P2P

68 P E E R T O P E E R : I L T A ' S Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E | S U M M E R 2 0 2 2 quality in itself, but interruptions are irritating and tend to break the flow of communication. Without kindness there is little potential for collaboration and relationship building. Ask an interviewee how they would respond to a client or colleague who makes a mistake or is ignorant of a point of technology. If the answer is critical or sharp rather than helpful, it's a warning sign. Similarly, be on the lookout for signs of excessive skepticism, which can become disruptive within the workplace. A collaborative individual is looking for a way to succeed. Since every client situation is different, and technology is continually evolving, candidates should demonstrate intellectual curiosity. Someone who is willing to learn and views everything challenge—even a failure— as an opportunity to learn something new, will help drive your organization to innovate and grow. Encourage the potential employee to describe their work ethic. A key factor here is not the hours they are willing to work, but their commitment to doing a job as well as possible whatever it takes to make that happen. This takes integrity as well as talent. Sometimes doing the right thing may not be in the candidate's best personal interest. Probe to find out how motivated they are to make the client feel and look good. Are there any circumstances under which they are willing to forego making a sale? This is absolutely critical: during the initial, listening phases of a project we have found more than once that a client has everything they need internally to handle the project in-house. A candidate with integrity will embrace this approach. Finally, the qualities of empathy, self-awareness and patience play important roles in collaboration. Individuals who are alert to how their actions make other people feel will reinforce the collaborative relationship. In contrast, displaying frustration or annoyance have potential to do lasting damage. For our part, we adopt a deliberately slow pace in our selection process. Candidates who understand this longer approach can probably be patient and understanding with a client. Cultivating a Culture of Collaboration Once you've found the right fit the real work begins. Hiring great people requires a culture of training and growth. The organization must train them with care and provide a stable, satisfying environment where talented individuals can flourish. Training should also reinforce the firm's commitment to making the client's life easier and better by actively listening, communicating, and adapting as their needs evolve—not just focusing on short-term sales objectives. Effective collaboration can only be achieved in a culture where everyone from a receptionist to the senior partner or VP is measured and rewarded according to their contribution to service excellence. In either a traditional firm or an ALSP you may find a project manager or attorney whose bonus is calculated only on billings. Contrast with a project manager or attorney whose KPIs prioritize building long-term relationships and delivering service the client believes represents extraordinary value. It's a win-win situation for all. What the firm could lose in short-term profitability, it gains in the longer term with deeper levels of trust and commitment. Collaborative law firms and legal services providers proactively and regularly prompt, nudge, report, and interact with clients, constantly looking at ways to change course if needed. We find it most productive to start a project by asking the client about how it ties into their larger business objective—and then listening closely. It's imperative to gain a 360-degree understanding of the client's goals by getting them to articulate more than the desired outcomes. We want to understand their corporate and legal priorities, timeframe, internal processes, reporting structure, current work streams, existing F R O M T H E T E C H S O L U T I O N S C C T

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