I want to take a moment to thank Tom Grella. For years he has filled this space with his wisdom and insights on law firm management. He has been eloquent, witty and profound in his efforts to pass along real-world knowledge concerning the challenges of leadership. As you may know from reading the last issue of this publication, Tom has hung up his columnist shoes, so to speak. Like any great manager, he has decided it is time to make space for new voices and allow others to lead.
I am not the person to take up that mantle. Consider this column a one-off. A palate cleanser to set the stage for others to follow. I can’t assume Tom’s duties because I am not, nor have I ever been, a manager of my law firm. I have never led attorneys in a formal sense and cannot claim any insight as to how the job can best be done. It is a job I never wanted or sought, preferring simply to “practice law” and let others steer the ship. However, I have been “managed” now for 29 years and I thought it would be worth a minute to get the perspective of the “managed” as to what makes a good law firm manager.
The best managers I have had in my life shared three common traits: 1. they had vision, 2. they could communicate that vision and 3.they were trustworthy. All other things being equal, I will follow a leader with those three traits off a cliff and work my fingers to the bone while doing it. It is worth a deeper dive as to why these qualities make a manager so attractive to someone like me.
Managers have vision. A good manager must have a solid sense of direction. It is simply not enough, in most instances, and particularly in today’s ever-evolving legal landscape, to maintain the status quo and rely upon the belief that a law firm has achieved perfect stasis, needing no further improvements but only maintenance. I am reminded of a saying I heard once in college: “Different isn’t always better, but better is always different, and you can’t be better by being the same.” A good manager fundamentally knows that he or she must take risks and explore new directions in the management of a law firm, always striving to improve the practice for the benefit of the firm and the public it serves. Followers are inspired by a leader who wants improvement and is willing to accept that perfection is unattainable, but always an end for which to strive.
Moreover, that vision must be responsive to the needs of the firm, clients and the legal system. That means good managers must stay abreast of changes in the practice of law and educate themselves on best practices. The job requires curiosity and a willingness to devote substantial time to understanding the law practice landscape to put forth a vision worthy of being followed.
In addition to having a vision, a good manager must be able to articulate that vision. For me, that means being able to clearly define the path and achieve support and buy-in for that vision. I have been at firms where attorneys worked in silos, with virtually no interaction with one another and I have worked at firms where collaborative meetings were the rule of the day. Neither situation is ideal. A manager who does not collaborate and engage in groupthink cannot achieve buy-in and effectively communicate a vision to the firm. It is critical that lawyers have time to commune and build relationships with one another, and a good manager facilitates that and knows when it is time to press forward with a goal and when members of the firm still need time to digest. On the other hand, collaborative work can go too far. Meeting simply for the sake of meeting can be an annoyance at best and a critical drain on resources at its worst. We like to feel useful and know that whatever we are dedicating our precious commodity of time to, progress is being made. I have been in rooms before where leaders have called meetings to reiterate points already addressed or decided, in what appeared to be no more than an opportunity to hear themselves talk. Those of us looking to be led quickly grow disenchanted by such theatrics and lose sight of the ultimate vision for all the extraneous noise. The best communication from managers is efficient and productive.
That communication should also be democratic. There is no more helpless feeling than knowing that decisions are being made around you with no input, buy-in or agreement. I am not saying that a manager cannot make decisions unless there is complete consensus. However, if you are going to lead attorneys, they must at least feel they have had some meaningful input, even if the ultimate decision is one they were not advocating.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, law firm managers, like any leaders, hold a position of trust. That trust is their most valuable commodity. We will only follow people and accept their decisions when we have faith in them. That is, a good manager must build up our trust and give us a reason to follow their lead. This is done in big ways and small. Holding to commitments, assuring that they listen to us even where they don’t agree, being clear and direct in communications and the delivery of good or bad news and showing that the manager is as invested in the success of the practice as any member of the firm––all of these are effective ways to build trust. Once that trust exists, we will support and follow a leader virtually wherever their vision takes us. Without that trust, the job becomes one of herding cats, chasing down lawyers who each want to go in their own direction because they have no faith in the direction of the leader.
Again, I am not a law firm manager. Take this column for what it is worth, the ramblings of a member of the rank and file. Sometimes, however, it is important to take the temperature of the rank and file. They are the ones who will ultimately define the success of the leadership.
