Uncovering the Inner 'Intrapreneur' in Law Firms

Much has been written about the external drivers for change in the profession ' technology, globalization, liberalization of the legal marketplace, increased client focus on effectiveness and efficiency. These things have irrevocably changed how, who, when, where and why lawyers provide legal services (Susskind, 2013). One of the most pervasive impacts on law firms is the need for sustained continuous change. Change is never easy. Continuous change is harder and particularly so in conservative profession like law. Here enters the business case for law firm intrapreneur programs!

What Is an Intrapraneur?

Intrapreneurship is not new. The term was invented by Gifford and Elizabeth Pinchot in 1978. Intrapreneurs are like entrepreneurs ' both excel at generating new and different ways to solve problems, are capable of developing them, and demonstrate a good dose of common sense about how and why they should be advanced ' but, where an entrepreneur seeks to pursue opportunities for profit outside the organization, an intrapreneur wants to stay put and make the it work for the organization (Tilus, 2014). Lawyers are great at managing knowledge and problem solving so, how does one uncover the inner intrapreneur in a law firm? The good news is that the needs and expectations of our new leaders and current employees, the Millennials, have created a perfect storm for the rise of the law firm intrapreneur (Krueger, 2015).

Millenials Lead the Way

Millennials currently make up more than 50% of the workforce and this will rise to 75% in 2025 (Poswolsky, 2015). Similar to those generations before them, they want to work for organizations that make “positive social and environmental changes, and increase opportunities for disadvantaged populations” (Poswolsky, 2015). Most employees want to know what their organization stands for and are most engaged when corporate values match their own. But Millennials have other distinctive expectations of their workplace too. They want access to knowledge and information when they need it ' personalized, “just in time” and mostly online. They also want the opportunity to learn on the job from those with experience. This presents great opportunities for co-leadership, mentorship and two-way skill acquisition (Poswolsky, 2015). Collaboration is one of the keys for Millennials to feel engaged and achieve job satisfaction. They want to be heard, included in decision-making, and will step into leadership roles where these opportunities can be advanced. They work hard but, they work differently ' part-time, full-time, contract, casual, at home, in the office, online ' their workplaces and workspaces don't need to be fixed or solitary. Creating work-life balance also matters.

Well-executed intrapreneur programs bring together these aspirations and expectations of Millennials and create nimble law firms in the process. An example of some of these programs and how they can achieve this includes:

1. Collaborative Problem Solving

For some time now, law firm leadership programs have incorporated a case study session focused on resolving a current firm problem relating to business development, people, processes, systems, clients, or something else. These sessions are often led by the firm's Managing Partner and provide opportunities for “out-of-the-box” thinkers, the intrapraneurs, to excel. New approaches to old or new problems are uncovered. They also allow future leaders to be identified and, depending on the diversity of the participants, new networks to form or old ones strengthened between practice areas, offices and countries. For outcomes from these sessions to contribute to building of a culture of innovation, follow up and follow through afterwards is essential. This may include participant (now alumni) meetings to receive reports on the progress of matters discussed in the session, or the opportunity for participants to provide ongoing feedback on different aspects of the firm's business. Where firms have tended to lose the intrapreneurs uncovered in these sessions is where they deny them the opportunity to remain engaged after the leadership program has concluded. With 72% of Millennials indicating that their organizations were not currently making full use of their skills, it would seem there is some work to be done if these opportunities are to be leveraged (The Deloitte Millennial Survey 2015).

2. Pitching New Ideas in the Firm

Creating time and a place for everyone to pitch a new idea is part of the organizational culture in the tech industry ' eBay, Apple, LinkedIn, Dreamworks, Google and Facebook are often cited as examples of this, as are the new product lines that have emerged as a result of it (Schawbel, 2013). These opportunities are also possible in law firms but not without adopting some new ground rules (Haller, 2015):

a. Make time for innovation non-negotiable. Fire up that digital suggestion box and take 15 minutes in every practice group and professional staff meeting to discuss innovation.

b. Create space for innovation. Change office spaces and introduce Skype sessions to include virtual or remote employees ' use different combinations and means of communication to create inclusion and creativity.

c. No one has the monopoly on good ideas. Everyone has something to contribute and something to learn (Riddle, 2011). Cut through the hierarchy, politics and red tape that hinder great ideas and problems solvers emerging in your firm. Also, don't forget to ask your clients what and how you can do better. Champion collaboration upwards, downwards, sideways ' whatever it takes. Mix up experience levels and focus on diversity ' different people, different backgrounds, different approaches. Encourage non-leaders to lead and non-managers to manage. That is what will support the development of your future leaders, managers and teams.

