Lawyers - Managing Your Winning Team

Watching the Olympics and the incredible feats of the athletes it was interesting to see those who were able to summon up world-class performances, personal bests and those that struggled.

This week I completed a Change Management workshop for a team, which is about to undertake significant operational change. What soon became evident was that the team was already suffering as a result of a wobble.
Most lawyers have some degree of managerial responsibility so what to do when your team starts to wobble?

1. Be aware that the performance of the team is likely to be adversely affected by change. Tackle unrest positively at an early stage.

2. Communicate with your team on all levels and in a variety of ways. Don’t presume that just because you understand the change and have told people a number of times before they will have grasped your message.

3. Be prepared to take the time to address peoples’ conce
s however difficult that may be for you personally - don’t dodge the difficult questions.

4. Don’t shoot the messenger or react defensively if the message coming back loud and clear is not what you want to hear.

5. Consult only when any feedback will make a difference to your decisions - be up front with people and say that you will consult when they can make a difference. Nothing destroys your credibility more than gaining the reputation for “phony” consultation. You will find that next time you want genuine consultation, staff will not trust you and their likely reaction will be to say, “do what you want you are going to anyway!”

6. Explore what is important to individuals and to the team as a whole. Look to incorporate those values in some form into the change.

7. Set a clear common vision of where you want to be – what is the equivalent of winning that gold medal? nn