Success as a lawyer requires a variety of skills. Time management, risk management, analytical prowess, public speaking, a rigorous work ethic, and (of course) a keen understanding of the law are all commonly cited as requisites to success within the profession. However, good lawyers do not always make good leaders. While their talents as lawyers may be beyond dispute, the act of leading, inspiring, and motivating a team of workers may not be within their immediate experience. To address this issue, Insights asked two leadership experts how best to transition from talented lawyer to inspired leader.
1. Assign work effectively – and know how to respond when it’s finished
Kim Singleton is the Director of Sydney-based management consultancy Transitions Management Group. Having worked for over 20 years to effect positive cultural changes within professional services firms, Singleton is familiar with the challenges a lawyer can face when making the leap to a managerial role.
“Often, the things that an individual criticised when they were a junior gets forgotten when they are promoted,” Singleton told Insights.
“Under time and performance pressures themselves, they can dump work on those they are supervising without providing adequate instruction, support, or context. This not only results in disillusioned staff, but can also affect the quality of the work.”
Singleton says new leaders can get the most from their staff by knowing how to effectively manage the inevitable situation when the work produced by one of their team is not up to standard.
“Do they bawl out the culprit? Make corrections themselves because that is the quickest way to get this problem fixed? Spend time with this individual to help them rectify the problem? Identify that there is a real performance problem that requires a more substantial response? Making the right call – and not just ‘reacting’ – is a sign of good leadership.”
2. Spend quality time with your team members
Martina Sheehan, founder of leadership group Mind Gardener, says it is crucial to give your staff your undivided attention when spending time with them.
“Leaders may feel that they are too time-poor to pay attention to everyone’s needs, but time is not the right measure of attention,” Sheehan said.
“A moment of full attention is worth more than hours of distracted time. For leaders, attention management starts by learning how to give quality attention in the right moments throughout the day. This simple act can switch people on and motivate them to bring their best performance to work.”
3. Learn to relate to your staff as a leader
Singleton asserts that for many new leaders, learning to appropriately communicate and relate to their team can be difficult.
“Last week they could have been socialising – as peers – with people that they are now supervising,” Singleton said.
“Some try to remain “one of the boys or girls”, while others can seem to cut off completely from people with whom they had been friendly. Leaning too much one way can adversely impact on the authority that needs to be built in a leadership role, and leaning too much the other way can result in a lack of rapport and a commensurate lack of effectiveness as a leader. If your staff don’t respect you or you can’t or don’t connect with them you will have problems.”
To combat this, Singleton suggests being as open and inclusive in staff communications as possible.
“Treat your staff as valued individuals, not as labour,” he said.
“Research tells us that people mostly leave managers, not jobs. Be firm when you need to be, but let them know you see them as more than their work output. Without being intrusive, a personal interest in your people – in their development and the ups and downs in their lives – is the foundation upon which good leadership is based.
4. Focus on the positive
While leaders will need to criticise from time to time, Sheehan says it pays to be positive.
“Leaders are instrumental in switching on people’s attention, but also in switching it off,” she said.
“It is well recognised that when a leader focuses on someone’s strengths, their performance lifts and they feel more engaged with their firm. When a leader focuses on someone’s weaknesses, engagement levels drop by almost 25%, meaning people actively withdraw their precious attention from their work.”