d. Every idea is worth hearing but not necessarily worth pursuing, right now. Every organization has limited resources and must prioritize ' don't let this fact prevent the airing of all ideas today, even if they won't be used for some time.

e. Train people in how to pitch an idea. No one wants to see a great idea fail because it was poorly presented – support pitch training for those with the ideas so they can be heard (Smith, 2015).

f. Let resilience reign. If the first pitch doesn't work, encourage the team to take your feedback on board, refine and re-pitch. Take the fear out of failure (Riddle, 2011). Reward persistence and creativity more than billable hours.

g. Reward Intrapreneurs with resources. Great ideas need to be pursued and this may mean redirecting resources or an unequal distribution of resources in order to make that happen (Pinchot, 1987).

h. Encourage people to grow within and don't force them out. Invest in people. Give them the opportunity to develop in their job and they won't need to move quite so quickly to the next one (Klaschka, 2012).

i. Let innovation create new roles: New ideas may generate new businesses and new roles for and in the firm (Susskind, 2013). Be open to new roles and alternative career paths, they may be heading in the direction of new clients and new income streams for your firm (Krueger, 2015).

j. Let many ideas develop into a culture of innovation. If law firms want to create a culture of innovation, they need to train leaders, managers, mentors, sponsors and coaches in how to identify intrapreneurs, encourage, support and celebrate their success.

Conclusion

Uncovering the inner intrapreneur in law firms has become a strategic priority. To sustain the demand for ongoing change in the legal industry, the impetus must now come from people within law firms. Intrapreneurs won't emerge by accident and, if there is no outlet for their creativity, they will move on. Given the growing number of Millennials, their career aspirations and their propensity for mobility, if intrapreneurship is not a priority, law firms should expect recruitment of top talent to become harder and staff turnover to rise. Managing and developing intrapreneurial talent in your firm has never been more important than it is right now. Consequently, working more closely with your talent management professionals, including them in program development and collaborating with them, will be critical to your firm's short and long term success. If intrapreneurship is not on your next leadership meeting agenda, now might be a good time to add it!

Terri Mottershead is the founding Principal of Mottershead Consulting ' Change and Talent Development Strategists. Reach her at [email protected] or 415-812-1825.

Much has been written about the external drivers for change in the profession ' technology, globalization, liberalization of the legal marketplace, increased client focus on effectiveness and efficiency. These things have irrevocably changed how, who, when, where and why lawyers provide legal services (Susskind, 2013). One of the most pervasive impacts on law firms is the need for sustained continuous change. Change is never easy. Continuous change is harder and particularly so in conservative profession like law. Here enters the business case for law firm intrapreneur programs!

What Is an Intrapraneur?

Intrapreneurship is not new. The term was invented by Gifford and Elizabeth Pinchot in 1978. Intrapreneurs are like entrepreneurs ' both excel at generating new and different ways to solve problems, are capable of developing them, and demonstrate a good dose of common sense about how and why they should be advanced ' but, where an entrepreneur seeks to pursue opportunities for profit outside the organization, an intrapreneur wants to stay put and make the it work for the organization (Tilus, 2014). Lawyers are great at managing knowledge and problem solving so, how does one uncover the inner intrapreneur in a law firm? The good news is that the needs and expectations of our new leaders and current employees, the Millennials, have created a perfect storm for the rise of the law firm intrapreneur (Krueger, 2015).

Millenials Lead the Way

Millennials currently make up more than 50% of the workforce and this will rise to 75% in 2025 (Poswolsky, 2015). Similar to those generations before them, they want to work for organizations that make “positive social and environmental changes, and increase opportunities for disadvantaged populations” (Poswolsky, 2015). Most employees want to know what their organization stands for and are most engaged when corporate values match their own. But Millennials have other distinctive expectations of their workplace too. They want access to knowledge and information when they need it ' personalized, “just in time” and mostly online. They also want the opportunity to learn on the job from those with experience. This presents great opportunities for co-leadership, mentorship and two-way skill acquisition (Poswolsky, 2015). Collaboration is one of the keys for Millennials to feel engaged and achieve job satisfaction. They want to be heard, included in decision-making, and will step into leadership roles where these opportunities can be advanced. They work hard but, they work differently ' part-time, full-time, contract, casual, at home, in the office, online ' their workplaces and workspaces don't need to be fixed or solitary. Creating work-life balance also matters.

