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June 16, 2009
So what did your employees do for you this week?
Get off your knees. Stand up. Come out of the woods swinging and angry--like a bad-ass preacher of the Church of the Final Thunder. --The Value Guy
We got some Value for you right here. If you are "training them" (support staff, paralegals, associates) properly, and giving them meaningful things to do, good for you. Make them part of your client work, and get them to "think like" (a) a client which wants problems solved and (b) you--the owner, shareholder or partner.
And on Item (b), are they treating you like a client? What are employees doing for you this week? How are they adding value?
Do they advance things--or hold you back? Are they buying into the ethos of great substantive work, and 24/7-availability client service--like it's a crusade, a religion, and a way of life? After all, you are only asking for the minimum there.
Practicing law correctly is hard. Learning it is hard. Client service is hard. And job is a privilege--not a right.
Expect something great from employees.
"Training"? To be sure, it is likely a myth. Good associates and other support people train themselves, jump into the fray with energy and resolve, and learn by doing.
If you have to spend additional time "training" or explaining things to employees, and you still want to keep them, that's fine. Some people take longer than others to "get it". But make them pay your firm for the extras--just as they paid to learn in college or law school.
Posted by JD Hull at June 16, 2009 11:50 PM