Strategic Slowness: A New Mantra for Law Firm Leaders

Regulation agency leaders typically transfer from resolution to resolution at breakneck velocity. Now, two Stanford administration professors are turning heads by providing a counterintuitive suggestion: undertake a mantra of “strategic slowness.”

Earlier this yr, Stanford’s Robert I. Sutton and Huggy Rao took to the pages of The Wall Road Journal to counsel leaders of all stripes to ease up, bucking Mark Zuckerberg’s infamous “transfer quick and break issues” philosophy. Sutton cites examples akin to Elon Musk’s “impulsive missteps” at X and Elizabeth Holmes’ maneuverings at Theranos as compelling causes to keep away from the cruel penalties of “hurry illness.”

Why Ought to Future-Centered Regulation Agency Leaders Embrace Strategic Slowness?

Of their Wall Road Journal piece, Sutton and Rao — co-authors of the current e book “The Friction Venture” — urge all leaders to know when to hit the brakes. They name out eight situations when “sensible bosses urge individuals to decelerate,” as follows:

Making main, irreversible selections. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos distinguishes between “one-way” and “two-way” door selections. One-way-door selections aren’t reversible, and so they benefit important deliberation.

Fixing advanced issues. Analysis exhibits that the neatest individuals sometimes take extra time to unravel difficult issues — and this extra funding of time steers them away from flawed conclusions and towards higher accuracy.

Pursuing artistic work. Put merely, there’s no shortcut to creativity.

Encouraging moral conduct. Analysis exhibits that leaders who’re urged to judge their actions intentionally quite than speeding ahead are a lot much less more likely to have interaction in ethics violations.

Decreasing prejudice. Stereotyping and prejudicial conduct can decline when persons are inspired to maneuver at a extra measured tempo.

Lowering “damaging friction.” Staff ought to be discouraged from taking actions that put up roadblocks to productiveness, by making them “pause, assume and soar via annoying hoops earlier than they will heap extra burdens on others.”

Connecting with purchasers. A deal with fast supply can generally conflict with offering an distinctive buyer expertise.

Having fun with optimistic experiences. Lastly, a decreased work tempo can improve relationships and contribute to raised psychological and bodily well being. Leaders ought to urge workers to take the time to “bask of their accomplishments.”

What classes can legislation agency leaders study from Sutton and Rao of their journey to implement sensible progress methods? Listed below are three to think about.

Thoughtfully Navigate the Introduction of AI

Generative AI is poised to revolutionize the authorized trade. Regulation companies will confront a collection of main selections and complicated issues as they incorporate AI into their enterprise fashions: What AI applied sciences are greatest suited to the agency’s apply areas? Which AI merchandise might help the agency optimize its operational aspect? How ought to the agency adapt its pricing fashions as AI features the aptitude to carry out most entry-level authorized work? How can the agency add new worth to shopper relationships to keep up profitability? The checklist goes on. These are questions that warrant measured consideration, not snap selections.

Put money into Skilled Growth

Regulation companies typically fall brief in serving to much less skilled attorneys purchase the authorized abilities and enterprise acumen essential to develop into partner-level contributors. As an alternative, many companies depend on a growth strategy the place rookie attorneys are anticipated to “determine it out on their very own,” with minimal investments of time on the a part of extra skilled attorneys. The strategic slowness mannequin dovetails with the necessity to reimagine skilled growth methods. For instance, it’s essential for senior attorneys to actively mentor and develop their junior colleagues via constant coaching, steering and sponsorship, particularly given the decreased in-office presence throughout all expertise ranges within the post-pandemic period.

This, in fact, could necessitate adjusting agency values and compensation constructions to acknowledge and reward companions for dedicating their priceless time to those important roles. Nevertheless, investing time in efficient mentorship and coaching will yield substantial long-term advantages for the agency by attracting and retaining expertise able to high-quality work. It’ll additionally construct a pipeline of leaders with the acumen to information the agency via the intense challenges forward.

Make Room for Work-Life Stability, Properly-being and Nontraditional Staffing

The frenetic tempo of labor at legislation companies is not any secret. Corporations typically count on their associates to satisfy heavy billable hour necessities. Likewise, billable hours and private money receipts are sometimes key elements in setting associate compensation, which inspires companions to hoard shopper assignments and work longer hours quite than embrace extra environment friendly staffing methods. Whereas these practices could pay private and agency dividends within the brief time period, considerate distribution of shopper assignments and a extra measured tempo of labor will enhance shopper service, cut back burnout and reduce attrition charges. It’ll additionally foster a magnetic office tradition that can produce a significant benefit within the competitors for expertise and purchasers.

Agency leaders ought to acknowledge that sacrificing some proportion of attorneys’ billable hours is a small value to pay for a wholesome, hybrid office surroundings with dedicated bench energy. When selecting the place to work, work-life steadiness is likely one of the foremost standards attorneys weigh. Corporations that overwork their expertise danger having to switch productive attorneys with unproven expertise. That may be a expensive proposition: The misplaced alternatives related to departing expertise plus the bills of recruiting, hiring and coaching a brand new lawyer can simply exceed $500,000.

Much more alarming, a 2023 examine discovered that attorneys with “excessive work overcommitment” had a doubled fee of suicidal ideas.

In an identical vein, a strategic slowness mantra is per nontraditional staffing methods that worth completely different paces of profession development. For instance, because the share of ladies attorneys within the career continues to develop, legislation companies can now not afford to squander their investments in feminine expertise by insisting on rigorous, rigid work routines. As an alternative, companies ought to embrace part-time, flextime and hybrid work preparations that meet the various wants of working mother and father, and companies ought to welcome again attorneys who’ve taken time away from the agency setting to begin a household or take care of aged members of the family.

Gradual and Regular for the Win?

The strategic slowness enterprise mannequin has nice potential as a counterweight to the authorized trade’s frenetic tempo. A extra measured tempo at companies will domesticate magnetic office cultures, encourage high-yield investments in creating junior attorneys, and promote well-considered selections about technological shifts whereas furthering the important objective of strengthening shopper outcomes and relationships. For leaders seeking to place their legislation companies for lasting monetary {and professional} success, gradual and regular could, ultimately, win the race.

The Friction Venture: How Sensible Leaders Make the Proper Issues Simpler and the Mistaken Issues Tougher by Robert I. Sutton and Huggy Rao (St. Martin’s Press, 2024)

“Defending Your Funding: How one can Notice a Sturdy ROI From Associates” by Wendy Merrill

“Gradual It Down: Classes for Ladies Attorneys” by Stephanie Scarborough

“Analog Legal professional: Enhance Productiveness by Slowing Down a Little” by Bull Garlington