Modern Leadership and Creating Chaos out of Order
By Ari Kaplan
n a recent plenary address, Chris Simmons, Managing Partner for the Washington Metro Region of PricewaterhouseCoopers, captured the essence of the current challenge for those deciding course corrections in the legal industry: “In difficult times, you can’t make everyone happy because if you do, you will make everyone poor.” From staffing and billing to technology and training, members of the legal community are experiencing an unprecedented cycle of change. In response, they are engaging in a vibrant conversation about the future trajectory of the entire profession. Part of that conversation should address the need for effective leadership within firms. Jim Jones, a Managing Director of Hildebrandt Baker Robbins and former Managing Partner of Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C., says “Leadership generally in the legal market has been a fairly sparse commodity until recently. Over the last 10 years or so, most law firms have been increasingly well managed, but not particularly well led.”
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According to Jones, part of the reason is that effective leadership is often disruptive. “Management is about creating order out of chaos, but leadership is sometimes about creating chaos out of order,” he explains.
Overcome the Core Challenges Professional service firms are unique because they lack
substantial fixed assets. Their value is generally based on the talent of their teams. Some of the traits that yield success, such as autonomy and critical thinking, make management difficult. Jones explains that leadership is about persuasion, and says, “The first step in being able to create change is to create a sense of urgency, and the first task of leadership is to shake people out of their complacency.
It is often most persuasive to lead by example, says Brian D. Zeve, Managing Director for Microsoft Corp.’s U.S. Professional Services Group. He recommends that leaders
