Aon | Professional Services Practice
Look Inward First, the Rest Will More Easily Follow...
Release Date: March 2024In every law firm, obstacles to a harmonious, like-minded organization exist. Every day. These challenges can develop over time, or overnight. Some hurdles can be dealt with quickly with strong leadership and timely action. Others can permeate the inner core and threaten the firm’s stability, its leadership, it’s culture.
The naysayers will ignore the warnings… “we’re too big,” “our firm can withstand anything,” “we’ve seen it before.” Many of the challenges are related to personnel, partners included.
Partners need to be leaders and accountable to the Firm.
So ask yourself, which of your partners has:
- A tendency towards bullying
- A poor work ethic
- Overstated hours
- Mentally “checked out”
- Substance abuse tendencies that go “unnoticed”
- A lack of discretion
- A ME, not a WE attitude
- An inability, or unwillingness, to compromise
- A tendency to hoard clients
- Unreasonable personal compensation expectations voiced to others
If such individuals exist in your firm, let’s be honest, everyone is aware. If you are truly the leader, do not act unaware. Take the reins and make clear that there is zero tolerance for these kinds of behaviors and that what is fair for all means fair for all, not all but one. It’s expected of you.
Educate your leadership, work with all of your partners, engage them and help them to become a solidified partnership. Move aside the blockers and create opportunities for those who are hungry and demonstrate a commitment to the firm and its clients. Those that want to improve, will. Those that want to help will assist in getting you there.
Take stock. Look around you. Put aside personal feelings. As a firm leader, you know what needs to be done.
Contact
The Professional Services Practice at Aon values your feedback. If you would like to discuss any of the topics raised in this article, please contact George J Wolf, Jr.
George J Wolf, Jr
Managing Director
New York
About Aon
Aon plc (NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Our colleagues provide our clients in over 120 countries and sovereignties with advice and solutions that give them the clarity and confidence to make better decisions to protect and grow their business.
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