Well-executed intrapreneur programs bring together these aspirations and expectations of Millennials and create nimble law firms in the process. An example of some of these programs and how they can achieve this includes:

1. Collaborative Problem Solving

For some time now, law firm leadership programs have incorporated a case study session focused on resolving a current firm problem relating to business development, people, processes, systems, clients, or something else. These sessions are often led by the firm's Managing Partner and provide opportunities for “out-of-the-box” thinkers, the intrapraneurs, to excel. New approaches to old or new problems are uncovered. They also allow future leaders to be identified and, depending on the diversity of the participants, new networks to form or old ones strengthened between practice areas, offices and countries. For outcomes from these sessions to contribute to building of a culture of innovation, follow up and follow through afterwards is essential. This may include participant (now alumni) meetings to receive reports on the progress of matters discussed in the session, or the opportunity for participants to provide ongoing feedback on different aspects of the firm's business. Where firms have tended to lose the intrapreneurs uncovered in these sessions is where they deny them the opportunity to remain engaged after the leadership program has concluded. With 72% of Millennials indicating that their organizations were not currently making full use of their skills, it would seem there is some work to be done if these opportunities are to be leveraged (The Deloitte Millennial Survey 2015).

2. Pitching New Ideas in the Firm

Creating time and a place for everyone to pitch a new idea is part of the organizational culture in the tech industry ' eBay, Apple, LinkedIn, Dreamworks, Google and Facebook are often cited as examples of this, as are the new product lines that have emerged as a result of it (Schawbel, 2013). These opportunities are also possible in law firms but not without adopting some new ground rules (Haller, 2015):

a. Make time for innovation non-negotiable. Fire up that digital suggestion box and take 15 minutes in every practice group and professional staff meeting to discuss innovation.

b. Create space for innovation. Change office spaces and introduce Skype sessions to include virtual or remote employees ' use different combinations and means of communication to create inclusion and creativity.

c. No one has the monopoly on good ideas. Everyone has something to contribute and something to learn (Riddle, 2011). Cut through the hierarchy, politics and red tape that hinder great ideas and problems solvers emerging in your firm. Also, don't forget to ask your clients what and how you can do better. Champion collaboration upwards, downwards, sideways ' whatever it takes. Mix up experience levels and focus on diversity ' different people, different backgrounds, different approaches. Encourage non-leaders to lead and non-managers to manage. That is what will support the development of your future leaders, managers and teams.

d. Every idea is worth hearing but not necessarily worth pursuing, right now. Every organization has limited resources and must prioritize ' don't let this fact prevent the airing of all ideas today, even if they won't be used for some time.

e. Train people in how to pitch an idea. No one wants to see a great idea fail because it was poorly presented – support pitch training for those with the ideas so they can be heard (Smith, 2015).

f. Let resilience reign. If the first pitch doesn't work, encourage the team to take your feedback on board, refine and re-pitch. Take the fear out of failure (Riddle, 2011). Reward persistence and creativity more than billable hours.

g. Reward Intrapreneurs with resources. Great ideas need to be pursued and this may mean redirecting resources or an unequal distribution of resources in order to make that happen (Pinchot, 1987).

h. Encourage people to grow within and don't force them out. Invest in people. Give them the opportunity to develop in their job and they won't need to move quite so quickly to the next one (Klaschka, 2012).

i. Let innovation create new roles: New ideas may generate new businesses and new roles for and in the firm (Susskind, 2013). Be open to new roles and alternative career paths, they may be heading in the direction of new clients and new income streams for your firm (Krueger, 2015).

j. Let many ideas develop into a culture of innovation. If law firms want to create a culture of innovation, they need to train leaders, managers, mentors, sponsors and coaches in how to identify intrapreneurs, encourage, support and celebrate their success.

Conclusion

Uncovering the inner intrapreneur in law firms has become a strategic priority. To sustain the demand for ongoing change in the legal industry, the impetus must now come from people within law firms. Intrapreneurs won't emerge by accident and, if there is no outlet for their creativity, they will move on. Given the growing number of Millennials, their career aspirations and their propensity for mobility, if intrapreneurship is not a priority, law firms should expect recruitment of top talent to become harder and staff turnover to rise. Managing and developing intrapreneurial talent in your firm has never been more important than it is right now. Consequently, working more closely with your talent management professionals, including them in program development and collaborating with them, will be critical to your firm's short and long term success. If intrapreneurship is not on your next leadership meeting agenda, now might be a good time to add it!

Terri Mottershead is the founding Principal of Mottershead Consulting ' Change and Talent Development Strategists. Reach her at [email protected] or 415-812-1825.