*This article appeared in Mass Bar Lawyer’s e-Journal – Tip of the Week: 10/15/2009

“I’ve heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason bringing something we must learn and we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them…and we help them in return.” – For Good, from the musical Wicked.

Great firms have learned to empower employees to provide constructive criticism and use their imagination to create a better, stronger more profitable firm. Yes, self-evaluation and imagination is needed to run a successful law firm. These tools allow us to think outside the box in terms of business development and new ways of marketing. Because when it comes to the marketing game, you can’t simply imitate what other attorneys are doing because then you’d just be like everyone else―indistinguishable and ordinary. Take old ideas and improve upon them and to do that, you need to stop and critique what is being done and use imagination to move forward. And the old adage that two heads are better than one applies. Make every member of your staff feel like they have the freedom to come to you and express themselves and to offer suggestions. Don’t create an atmosphere where your employees are afraid to voice an opinion that differs from your own. Don’t limit employees’ social media use because you’re afraid of what they might say. Instead of being seen as the one who can fire them, be the one who can listen and incorporate their ideas. Your employees should work with you instead of for you to achieve a common goal of a successful, profitable and enjoyable firm.

This tip is courtesy of Gabriel Cheong, attorney at law, owner of Infinity Law Group.