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I spent most of my career in a large telecommunications company,
34 years to be exact. I had some of my best learning experiences as a construction foreman, my favorite job early in my tenure.
I worked with people like Buck, Homer, and Slim, construction supervisors who did not owe this college graduate a thing but
nonetheless gave willingly of their experience and luridness. I became a good foreman, but they taught me far more than how
to bury cable or build a pole line. They did it out of service. They did it out of friendship. They were not college educated,
had not been to leadership training classes, and were not likely to have read a single book by any of the latest, hottest
leadership consultants. They were authentic, very good at what they did, and probably not even aware of their positive impact
on others. Their intention was to serve.
I was a little too inexperienced and too into myself at the time to take full
advantage of what they taught me, but their model of service became the bedrock of the philosophy that I brought with me to
the Indianapolis law firm of Sommer and Barnard PC (Because of a recent acquisition, the firm is now Sommer Barnard Ackerson).
When I joined the 30-year-old firm in February 1999, it had 42 lawyers and 35 support personnel. It was struggling with the
question of whether to be a boutique/specialty law firm or a full-service business law firm I brought experience in strategic
planning, organizational and human resource management, and business processes, all areas of increasing importance to the
firm's future but for which the lawyers had no formal training The executive committee hired me as chief operating
officer
and gave me direct accountability for the administrative and support functions, which accounted for 45 percent of the firm's
personnel. My new role also included helping the firm develop a strategic focus.
The executive committee had another
request of me. Everyone in the firm liked Sommer and Barnard's small-firm culture, sense of collegiality, and core value of
quality life/quality law, a concept in which individuals are committed to providing high quality legal services and balancing
the needs of work and personal life. The executive committee did not want to lose these characteristics in the pursuit of
growth and profits I promised that I would devote as much energy to preserving these qualities as I would to helping the firm
put a strategic plan in place— this would be a human strategy to accompany the business strategy. As a firm, we would pay
as much attention to the impact of change on people as we would to financial gains, and it would be possible to do exceedingly
well on both counts.
Between 1999 and 2001, the firm's size and revenues doubled and partners' profits increased. Early
in this period we hired a new senior administrative staff and turned over half of the original support staff through voluntary
and involuntary termination. Since then, turnover percentage of support personnel has dropped and remained in the single digits,
productivity has dramatically improved, and employees have given us high approval ratings, a trio of outcomes that some business
leaders believe to be unachievable in the midst of substantial organizational change
I believe that what we have achieved
at Sommer and Barnard is possible in larger law firms, in departments of much larger organizations, and even in larger organizations
as a whole— given the right committed leadership and the appropriate resources. Whatever your sphere of influence, you can
successfully apply the same philosophy to make the organization, or your part of it, a better place to work.
MY PHILOSOPHY
OF WORK
I am passionate about the quality of work life. I believe that all members of an organization should know they
are valued when they come to work and feel valued for their daily contribution
when they leave at the end of the day. Work
should be enriching, enlivening, a way to reveal your life's purpose. One way to define what we are trying to achieve at Sommer
and Barnard is capturing the human spirit in the workplace.
Your spiritual place is where you find meaning, where your
life's direction and purpose reside. The human spirit is not a theological notion unless you want it to be. It is that part
of you that cannot be defined by the intellectual, physical, or emotional. We talk about the human spirit when we want our
sports or work teams to be inspired to succeed, but it is hardly ever something taken seriously in business.
I do take
it seriously. Work consumes so much of our time, so why not live our purpose through our work? The best lawyers are those
who are living their life's work through their unfailing commitment to serve the law and their clients, we have many lawyers
like that in our firm. We have many staff members like that also, who live their life's purpose through the support they provide
to other members of the firm and, by extension, its clients. Their jobs have meaning beyond their daily tasks.
My ultimate
role as a leader is to create a work environment where this can happen. I intend to live this as my purpose, to capture the
human spirit at work, not in theory but by practice and example. It is not my purpose to convert individuals or groups to
my belief, but should others come to share my intention, then that is a bonus.
