/chronic telephone & email message pileups
Regular client/customer complaints about unreturned telephone calls
Trying to keep up with it all without short hot list (“cheat sheet” or “road map”) re...
For those considering office sharing (or already doing so), here are a few of my recommendations for minimizing the risks and maximizing the benefits:
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...
Sampling Characteristics of Successful Firms in 2009:
An ongoing effort to improve management and leadership skills including having the most qualified (vs. most senior, etc.) leaders at the helm
Creating written action plans, monitoring them regularly and holding everyone timely accountable to do their part
Taking the need to market the firm seriously and doing it in ways right for the firm and...
Click here for one of my articles on these two runaway problems in today’s law firms and other offices. Workplace bullying and verbal violence poison (dilute at best) any other steps taken to reduce office stress and they are serious productivity and morale thieves. Sadly, too many leaders allow these destructive behaviors to continue without any efforts to stop them.
It doesn’t...
By clicking here, you’ll pull up a copy of one of my articles on effective law firm leadership – an often talked about subject, but not as often practiced. This article also includes my simplistic self-audit for privately evaluating our own leadership characteristics. And, I suggest an easy way to immediately start honing any leadership skills that you may need to work on. ...
Gotta get vent a bit about one of my pet peeves in the professional office. I cringe when calling a professional business, doctor’s office, law firm, etc. only to hear voice mail messages by receptionists or female assistants that appear to have intentional sexual drippings….you know the ever-so–soft, ssslllooooowww, melodic, sometimes raspy female voice. Sorry if I sound...
Many things can bring workplace morale spiraling downward. Some all-too-common Morale Busters in law offices (and other offices as well) include:
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...
Some of the best advice I ever received was to cherish the good moments during the holidays. In other words, instead of our lamenting over the presence of a loud, obnoxious relative or your grumpy ol’ Uncle’s sour outlook on life, celebrate the one or two moments they actually laughed, shared a rare hug or cracked a funny one liner. If we judge our holidays in their totality, we...
My husband and I recently returned from our first extended vacation in 11 years. Embarrassing to admit because if you’ve been to one of my workshops, you know how strongly I advocate for and teach the importance of making time for regular mini and extended vacation breaks. I remind all clients and seminar audiences that with a bit of creativity and planning, we don’t have to...
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....
I’ll be writing more on this down the road, but recently heard of yet another family that split apart for all the wrong reasons. This is a family I would have NEVER expected to splinter or to allow greed or desperation or any unresolved other issues to trump family love, commitment and loyalty.
Far too many business and law firm partnerships go the same route unfortunately. We must...
I just sent the suggestions copied below to an attorney looking for merger tips to pass along to a client law firm about to merge w/another firm. Doing so made me realize how often in mergers (whether law firms or other businesses) there’s too little attention paid to our employees and what they are going through (e.g. the culture shifts, fast changes occurring in their workplace and...
