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Is it just me or has anyone else noticed how certain law firms operate like finely-tuned Swiss watches?
What I’m talking about is a law practice where the information necessary to carry out effective legal work is on hand for each and every attorney and paralegal; a practice with a level of operational confidence and efficiency that precedes it in the marketplace; a firm that simply ‘gets it’ and as a product of getting it, gets the results they seek more often than not.
What makes operations such as these so efficient and effective?
Is it the Managing Partner or senior attorney at the firm?
Perhaps.
But as a firm grows and prospers the main partner(s) or share holders are usually overly involved in bringing in business and strategizing the most important cases. They don’t spend a great deal of time on handling the details of the office. Peak operational efficiency often develops as a result in someone who has taken his/her place well before a finely tuned legal machine is ever noticed.
I’m talking about a good administrative assistant.
We’ve all seen the Hollywood scenario. A successful executive breezes in and out of the office while his business seems to always be at the right place at the right time. He signs the contracts and drives the fancy car. But it isn’t the boss pulling the strings and pushing the buttons. It’s usually an otherwise unassuming individual who is behind the scenes like a symphonic conductor making sure everything goes just so. Such individuals are almost always worth five times or more than the salary they earn because without them the business goes from exemplary to average.
My good friend Marvin is the senior partner in a family practice law firm and has the ideal administrative assistant running things. Her name is Claire. And she is worth her weight in gold. Let’s take a look at how Marvin began working with Claire and how he nurtured and developed her skills and abilities.
Hiring the Right Person
Most folks who have found that special person would probably say that hiring them involved more intuition than analytical skill. In other words, hiring the right ‘office maestro’ is more an art than science. Of course you’ll still be looking for the best person with the best set of relevant technical, hands-on skills. But what are the intangible assets this person is likely to have? We’re going to look at the skills and personality traits that make the most effective administrative assistants. The way they process information and approach a task is critical.
Organizational Approach
Most people are either right-brain dominant or left-brain dominant in their orientation to their environment. Someone who is predominantly right-brain oriented will easily see the big picture and be useful in planning the concept part of a project. They are good at constructing the framework and letting others fill in the particulars. Someone who is predominantly left-brain oriented will be happiest working on the particular details of a project. Of course, no one is always completely right or left-brain orientated. We all switch on and off according to the situation but most people have a preference for one over the other.
So, which orientation would be more effective as an administrative assistant for a law firm?
Many would say the detail orientated individual. But that wouldn’t be entirely accurate. The ideal administrative assistant would be a close blend with their orientation slightly toward the overall concept or big picture. Then they’d be good at delegating the fine details out to people who have proven to be efficient at individual points. Without having the knack to see the overall big picture it’s almost impossible for anyone to foresee the dozens of little items that need to happen to make a law practice shine.
Ability to Motivate Others
Some people are quite skilled at aggravating subordinates while some excel at motivating them. We’re obviously looking for the motivator. But how can you tell where your potential prospect weighs in on this important ability? One of the absolute best indicators available to determine motivational skills can be found in a person’s leadership style.
Leadership often boils down to how willing an individual is to stop what they’re doing and lend a hand to the line staff. In other words, will your potential administrative assistant occasionally jump into the trenches and shovel muck just like her subordinates? This is one point that subordinates look for in a leader and are often willing to go far beyond the call of duty to produce for a supervisor who will occasionally pitch in. Of course, I should emphasize the word ‘occasionally’ as no supervisor should be constantly doing the work of their subordinates. How can you determine if your prospect has this trait? Ask. Look for comments from previous employers where the individual has been cited for team spirit and leadership.
Overall Personality
Chances are, you’ve seen some highly efficient people who were easygoing and others who were a force to be reckoned with. I think most would agree that an easygoing person is desired for continuous day to day contact. However, some managers find a supervisor that employees are just a tad afraid of to get more done. Personally, I’d prefer the lighthearted approach but that’s just me. Both personalities can get the job done and run the practice impeccably; it’s simply a matter of preference for the person doing the hiring which personality will fit in better.
Since it’s often difficult to judge an individual’s personality in a single interview, it might be necessary to call your candidates in for two or more subsequent interviews to determine whether they’d be a good fit for your firm.
Assuming that your candidate is qualified with regard to computer, time management, organizational and office skills and has the education and other basic abilities to run your practice, the above items are where you really need to look to determine whether this person has what it takes to tie it all together and make your practice sing. And here’s a tip, chances are, there’s an individual already working in your midst who has it all.