One of the key drivers of any law business is its human resources. And the way a leader leads it’s team will ultimately affect the output of the business and image. It is therefore important to learn team building.
Today, I’d be sharing 3 tips on how to build your team as a law business owner.
1. Unlearn leadership, learn leadership and act it out.
Many today call themselves leaders. Leaders aren’t born, they are a function of training and experience. It is important to unlearn so many things that you might have picked up over the years. For you to do this, you must first of all know yourself. Ask yourself, as a leader, what kind of leadership style do I portray?
What’s my personality type? How do I communicate my concerns? After you find out about these things, then you must begin to unlearn a lot of things. Because the truth is, you’ll find out a lot of things about yourself that you shouldn’t pass on to your followers.
Once you unlearn, relearn. Take leadership courses, get a mentor, read books, ask your peers or even workers to evaluate you. This will help your progress. Then you must act it. Don’t just say you are a leader or appear to be, act it out. Be that leader that encourages progress by listening to his team and concerns.
Know your team: You need to study your team members. It is just like evaluating yourself as a leader, and understanding your own strengths and weaknesses, you must know the people that are working for you. This will give you the opportunity to relate with them and understand their concerns. This is where a lot of leaders miss it.
Having a healthy relationship with your team doesn’t open room for disrespect or laxity, on the contrary, it fosters good work ethic. In fact, you’d learn more in their space that you’d on your chair.
As team leaders, you can take time out of your busy schedules even during meetings to not just ask about the firms business but also about things like how they spend their weekends, how the kids are doing at school, etc.
A team culture are set of values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours shared by a team. Example of a team culture could be: day to day communication, individual motivation, an easy flexible workspace etc.
I’d add a bonus point: Go for retreats/ participate in team building activities: Naturally, a lot of lawyers love to work independently. And most times, briefs are handed over to a lawyer to work on.
To foster effective work output, you and your team should go for retreats from time to time. And during those retreats, have frank conversations about yourselves and the firm. Then play games that will make you know each others personality types and interests. Games such as charades, mindfulness sessions, behind the scenes etc.
It’s been a nice time here. Please share your views, questions and let’s all learn. Let the conversation continue!
The above article was culled from Law as Business Forum
Law as a Business is a forum/ gathering of successful lawyers deepening their knowledge of the Business of Law, convened by Charles Ajiboye, FICMC (Partner, The Penthouse Law and Former Publicity Secretary, NBA Ikeja) via a Whatsapp Chat Conversation.