Creating organizations where work is
spiritually fulfilling is, I believe, the new frontier of organizational excellence. If work is joyful, inspiring, and creative—an
avenue for living our life's purpose rather than just a job—all the important tasks of an organization are then lifted to
a new level of significance and results are maximized. Employees perform at higher levels, clients and customers are better
served, and the firm flourishes. Organizational excellence is the by-product of service to individuals and the enhancement
of their lives, not the motivation. Organizational excellence as the goal masks the importance of the individual, tends to
be ego-driven, and, in the end, is not as effective.
THE PATH WE HAVE FOLLOWED
With the executive committee's
goals in mind - to grow the business while preserving the best of Sommer and Barnard's small-firm culture - we introduced
some new processes and enhanced others that already existed (I use the pronoun we because my senior staff played an integral
role in many of these efforts). Some processes are organizationwide, others focus on the support side of the firm. I doubt
that any of them are unique - many other organizations practice them as well - But I believe their effectiveness at Sommer
and Barnard is due, in some part, to the intention with which we engage in them with a spirit of service and the desire to
make work here fulfilling.
Build relationships and rapport. When I joined Sommer and Barnard, the day-to-day working
relationship between the support staff and lawyers was good. For the staff members, however, completing their daily tasks
did not translate into a sense of being part of the long-term success of the firm. I wanted them to feel they were more important
to the firm's future and that it was their firm, too.
One of the very first things I did was to have a personal conversation
with every secretary and administrative staff member. In these one-on-one meetings, we each talked about our personal lives.
I talked in general terms about my dream for the firm, being careful to point out that the firm was already unique but we
could collectively raise it to a level beyond what anyone had thought possible. These conversations helped to develop a common
vision of the firm's future and, at the same time, began to build a personal connection and a deeper sense of community. They
were a first step toward diminishing the separation between lawyers and staff and changing perceptions about their respective
value to the future of the firm,
Affirm values. Sommer and Barnard has always been a law firm grounded in integrity
and ethics, with quality life/quality law as its core value. Our first organizational action after I became COO was to undertake
a process that would affirm this core value and obtain agreement on other values that defined the firm. Values had been discussed
informally in the past, but never in a formal process. We conducted a series of retreats, beginning with the partners' annual
retreat. Time was set aside from the business-as-usual agenda for a meeting that I designed and facilitated (Having been with
the firm only ten days, I was perceived to be an objective outsider, now I have been on the inside too long and no longer
facilitate retreats). The format was interactive, and the meeting produced a draft list of values - a draft because we had
two other important constituencies to consult the associates and the support staff. We conducted retreats for each of these
groups using a similar format, and each produced its version of the firm's values.
In the next step, we formed mixed
teams of partners, associates, and support staff to create a "total firm view" of core values. This was a watershed process
for the firm, the first time in its history that all its members were deciding on its future together. In the end, however,
the most important outcome of this process was not the list of values but the experience that these different groups had of
working together on something of organizationwide importance, which helped to further reduce the gap between the groups. Now,
in a psychological sense, it was everybody's firm.
In the second retreat for all support personnel, the staff members
developed their own personal mission statements - a process that helped them gain confidence about who they are as a person
and an understanding about what gifts they have to give to others. We explained that our concept of leadership is not limited
to those who actually supervise someone, giving your gifts to someone else is also a form of leadership. We have continued
to conduct annual retreats for the support staff that focus on life skill development. The process reinforces the notion that
each person's purpose has value to the firm and that we view each one as a potential leader with an important stake in the
firm's success.
