The Game Changing Attorney Podcast with Michael Mogill

67. Culture Starts at the Top: LIVE from the EVOLVE Summit

Jul 20, 2021

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"You're going to have a culture, no matter what. But it may be a bad culture if you're not the one creating it. " - Mark O'Mara

Why is culture so important in your law firm?
What can you do to build your organization's culture intentionally?
Why do Kolbe and PRINT® scores give you and your team an edge?
How can you utilize Kolbe & PRINT® scores beyond hiring?

A Culture of Excellence

David Craig, John Martin, Mark O'Mara, and Reza Torkzadeh have all been instrumental in establishing the success of their respective firms. But by focusing on culture, they've all been able to take that success and bring their organizations to the next level.

In this special episode, recorded live at the EVOLVE Virtual Summit, Head of Coaching Strategy at Crisp Jessica Mogill leads a lively panel discussion on company culture: how to assess it, influence it, and what values lie at the center of it.

Hire Learning

Culture at a company starts with people, and people start when you hire them. But too often, firms don't give hiring the attention it deserves. David Craig says he used to spend more time picking a jury than picking who worked for him at his business. Reza Torkzadeh lost over half his staff in one day. He had to start over and be much more intentional about the process. Leveraging Kolbe and PRINT® assessments empower him to get to know candidates more deeply and understand if they would be a long term fit.

David also uses Kolbe & PRINT® to assess if his people are in the right roles. Finding a role that fits with each team member’s skill set — that is challenging and exciting for them — can mean the difference between an all-star and a dud. As he says, “Just because I hired you as this paralegal doesn't mean you have to stay there. Let's look at your scores and figure out what is the best use of your time, so you're going to be happy and you're going to stay with us for a long period of time.”

Out of PRINT®

John Martin doesn't just use strategic assessments for placement decisions. He references them every day to know how to best communicate with each member of his team. Everybody has different communication styles and motivators. To get the most out of your team members, you have to know what drives them and how they work best.

As John told it, “I looked at his PRINT® and I realized that the type of autonomy that I want is frustrating to him. He wanted to have systems in place. He wanted to be what I would consider micromanaged. So basically I just said to him, ‘You know, I've never been a manager before. It looks like you need something different. Do you want to develop that?’ So now this guy is doing the Crisp Experience Program. He's developing all of our systems. He's one of our top producers this year.”

Key takeaways:

Give it a try, even if you're skeptical. If you're not using all the tools available to you, you're operating with a hand tied behind your back.
Beware of sunk cost. Don't waste your time trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, and don't be afraid to fire someone if necessary.
Your people are your most important asset. Without them, you're just out there on your own.

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