The task of creating and maintaining a collegiate, supportive and engaged team environment may end up being the most rewarding thing that one does as a legal professional, writes Stuart Barnett.
“Happy teams are all alike, every unhappy team is unhappy in its own way,” said Tolstoy, with more than a hint of poetic license.
Teams tend to be most noticeable in their dysfunction, not when they are running smoothly. You know that because the problems you are dealing with (or not dealing with because it is all a bit too hard) take up a disproportionate amount of your time.
You can look at this in a particularly utilitarian light: a high-performing team is the key to building and maintaining a sustainable practice. Leveraging associates can be very profitable. Therefore, you need to sort your people’s issues. You know, get better people to better serve you, so you can hit your budget and maintain this in perpetuity. After all, you have clients to serve.
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