Establish the focus. Clear focus is important for any organization. While the partners had some idea
of a strategic direction, it was not documented nor was there unanimity about why or how to achieve it. I drew on my experience
in strategic planning to help shape a formal strategic planning process, beginning with formation of a strategic planning
committee that represented a cross-section of the firm's partners. During the next several months, this committee affirmed
Sommer and Barnard's business purpose as a full-service business law firm rather than a boutique that would specialize in
only a few practice areas. The committee also identified five critical areas of emphasis - quality life/quality law was one
- that became the foundation for our strategic plan. At the next partner's retreat, we engaged the rest of the partners in
the process and achieved broad buy-in and support.
The plan that emerged is clear and simple with an action orientation,
and the strategic objectives are congruent with our values. It is not a plan that sits on the shelf for occasional review.
It has provided us with a clear map on which to base our short- and long-term decisions. Now we frame every executive committee
and director meeting agenda around the strategic objectives, the objectives are always in front of us. The plan has contributed
greatly to our success in the last three years.
Declare intention. While the firm's directors were engaged in the development
of the strategic plan, we continued to work with support personnel. In one of their subsequent retreats, I made this promise
to them
We don't know what your personal dreams are. You may wish to keep them private. That, of course, is okay. Whatever
your choice is about that, we want Sommer and Barnard to be a place where your dreams can be fulfilled and your lives enriched.
We will not knowingly diminish your dreams. When you come to work, we'd like you to believe we are here to serve and value
you and enrich your lives.
What was most important about that promise was that (1) I meant it, (2) I wanted the staff
members
to know that fulfilling their lives in the context of work is what was most important to all of us, and (3) I was the only
one in the room that had to believe what I said. Promises are for the person making the pledge, a statement of what that person
is willing to live up to. I am not certain if anyone else in that room believed me at the time. I never had that expectation.
I said it to set the course and tone for my actions.
In the final part of the promise to the staff, I said to them
We
hope your dreams can be fulfilled here at Sommer and Barnard. That would be the best outcome. But if you can't find your dream
here and the pursuit of it takes you to another organization we will be the first to hug you and wish you well, because coming
to work every day without a greater purpose will flat out wear you down. This is consistent with our belief that service to
you and your hopes is paramount.
I did not take this time to give an inspirational speech on the need to increase productivity
or the tactical changes to achieve it. When work takes on the broader meaning of living your life's purpose and is coupled
with solid business practices, employees at any level do not need hollow speeches on increasing productivity to get results—results
will flow naturally.
Establish high standards. Another critical emphasis area is growth, growth not for its own sake
but in those areas where we needed more resources to better serve our existing and future clients. The growth that has resulted
from our strategic plan is more than anyone at Sommer and Barnard would have previously thought possible. It required a great
deal of change and effort—on everybody's part—to maintain the small-firm culture in the midst of that growth.
An organization
is generally not capable of making change beyond some limit that exists in the collective mind of its members. However, I
have found that people may verbalize lower limits but, in reality, will accept higher limits if given a process that allows
them to participate in and experience the positive aspects of change. We had told the support personnel they were an important
part of the firm and its future, now we wanted them to understand that they were capable of change and could perform at even
higher levels, thereby contributing not only to the firm's goals but also to their own sense of purpose and satisfaction.
With respect to the lawyers, our job was to reinforce or create supportive processes that would make the entire change dynamic
and as painless and transparent as possible.
My experience is that most employees want to work hard and produce outstanding
results. They are willing to be held to a high standard as long as that standard is evenly upheld—it makes employees proud
of their work, their contributions, and their employer. High expectations communicate to the employee, "Your work is important
to us, and so are you". The leader's role is then to create the best possible environment for creativity and high performance
where the extraordinary can be achieved.
We established and have since maintained higher performance standards for
the administrative and support staff. These standards have been communicated and reinforced in numerous ways, such as the
conversations I had with each staff person early in my tenure, the retreats, monthly support-staff meetings, clear statements
of expectations, performance reviews, coaching sessions for underperformers, letting chronic underperformers go, and consistent
and appropriate leadership behavior. In our latest employee opinion survey, 81 percent of our support personnel (those who
selected the two highest ratings on a five-point scale) believed they were held to a high professional standard. The higher
standards and the staff's willingness to meet them have had measurable benefits for the firm.
