028: Leading People vs Managing People

Your Law Firm is a Business. Take it to the Next Level

If you joined us last week, you heard us talk about getting out of the way. We discussed how, as law firm owners, we often get in our team’s way by failing to train them on policies and procedures and not letting go.

This week, we’re diving into this topic a bit deeper. We’re talking about leading people and managing people. To get anything of significance done in your firm (including writing policies and procedures) and to serve your clients better, you need to leverage your team. You must go beyond managing them and truly lead them.

In the episode, we’ll discuss some of the benefits of leading our people over managing them. We’ll also explain what it even looks like to lead and give you some tips on exactly how to do it. Tune in to learn more.

Show Highlights:

• Why it’s important to focus on people in your law firm.
• How your team can help you leverage your firm.
• The difference between managing and leading your team.
• Shifts to make to go from managing your team to leading it.
• How to hire the best people.
• Why you need to explain to your team members the “why” behind what they are doing.
• Top tools for leading your people.

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Supporting Resources:

https://www.manager-tools.com/

The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More, & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier

ACTION STEPS:

1. First, schedule one-on-one meetings with every team member that reports to you. If you have someone who reports to someone else, do your one-on-ones for a bit so people see the example you are setting.
2. Start a note for each person and capture their goals. I like to focus on both the professional and personal goals as you hear them. Then spend time in your one-on-one sessions coaching your team members so they develop a plan for their growth. Use the time to be an outside accountability coach. Remember, you don’t always have to be the person who teaches. Just be the person who provides support and helps them get there.
3. Start giving more feedback. In the beginning, shoot for 10 positive feedback comments. Then move to the weekly 5-to-1 positive vs constructive ratio.

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Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com