Five steps to success

Successful law firm leaders understand how to earn their employees’ trust.

Change is unavoidable, whether it results from organisational initiatives, market conditions, or an uncontrollable external force. Solid and effective change leadership is essential for organisations to survive, grow, and prosper in the face of change.

Here are five crucial steps the best leaders take to guarantee success, regardless of the kind or size of the change you lead.

#1. Encourage others and impart your vision

Effective legal department leaders foresee, comprehend, and respond to staff members’ worries to motivate them to embrace legal technology change rather than fear or reject it. They gain buy-in and support for change by adopting a responsible approach.

To start, leaders communicate an inspiring vision that outlines the desired future state, explains why the new practice management software will be better than the present, and highlights its advantages. A clear vision makes it easier to ensure everyone involved not only knows the benefits of changing, but feels part of it and accepts the necessary adjustments. According to Harvard Business Review research, executives are more successful at gaining support for change when they express a clear vision of what will change and what won’t. People are less likely to feel anxious or resist change when they can visualise what the outcome will imply for them.

#2. Establish the strategic plan

Leaders need to establish a strategic plan to bring the transformation vision to life once their legal team clearly understand its goals. The plan has to define expectations, so that people can understand who will be responsible for what, the timeframe that will guide the change, and the critical processes that will be affected along the way. Individuals can then start to understand the overall effects of change and what it will mean for them and their teams.

#3. Clear communication

Communication must be two-way. Your legal professionals must feel they can express their worries and ask questions about the change. Not all team members are comfortable providing feedback in all situations, therefore as the person leading the change, look for different and varied opportunities to gather feedback. Establishing secure environments is essential to getting insightful and relevant input.

Various methods should be used, including emails, team meetings, and one-on-one consultations. Only then will you get a feel for how the change is really going to affect each individual.

#4. Offer continuous assistance

Leaders must be present and ready to support their team during organisational change. People will need coaching and guidance to navigate daily implications and difficulties. Introducing a new legal case management system brings new strategies and practices that will emerge as tasks are added and others’ scopes are altered. By working with team members frequently to address concerns and ideas linked to the process as well as workflow enhancements to optimise the plan for implementing the strategy, leaders may optimise the impact of change.

#5. Continually maintain the momentum

Successful change leadership requires sustaining passion and drive throughout the project, since lasting change takes time. To do this, leaders can acknowledge accomplishments and frequently reaffirm the reason for the change to ensure it stays at the top of people’s minds. Show progress through statistics or metrics. Seeing their efforts paying off in this way might encourage people. Some businesses could even discover that conducting regular surveys to assess workers’ attitudes and dedication to continuing their current efforts will assist them to make necessary adjustments so that everyone can maintain their effort. You can’t afford to risk your investment in a change campaign fading away before reaching the goal.

Strong leadership is required for change

There is never a doubt that change will occur in a business; the only issues are when and how to do so effectively. Strong leadership is necessary to handle change consistently and successfully because, in the end, your team will carry out the new strategy in their day-to-day work. Leaders must find ways to motivate with a compelling vision, establish a strategy, communicate clearly, assist staff members, and keep up the momentum and dedication necessary to see change through to its successful conclusion.

Strong law firm leaders encourage their team members to believe that they can and should learn something new, in addition to ensuring that new procedures and tools are implemented seamlessly into daily operations.

Time for a change? 

There are many reasons law firms will change their tech. For starters, you want the best legal software for your business, and you want it to work! We can work with you to show you what positive change looks like and introduce you to a case management system that is built for the way you work. We can help you through the change process. All you need to do is ask.

Finally, something every business leader should remember is that change is nothing without having faith in your people to embrace it. You have intelligent people in your teams. If you give them the right tools, they might just do some incredible things with them. 

If you are interested in speaking to our team about changing your legal software, please call 0141 331 9250, email info@denovobi.com or find out more about us by visiting denovobi.com.