Hiring a great team is only the beginning. Providing leadership and guidance is the best way to get the most from your staff. It works to your advantage because you’ll get more done retain your best people and to theirs because they will feel challenged and valued.
Consider these factors that go into effective management.
Don’t hesitate to delegate. It can be tough as a lawyer or manager, but you simply must let go of some of the many tasks that need to be completed on any given day. As hard as you may try, you simply cannot do it all. To delegate, define the expected outcome, make yourself available for questions and step away. Delegation only works if you are able to truly let go and not micromanage. Not sure if your people have the capability to get it done? That brings us to our next factor…
Make training a priority. Provide ongoing training for your team. Train them to know their jobs well, but also to take on some aspects of the position above them. Split training between resolving their weaknesses and making the most of their strengths. Conduct some training yourself and provide a channel for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing so that each staff member is well rounded. If you have it in your budget, reimburse for university tuition or off-site trainings.
Keep it interesting. Legal support staff is expected to shoulder the burden of some of the most tedious work that must be accomplished; try to keep it fair and interesting when you can. Distribute the casework so that the same person doesn’t always get the most intriguing cases to work on while another gets the dull ones. Brainstorm with the team to develop strategies to make the dreary tasks easier to get through.
Provide regular feedback. People have to know how they are doing – and much more often than in a yearly review. Mention to each individual what he is doing well and where he can use improvement. Coach your team members regularly to improve performance and prepare them to advance their careers. Your regular input makes your employees feel valued, improving engagement and retention.
To learn more about building a successful legal support team, contact the experts at Kent Legal. We can help you recruit and manage top legal support talent for your law firm or legal departments throughout the greater Toronto area. Contact us today.