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WHAT DRIVES MOTIVATION
Several years back, in a multiyear study, researchers at the Harvard Business School interviewed 600 C- suite managers from dozens of dif- ferent companies across the United States to rank the impact of ve fac- tors that are typically associated with motivation – recognition, incentives, interpersonal support from managers and colleagues, clear goals and a sense of making progress. Among these ve indicators, recognition for good work was ranked as the single most impor- tant driver of motivation.
Interesting. How might we apply that to the law rm setting?
When we work with our lawyers on a marketing project, perhaps a webi- nar series or a multi-city client semi- nar, how can we make assignments that only the lawyers can complete to further the initiative and build in milestones for recognition? ey know the clients better than we do. ey know the topic substance likely better than we do. What benchmarks can we as law rm leaders put in place to recognize the attorney once she has completed? Perhaps it may be for the attorney to reach out to a half dozen clients to o er a CE seminar for their managers on a timely employment topic.
Agreeing to a deadline by which the outreach will be complete can set the stage for recognition, once the attor- ney has con rmed she has commu- nicated with her clients. As anyone who has worked to build audiences for marketing events, this is no small undertaking so recognition is in order if the lawyer can report back that she has a number of client commitments to attend the CE seminar and perhaps even bring several colleagues along.
Implementing the Practice
We can take a page from this same Harvard Business School study. Researchers mobilized a focus group of C-level managers and assigned them the task of emailing the research leader at the end of each day for 10 days documenting their motivation for the day (on a scale of 1 to 5), their emotional level (positive and nega- tive), and their enthusiasm level. In doing so, the individuals participat- ing in the focus group were asked to
indicate what happened during the course of the day that contributed to that level of positive or negative moti- vation. e researchers found that the number one factor, by far, that drove motivation was maintaining a sense of progress – 76 percent of the time. Wow, how revealing and enlighten- ing.
When the folks in the study report- ed that they had had one of their best days, they also reported (three quar- ters of the time) that they felt they were making considerable progress, which contributed to their high mo- tivation level. Conversely, when they had one of their worst days, when they felt the least motivated, they highly correlated this situation with a setback in connection with moving forward.
ere are some important implica- tions to this research in connection with how we as legal marketing pro- fessionals and law rm leaders can help our lawyers get and stay motivat- ed with their business development endeavors.
MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITIES
We – the leaders and marketing departments – need to nd ways to recognize and acknowledge progress. In the research study, it wasn’t that recognition was not important; it was. e problem with recognition is that it is challenging to recognize people constantly. We can’t make recognition work for us every day the way we can acknowledge progress every day.
For example, an exercise we use is to ask them to take 30 seconds at the end of their workday to jot down three things that they accomplished that day that they feel positive about. It could be a simple task such as sending a follow- up email to a networking partner or inviting a referral source out for co ee. Weallknowitistheconsistent,persis- tent steps that we and our lawyers take eachdaythatwillbringthemthepros- perity they crave.
Another exercise we support occurs in group settings, whether that be in practice group meetings or in coach- ing roundtables. We go around the table, ask each team member to name three marketing-oriented tasks they want to accomplish that day, even if it
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is, again, simple tasks such as research- ing a targeted prospect on LinkedIn.
Once everyone has had an opportu- nity to voice the top three marketing tasks they intend to act upon that day, we circulate the list among the group via email. e next morning, the group leader will send a follow-up email to the group checking in on how every- one made out with their list.
As a result, the three tasks have been done because of the accountability and peer pressure created. Secondly, even if the lawyers had a tough day, they felt better because they saw clear signs of progress.
When we think of how to motivate lawyers to get and stay connected with their network; to make regular visits to their VIP clients or even send a thank you note to a referral source, we can extrapolate the goodwill and crucial relationship building (and perhaps more work generated) that will occur if they take these simple steps. Some- times, they just can’t see the bigger pic- ture when client demands and court schedules are clouding the way.
As we learned about the role of the top ve motivating factors, certainly don’t ignore recognition or incentives, if they prove to be e ective motivat- ing factors for your lawyers. However, more importantly, focus on ensuring your lawyers are regularly reminded of the clear progress that they are making every day. Don’t overlook the impor- tance of acknowledging and pointing out the clear signs of progress lawyers are making, as a strategy to prompt and drive motivation.
What we have seen is that when business building becomes a part of lawyers’ daily routines and, as impor- tantly, embedded into their psyche as a normal part of their day, it will be eas- iertostaymotivatedforthelong-term and to reach the proverbial gold pot at the end of the rainbow of a prosperous business.
KIMBERLY RICE IS PRESIDENT AND CHIEF STRATEGIST OF AWARD-WINNING KLA MARKETING ASSOCIATES, A BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY FIRM FOCUS- ING ON LEGAL SERVICES. AS A LEGAL MARKETING EXPERT, KIMBERLY AND HER TEAM HELP LAW FIRMS AND LAWYERS DEVELOP PRACTICAL BUSINESS DE- VELOPMENT AND MARKETING STRATEGIES WHICH LEAD DIRECTLY TO NEW CLIENTS AND INCREASED REVENUES. SHE MAY BE REACHED AT (609) 458-0415 OR AT [email protected].
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