The Lawyer’s Office
By Paul J. Sullivan
If you were a candidate, would staff vote for you?
The 2008 election cycle is in full swing right now and it’s interesting to observe the candidates as they try to find the right message to convince voters they are the best person for the job.
Some candidates will take strong stands on particular issues and will never change their views – often to their own detriment in the opinion polls and the actual polls.
Other candidates take positions on issues based on what they feel is most popular at the time, and then change their position when it’s politically expedient.
In the case of the latter, it’s even more interesting to listen to their responses when asked why their positions changed. These candidates soon get tagged as “flip-floppers.”
Although flip-floppers always seem to enjoy a certain amount of loyalty from their hardcore supporters, people generally begin to distance themselves from these types of candidates because their credibility erodes very quickly.
If there’s any message to learn here, it is in most instances that you never will be able to take a position and get 100 percent agreement from the people this position impacts. But if you take a position and believe in it, stick with it.
Think about a political candidate’s effort to get elected as a metaphor to office relationships between management and staff. I think all will agree that managers who stick to their guns on office policies and procedures get much more respect than flip-floppers - even if the staff disagrees with the policy.
Once a policy is set, managers who arbitrarily apply it to some and not to all are creating a disastrous situation. I’ve seen this situation exist in some businesses, and I can tell you it happens and it isn’t pretty.
Although employer/employee relationships should be more like dictatorships than democracies, an employer can get better results if he or she “campaigns” by seeking employee input for some of the policies and procedures.
Obviously some don’t need employee input, but there are employees who may have special insight and their perspectives would be a valuable resource in the final decision.
Implementing policies, and particularly procedures, in a vacuum without these considerations is a prescription for dissatisfaction at the staff level. Unhappy employees have no motivation, and this lack of motivation extends ultimately to client service.
It also results in high turnover. Nothing will negatively impact your pocketbook more than employee turnover and clients who aren’t getting the best possible service they expect.
Once a policy or procedure is set, don’t be a flip-flopper because it’s easier to give in. Procedures also apply to managers. Expecting your employees to adhere to procedures, but going around them yourself, also sends a message.
Even more destructive to an office is where a manager will bend the rules for a subordinate - either because it’s to his immediate benefit, or he feels this employee is “special.”
Although the person benefitting from the special treatment will be happy, blatant favoritism breeds resentment and the feeling among other employees that it doesn’t matter how one performs.
Staff involvement in decisions, and consistent policy adherence, are just two ways to build a positive working environment. Following are some suggestions I have learned over the years in observing staff and attorney relationships:
- Treat staff fairly and with respect, giving consideration to personal family commitments (child care, school meetings, medical appointments).
- Acknowledge and consider suggestions they make to improve day-to-day operations.
- Give them regular feedback they can rely on to gauge their performance.
- Make them feel part of the team - particularly with a successful result.
- Recognize that much of the reward is the creative challenge of the work and the ability to continue to learn.
- Offer assignments that challenge and foster skills.
- Be tolerant of mistakes and look on these mistakes as an opportunity to enhance performance.
- Communicate, communicate, communicate.
Much as the president of the United States is the leader of the free world, you as a manager or owner of a firm are the leader of your world. Your ability to communicate your vision, and effectively get people to sign on and assist you to achieve this vision, is your mission.
So, how are you doing in your role as leader? If you were running for retention for another term in the position you currently hold, would the people who work for you put you back in office, or would they reject your leadership and vote NO?
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Paul Sullivan, past chair of the ISBA Committee on Law Office Management and Economics, is office administrator for the Peoria firm of Quinn, Johnston, Henderson & Pretorius. He may be contacted at (309) 636-7252, or - mailto:sullivan@qjhp.com for answers to management and economics concerns.