Last week one of my law firm management friends called me to vent about work. Which we do for each other from time to time between texting pictures of the wine we are drinking after a long day at work. She started off with the statement, “I just don’t understand why people keep coming to me complaining and dropping all of their issues on my desk. Most of this stuff they should be able to just figure out on their own.” I let her go on for a while about this particular situation that got her particularly perturbed, and then she sprung the conversation into a rant about how everyone comes to her with their problems. I shocked her a little with my response of, “Wow, that is so wonderful.” She stopped and asked if I was listening to her. I explained the fact that everyone comes to her with their problems means, one they trust you, and two they actually think you can solve their problem and are coming to you for help. Once she heard that, she got mad and said “Dammit Sarah I just wanted to be mad, and now you are making this into a teachable moment.” By the end of the conversation while she was trying to hold onto being made, I know her perspective changed.
If you work in law firm management and people are not bringing their issues to you on a regular basis you are doing something wrong and need to figure out what it is, quickly. Even if you have the best culture, the best staff, and the most well behaved attorneys, you are still going to have issues. Good law firm managers should be in a position where they are able to help EVERYONE in the firm overcome their obstacles and issues.
When people ask me what I do all day, my typical response is, “I work to help everyone do their jobs better, faster, more easily by assisting them through any daily obstacles that might be put in their way.” I have an open door policy and encourage people to come to me with their issues, with the caveat that they must also come with at least one idea on how to solve it.
So the next time a complainer shows up at your desk with an issue, think of it as a sign you are doing a great job and embrace it as an opportunity to have a positive impact on your office!
Law Law Chic 