Get "the right people
on the bus. When we raised the bar for performance, the staff members had a chance to decide if they were willing to work
under higher expectations. Some were not, and they left of their own accord. Others were invited to leave. I asked no one
from my senior staff to leave, but they did decide to move on, amicably in all cases but one. Turnover among all support staff
in the first year was 51 percent.
We "rebuilt" by recruiting the best talent we could find. Our want ads looked like
every other law firm's ads, emphasizing the core skills to be sure that a candidate could fulfill the basic job requirements.
During the interviews, we began to probe the candidate's work philosophy and values. There is no sure-fire way to do this,
but it is critical for ensuring a good fit between the individual and the firm.
The turnover was costly in the short
term, but to borrow a phrase from Jim Collins's book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies~ Make the Leap and Others Don 't (HarperCollins,
2001), we now had "the right people on the bus in order to succeed" in the years that have followed. The new senior staff
is amazing. We share the same philosophy about work, although that did not happen overnight. We still need to frequently reassure
one another and reinforce the need to act in a manner consistent with what we believe.
Build a sense of community.
Long before I arrived, Sommer and Barnard had a tradition of food events more than at any other firm I know. Some may dismiss
this kind of activity as a waste of time. I see it as important because it supports our quality life/quality law core value.
It builds community by connecting people in a different way than typical work interactions. We have welcoming breakfasts and
staff appreciation lunches. We have bosses lunches, ice cream socials, Coney Island hot dog days, chili cookoffs, prayer groups,
and lunches to celebrate Patsy Kline's life. Make no mistake about it, this is a very hard-working law firm, but we take time
out to play.
Communicate. We have instituted regular support-staff meetings to discuss the firm's activities as well
as any new policies and procedures. Everybody hears the same information at the same time, thereby reducing the risk of misinformation
generated through the rumor mill. We conduct the meetings with an agenda, but staff input is what makes them a success. They
also serve as interactive forums in which employees, drawing on their own experience, can coach their coworkers. The investment
in time is well worth it.
Give support through feedback. Over the last three years, we have gradually changed our performance
review process. Previously, the human resource manager had done the performance reviews for the support staff with only occasional
personal participation from lawyers. Now we document performance reviews and ask lawyers to participate in the review conversation.
We try to be candid and value-added in the reviews. Underperformers are counseled regularly about their performance. We do
not wait for annual reviews because midcourse corrections are far easier to manage than hard turns at the last minute. The
process is not about disciplinary action but about training and coaching, helping an employee do the job well. If the review
process does not improve performance, we feel we have failed as managers.
Shed the rules. Although we have policies
and procedures, we are a rules-adverse law firm. We want to encourage individualism within a team context. Too many rules
are for those who need to hide behind uniformity—they stifle creativity and performance. We set broad parameters for what
we are trying to achieve as an organization and let each person work toward them. That is usually enough.
Monitor the
impact of change. As part of our work philosophy, we have a commitment to accountability, and so we want to measure the impact
of our philosophy to see if what we believe in is actually working. As one check of our effectiveness, we survey all staff
employees by e-mail every six to eight months. The results are shared with all the participants and the firm's executive committee.
However, we will never make the survey results the goal of the process,
nor will we set a senior administrative staff objective
to improve the results. That would begin to distort the intention of service, and measurement would become the purpose. To
gauge the contribution to the firm's performance, we also monitor overall support-staff productivity and estimate the financial
impact of productivity and turnover levels.
Base leadership on service. At the telecommunications company where I worked
before joining Sommer and Barnard, we spent several years in what could be broadly defined as managing "change strategies".
