One of the most difficult ways to become a manager is to be promoted from within. For a Colorado administrator, however, moving up was even more difficult because the promotion came with a directive to change the working atmosphere of the office. The previous administrator, while knowledgeable, was not someone who encouraged a welcoming atmosphere, says the … [Read more...] about Why your first act as a new administrator should be to rearrange the furniture
Your career
Developing productive associates: Why the traditional annual review gets a FAIL!
If the goal is to develop the associates into productive—and profitable—attorneys, the traditional annual review is not enough. There need to be formal reviews twice during the year. And more, there needs to be continuous feedback in the meantime. Many firms have moved away from the lockstep approach of pushing associates up the partnership ladder based on years of service. … [Read more...] about Developing productive associates: Why the traditional annual review gets a FAIL!
Is the honeymoon over at work?
For many professionals, that first year in a new job can be a "honeymoon period," full of new and exciting challenges. But a study from Robert Half and Happiness Works shows that professionals with between one and two years on the job are less happy, less interested in their work and more stressed than those still in their first year. After three years or more on the job, … [Read more...] about Is the honeymoon over at work?
How to deliver a great presentation on any topic
To grow in the job, a manager has to communicate ideas and visions and recommendations. And the presentation of them counts. "It doesn't matter how good the idea or how brilliant the insight, if it isn't well-articulated, it fails," says Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE, a San Francisco executive speech coach. Worse, the manager's career can fail right along with it. Here are the … [Read more...] about How to deliver a great presentation on any topic
To-Dos: Your July office checklist
According to best-selling author Regina Brett, "Summer is the annual permission slip to be lazy. To do nothing and have it count for something. To lie in the grass and count the stars. To sit on a branch and study the clouds." You wish! That might happen on the weekend—if you're lucky—but Monday to Friday, there's still plenty of work to do at the office. Here are some tasks … [Read more...] about To-Dos: Your July office checklist
9 ways to stay neutral (and sane) when reporting to multiple lawyers
The job of managing a law office can be unpredictable, because you often don't have the luxury of answering to just one boss. Instead, there are as many bosses as there are lawyers, and the lawyers don't always get along with one another. For that reason, your survival rests on neutrality, says management consultant Donna R. Gary of Legal Administrative Services in … [Read more...] about 9 ways to stay neutral (and sane) when reporting to multiple lawyers
10 ways managers are improving their law firms
Ah, the woes of running a law office. You know them well: Reams of reports, scheduling squabbles, technology tangles, and so much more. It takes a lot of skill, patience, and strategy to make a law office run smoothly—plus a little bit of help from others who know your pain. That must be why the Reader Tips section of our website is so popular. It contains dozens of solutions … [Read more...] about 10 ways managers are improving their law firms
Regain control of your personal life by setting boundaries on your professional life
"Boundary setting is really a huge part of time management," says performance psychologist and author Jim Loehr. And, arguably, everyone needs to manage time, that precious commodity, in order to experience and enjoy life to the fullest. Yet, how do you set boundaries between your personal and professional life? In today's world of constant connectivity, is it even … [Read more...] about Regain control of your personal life by setting boundaries on your professional life
Use straight talk to solve 4 common people problems in your firm
The key to success as a manager is being up-front with employees. Yet that is what managers are most reluctant to do. They don't want to sit down with a staff member and say, "You are messing up on this, and I cannot allow it to continue." That reluctance is a normal human trait. People don't like confrontation. In fact, one human resources consultant says most of her clients … [Read more...] about Use straight talk to solve 4 common people problems in your firm
To-Dos: Your June office checklist
January may seem like a lifetime ago, with the months of office closures, remote work, and now office reopenings. Still, as we near the end of the second quarter, it's a good time to see if the firm, staff, and you are all on track with respect to the goals you set in January or if any course corrections are needed. Here are a few areas you can address. 1. Check the budget. … [Read more...] about To-Dos: Your June office checklist