Engaging with Leadership in a Hybrid Setting

January was busy with presentations to law firm partners on the best practices for engaging associates in a hybrid workplace. I created this program in response to the frustration I’ve been hearing about associates not being responsive, lacking ownership over projects, and failing to communicate. The goal of this training is to provide partners with the skills and insights to engage associates and make them feel they are vital to delivering outstanding work to clients. There are 3 pillars to this 60-minute virtual or in person training: ✔️How to communicate clear expectations when assigning work This includes teaching the partners to articulate their unique preferences or what I call “pet peeves.” ✔️How to build trusted relationships with associates This includes teaching partners that by being vulnerable and sharing some of their early “failures” they will pave the way to more open communication and trust. ✔️How to instill a sense of belonging In our post-COVID workplace, where most associates are new to the firm, partners need to communicate a shared mission that engages associates to do their best work. Without this glue the working relationship is transactional where associates get money for hours. In my 30+ years of working in and with law firms, I have never witnessed more challenges to engaging legal talent. I truly believe we can repair the damage caused by COVID which included our newest lawyers learning on zoom and not developing in person communication skills. But to remedy these gaps and bring back the cultural glue, we need to provide both our associates and partners with training. I welcome your thoughts and experiences on associate engagement? #engagement #legaltalent #postcovidchallenges #partnerprogram #investintalent

Almost every management issue comes down to communication, especially in a remote/hybrid environment. You can’t have communication without trust. When you have low trust and low communication, people get scared to talk about failure. They get frustrated. Issues get hidden. It’s a performance death spiral. At our last exec offsite, Jason Tan led an exercise for my team that started with, “If you really knew me…you’d know that…..” and you had to share something deeply personal going on in your life. It was intimidating. I kicked it off with something intense going on with my family. Once I shared, it started flowing. Everyone on the team shared personal challenges that they were dealing with. It was like someone hit the “communication ON” button from that moment forward. As a leader, showing vulnerability or sharing a challenge in your life has a profound impact. It allows others to feel 100x the trust and feel empowered to start speaking openly. We did this 1x, and it completely changed the way our team connects and communicates. It’s intimidating but I recommend giving it a try. DM if you have questions about how to roll this out with your team in a responsible way.

Embracing Remote Culture Back in the day when we were all in the office full time, leaders connected with the teams and got the pulse of the organization through hallway discussions, water cooler talks, and impromptu interactions. Now, in our remote/hybrid reality, maintaining that pulse requires innovative approaches. In our CEO group last week we covered a few: 1️⃣ Dial into Meetings in Listening Mode: Actively listening in team meetings provides valuable insights into the team's thoughts, energy levels, and achievements, bridging the virtual gap. 2️⃣ Unscheduled, Non-Project Calls: Initiating unplanned calls, unrelated to projects, and getting to know team members helps recreate those impromptu discussions, fostering genuine connections. 3️⃣ Virtual Coffees: Some leaders find success in virtual coffee chats, covering both lighter and work-related topics, creating a space for informal yet meaningful conversations. 🚀 Share your strategies for remote team engagement. Whether it's virtual coffee chats or innovative platforms, what's your go-to for fostering connection? 💬 #RemoteLeadership #TeamEngagement #InnovationTogether