The entire senior team took it seriously and participated in personal introspective retreats, spouses included. The senior
team recognized that if we were to successfully lead the organization through change, we had to come to the planning table
with a new perspective, clear of old hang-ups and dysfunctions. Otherwise, it would be the same people looking at the world,
the marketplace, the organization, and each other in the same old ways, with the same old perceptions.
That was the
beginning of my personal journey of self-discovery, a process at times painful and at times enlivening. Fortunately, the enlivening
aspect eventually overshadowed the painful. What emerged from this for me was a simple philosophy of how to approach the world
and my work
• Know yourself
• Serve others
• Perfect your gifts
Many people have written about this, but
I give much of the credit to everything Robert Greenleaf has written on servant leadership and to John Izzo and Eric Klein's
book, Awakening Corporate Soul Four Paths to Unleash the Power of People at Work (Fair Winds Press, 1999). What these authors
and others have taught me is that service is the first ingredient of leadership. Serve others first and then if you have the
capacity to lead, do so out of that sense of service. Such leadership has greater power and authenticity than leadership motivated
by ego.
My intent when I joined Sommer and Barnard was to serve the firm, not lead it. This was a leap for me because
my natural inclination is to lead whatever my title or defined role - rather than serve. I had to set that aside. Deciding
to lead is ego motivated. It presumes superiority and power over others. Servant-oriented leadership embraces input and collaboration
and focuses debate on what is best for all rather than who is right. Who can argue with that? It also alleviates a great
deal of personal and organizational stress. My experience at the firm has confirmed for me that leadership born out of service
is the best approach.
THE RESULTS
The changes we made in the support organization in the first two years of
our efforts had its price in turnover, 51 percent of support personnel in 1999 and 33 percent in 2000. As I said earlier,
many people opted out of the new climate of higher performance expectations, thus much of the turnover was in the best interests
of both the individual and the firm. Despite such organizational "disruption," the firm's revenues doubled between 1999 and
2001. The organization grew from 42 to 86 lawyers and from 34 to 70 support staff. Profits to partners increased beyond their
pre-1999 levels. In 2001, support staff turnover dropped to 8 percent - low by most any standard - and it has remained near
that rate.
One of the productivity measurements in law firms is the number of timekeepers (fee-generating personnel)
per secretary. In 1999, that ratio was 2/1 Today it is 2/7/1, a 35 percent increase in productivity. The firm has made important
technology investments that have aided productivity, and the low turnover has also contributed to the gains, but that does
not account entirely for such significant improvements during a time of extraordinary growth and change.
The financial
impact of these productivity gains and low turnover rates are huge for a firm
of our size. Although multipliers as high
as four times the annual salary of the person leaving are sometimes used to measure the financial impact of turnover, we use
a more conservative multiplier of two to calculate the savings from this low turnover. We estimate the annual savings from
higher productivity and low turnover to be about $2 million. This makes the partners very happy, and the support staff takes
enormous pride in its contribution to the bottom line.
We believe that positive employee opinion is another indication
that we have made the right changes. Our surveys of the support staff show that 75 percent of the respondents have confidence
in our management and 81 percent feel they are treated with caring and respect. We like those results. In some ways, they
are what count the most.
CONCLUSION
All together, the results tell us that we have been able to grow as a firm,
produce profits, and create a caring environment that nurtures the human spirit. As part of our growth strategy, the firm
recently merged with the Washington, D C, firm, The Ackerson Group, to become Sommer Barnard Ackerson. We now have the opportunity
to test our philosophy of human spirit in the workplace with new people six hundred miles away.
We still have our share
of anxiety, stress, anger, and personal issues. This is not nirvana. But we also have heavy doses of fun, laughter, irreverence,
and hope. My senior staff and I relate to each other with respect, caring, and love—that is the way we intend to be with one
another and the way we choose to be with others inside and outside the firm. This is our purpose. Work has become a joy, and
after all, that is what it should be.
Written by Clare D. Coxey
Published by Wiley Periodicals Inc.
Spring 2003
issue of Journal of Organizational Excellence
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