Firm Culture | Bellwether Strategies

How to Master Complex, Unfamiliar Tasks

November 19, 2015/in Firm Culture, Professional Development //Tags: learning and development, Meredith Woodwark, Motivation, Practice Managementby Natasha Chetty

If you’re about to tackle a complex issue or task in an unfamiliar area, how should you prioritize your first steps? New research shows that you’ll be off to a better start if you focus on learning rather than results. This is especially true if the matter context is unpredictable or dynamic.

I interviewed Dr. Meredith Woodwark – whose research uncovered these findings – to learn more. Woodwark teaches organizational behavior and leadership at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her research focuses on motivation, learning goals and employee engagement.

Q. How is your research relevant to professionals?

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Women, Wisdom & Wall Street

May 13, 2015/in Firm Culture, Leadership, Reputation //Tags: Board diversity, Gender equality, Project on Public Narrative, Women Sheriffs of Wall Streetby Natasha Chetty

What’s it like to be the only woman in the room during corporate board meetings? Or the first woman to chair a financial regulation authority in the midst of an economic crisis? Last week, I attended a panel discussion where three groundbreaking leaders – all lawyers by training – talk about their experiences as women affecting change in a male dominated industry.

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Delegating to Part-Time Employees: Special Considerations

April 27, 2015/in Communication, Firm Culture, Project Management //Tags: delegation, legal project management, Practice Management, Trustby Natasha Chetty

Professional firms increasingly rely on part-time and temporary personnel to complete administrative tasks. While this is a cost-effective way to manage business, it can inadvertently create complications in working relationships.

Unique challenges of delegating to part-time administrative staff

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Delegation Communication: 4 Questions to Ask Before Assigning Work

March 27, 2015/in Communication, Firm Culture, Project Management //Tags: delegation tips for lawyers, how to delegate tasks, Legal Project Management Delegationby Natasha Chetty

If you’ve worked in an organization long enough, you’ve probably been assigned work in a way that left you confused (if not annoyed). When it’s time to delegate your own work it’s tempting to assume that the style you’ve become used to is effective.

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Work and Rework

December 9, 2014/in Book Reviews, Business Development, Client Service, Communication, Firm Culture //Tags: Basecamp, project management, Reworkby Natasha Chetty

I’m a fan of Basecamp, a web-based project management tool. It has just the right number of features, it’s simply structured, and, most importantly it’s effective. The same can be said of Rework, a book written by the creators of Basecamp, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson.

We could learn something from these guys
Fried and Hansson founded a small, Chicago-based web design company called 37signals in 1999. The team soon noticed the need for an online tool that would help people “get work done” without heavy investments in commitments, resources or time. Basecamp became that tool.

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Observing the Office Grouch

November 12, 2014/in Firm Culture /by Natasha Chetty

Monday, November 10^th marked the 45^th anniversary of ‘Sesame Street’. I grew up watching the show. I’m not so grown up that I didn’t smile when I saw my favourite characters in the news coverage of the anniversary.

Many of the lessons Sesame Street taught us about how to get along with the people in our neighborhood actually still serve us well in the workplace. Read more →

The Trust Imperative: Part II

September 24, 2014/in Communication, Firm Culture, Leadership //Tags: organizational change, organizational trustby Natasha Chetty

Last week, I published the first half of my interview with Aneil Mishra, Ph.D.. Mishra is a respected author and business school professor who studies the link between trustworthiness, leadership and organizational performance. He discussed the four main qualities of trustworthy leaders – reliability, openness, competence and compassion – and his latest research regarding which of these qualities might matter most in the current economy. Read more →

The Trust Imperative: Part I

September 17, 2014/in Firm Culture, Leadership, Reputation //Tags: organizational development, organizational trustby Natasha Chetty

Do you trust the leaders in your organization to make decisions in the best interest of the entire firm? Do you trust them to proactively deal with important issues or prevent crises? Studies such as the 2014 Edelman Trust Barometer would indicate that your answer is likely “no”.

Some of the current notions regarding trust are based on the times in which we live – a legal market that is changing as well as shrinking, record numbers of unemployed law school graduates saddled with record amounts of student debt, daily news of trust violations between business, government and society. Read more →

Aligning Employees to Execute Strategy: Getting Started

August 6, 2014/in Firm Culture, Leadership, Reputation //Tags: Alignment Factor, Employee alignment, Employee engagement, Reputation Instituteby Natasha Chetty

When firm leaders agree on strategic objectives, it’s time to align employees towards achieving them. As with anything with multiple moving parts, adjustments can help the system work at its best.

Last week, I discussed the difference between employee engagement and employee alignment. Engagement is what motivates people to arrive at work each morning. Alignment is what they do when they get there. Read more →

Employee Engagement vs. Employee Alignment

July 31, 2014/in Firm Culture, Reputation //Tags: Employee alignment, Employee engagement, Workplace reputationby Natasha Chetty

Have you noticed how many law firms have won awards for their workplace strategy? In the quest to attract and retain talent, many law firms build an “employer brand” through the pursuit of third-party recognition.

This seems like a no-brainer for any organization. What firm wouldn’t want to be known for having a satisfied workforce? And who wouldn’t want to work for one? Read more →