What is the first step in moving toward a better office?
Deciding you have to do something is the first step. As hard as it may be – you have to actually MAKE yourself CHANGE the fact that you are ignoring the problems with how you work, and instead, take action towards clearing them out (and the chaos they create).
What do you think is the most important thing law firms need to do to start to become more efficient?
Assess. You can’t know where to make corrections if you don’t know where the problems lie. What are the pain points and bottlenecks? Where are issues? There are 100s different ways to increase overall efficiency – but what I have found is that when you start with yourself and you focus on fixing your own personal workflow issues, you gain the most … time and return on investment. When every person at an office does the same, the whole office gains by the combined improvements of all.
How can lawyers vet and select the right technology for their law offices?
The selection of the with what’s is the almost the last part of process to get efficient. You start with (a) deciding what needs to become more efficient; (b) see how you are doing that task now; (c) looking for ways to remove steps (aka streamline); or use automation <-which is where tech consideration starts as delegation to the lowest possible pay grade (as many things as you can) plays a huge role in tech selection.
To remember, think: Streamline, Automate then Delegate or SAD <-which is what you’ll be if you don’t!
What would you take away from a lawyer that attorneys either should not be relying on, or traditionally lean too heavily upon, in managing their law offices?
I’d take away their phones, ipads and connected devices. 1 day per week. You cannot be so connected that you can’t put it down, stop looking, stop checking for updates, stop seeing who’s emailing, tweeting and texting. Stop and be present – find a book; a new café, a nice trail to walk. Work and the digital will always be there. It will never go away. Until you tell it to. Give yourself the gift of peace (once the gut wrenching terror of being disconnected fades) – that’s what you’ll find. A very quiet, and relaxing overall feeling of peace.