Leeds and Yorkshire Lawyer

Leadership Check – Tim Walker explains why good leaders with sound strategies will win out in a competitive future for law firms

“…..Another professional training the leaders of tomorrow is Diane Moisley-Mason of 2Inspire a Harrogate company providing self-development training for people in all walks of life. Diane is a former practice manager, so knows how the legal profession works.

She explains why leadership training is important to lawyers: “When you spend a lot of time dealing with clients, as most fee-earning lawyers do, it is easy to overlook the bigger picture. Obviously what you do for your client is very important but you need to take a step back on a regular basis and consider the direction your company is taking. Good leaders need to know how to motivate their staff, to generate new business, to position their company at the right level in the marketplace. It is so easy as a solicitor, for example, to work in a silo, just you and the client, and believe that nothing else matters. But we are now entering an era of increased competition, which means that sort of attitude just won’t be effective. There is no security in any job. The security lies with the person in the job.”

So what advantages does leadership bring to an individual and their organisation? Diane explains: “We train people to increase their influencing skills on people and events, to motivate those around them, to take pride in their business as a whole rather than just their part within it. We impress upon them the need to think positively and to not get too caught up in the day to day challenges.”

And the qualities of a good leader? “The number one quality is being an enabler,” says Diane. “That means giving people around you more self-belief, empowering them to give more to the company by offering praise and finding time to help them. Leaders recognise the qualities of others, nurture them and allow the occasional failure, they create an environment where staff are prepared to give more – and that actually appears on the bottom line of the company.”

The other main quality of a good leader, Diane adds, is good communication. “That means having good listening skills the part of communication which many people overlook.

On a more practical level, Diane is keen to point out that 2inspire training courses are CPD accredited by the SRA and that their courses may also attract Train2Gain funding.

Paul Berwin, of Berwins Solicitors in Harrogate, recently completed a leadership course with 2Inspire. He explains why he thinks leadership is important for law firms: “Lawyers are on the whole very articulate and perhaps even opinionated individuals. However, they are not necessarily good leaders. It is easy for law firms to feel fragmented, so what good leadership does is bring everything together to form a stronger body. Leadership training takes lawyers out of their comfort zones, to consider what leadership really is.”

He says his experience of developing leadership skills has been very positive: “It taught me that good leaders can inspire and motivate by, for example, being more effective communicators.”

Chris Allen, a managing partner of Leeds solicitors Blacks has also recently complete a 2inspire leadership course. He says “Leadership is not taught at law school, but maybe it should be because there are benefits for everyone in an organisation. I’m really glad I did it because it encouraged me to look at the bigger picture and, most importantly reminded me that listening is more important than talking”. So what does Chris believe is the most important quality of a law leaders? – “I think it’s the ability to communicate with everyone on a level field. And leadership can definitely be taught – though the ability to get on with people is very useful as a first step. As we come out of recession firms will need good leaders to make the most of opportunites.”