Food, In-House Counsel

One Trick That In-House Lawyers Can Use To Improve Team Morale

The way to your direct report's heart is through their stomach.

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potluck pitch in buffet lunch foodAs I stepped out of the relative safety of my car and walked through the parking lot of my office dressed as a notable Disney character last Halloween, I was immediately filled with regret. Sure I was serving as an integral character in my team’s themed costume, but I could have not cared less.

What was I getting in return for demeaning myself in front of the office? Employee engagement? What did that matter?

A great deal, actually.

As an avid reader of these pages and through anecdotal horror stories of former classmates, the great legal recession has made me appreciate each job I have held with no questions asked. I never needed to be motivated or engaged as a teammate to do my work. I gladly did it knowing many of those in the legal profession would jump at the opportunity to even have a job.

With that mindset, for the life of me I could not understand why I needed to motivate or engage my team after being appointed their manager. I could not grasp why they too were not appreciative to have any job and would not simply come and work without the extra frills of engagement.

But managing a non-legal team, I came to realize my team most likely thought Dewey & LeBoeuf was an even less talented brother of Shia LaBeouf rather than a stark symbol of the legal recession.

It should come as no surprise this bullheaded attitude did little to win me high marks on my first engagement survey. Not to say I scored poorly, but I was disheartened to see I scored average in areas concerning manager empathy and team morale. Competitive by nature, I set out to see what my other non-attorney leaders were doing to score well with their teams. Sadly for me, “pitch-in” lunches, potlucks, and other holiday celebrations resoundingly topped the list.

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For the record, I despise pitch-ins. At least three people end up bringing cups, the promised homemade cookies generally end up being the same store-bought combo pack because Mark from accounting forgot to bake, and the only homemade dish to actually arrive is some crockpot mystery dip supplied by Shelly from HR who you just know has a dozen cats at home. Needless to say, I was reluctant to adopt some of my colleagues’ suggestions.

But wanting to move the mark on my next survey, I very begrudgingly agreed to a pitch-in lunch to celebrate a team member’s coming birthday. I even volunteered to supply the cake. (Full disclosure, it was store-bought — but from a nice bakery, I promise.)

As the lunch hour on pitch-in day arrived, I was overcome with dread. Not only would I be forced to sample every dish, which is some unwritten duty of the boss, I would have to mingle and discuss non-work-related topics with my team for a full hour — time I thought would be better spent working.

As each minute of the pitch-in passed, a strange thing happened: I began to enjoy myself. It was nice to learn more about my team members’ lives outside of work. The mystery dip actually drew me back for seconds. And for a brief hour, I was not the boss and they were not my reports; we morphed into an admittedly misfit group of friends.

Since “surviving” my first encounter with the pitch-in as a manager, I have gone on to host several more. Not that I have become any more of a fan of the odd social ritual, but I have come to appreciate the value they can add to any team.

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My team has regularly begun to interact with each other more. They seek the opinion of their peers on their assignments and even offer to, excuse the pun, pitch in to help on an assignment if another team member needs it. All in all, this atmosphere has demonstrably improved my team’s productivity and the quality of their work.

As attorneys, it’s easy to overlook the perceived small things like employee morale so long as people are producing quality results. Just ask any Biglaw partner. But if you are ever put in a position of management, especially of non-attorneys, maybe give the pitch-in a try. I would be lying if I said this one idea will immediately solve all of your team morale issues, but it’s a good first step.

As for me, my survey results experienced a nice jump during the next round. How much? I already have my Halloween costume picked out for this year.

Stephen Williams is in-house counsel with a multi-facility hospital network in the Midwest. His column focuses on a little talked about area of the in-house life, management. You can reach Stephen at stephenwilliamsjd@gmail.com.

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