Leadership Roles Are Made Not Found

Elizabeth Zabak shared some best practices for law firm marketing leadership, ways in which to become a truly effective manager and mentor, at the Masterminds session at the Legal Marketing Association annual conference in Orlando today.

General characteristics for success operate in the new reality of there is no start time, people have to be effective right away. Marketers need to have grace under fire. Candidates have to be driven, smart, have good judgement. The successful hires show personal confidence and generosity. They have esprit de corps, lack of ego, behave with shared responsibility.

Questions at the interview to get beyond the resume

• What are you passionate about?
• How did you resolve a situation with a difficult person?
• What would you ask our managing partner in an interview?
• How do you handle competing deadlines?
• What do you wish you were better at?
• What kind of management brings out the best work in you?

What makes up high performing teams?

1. autonomy, mastery and a sense of purpose
2. intrinsic rewards vs. carrot and stick
3. earn loyalty and create a more talented team
4. develop clear expectations, clear messages
5. create a team, not a dictatorship

Developing and retaining talent

1. provide regular feedback and evaluation
2. project evaulations
3. “fan mail”
4. managing partners spread firm recognition emails
5. adults need 3:1 praise to criticism
6. be a strong role model
7. be a mentor and coach