Take stock
The decision to refocus the identity and image of Cozen O’Connor was more than a branding matter. It was a question of growth and of the path the firm would follow in the coming years.
To gain a comprehensive picture of where the firm was and where he wanted it to go in the future, Decker needed to get input from all levels of the company. That meant a great deal of meeting, talking and listening.
He says there is no substitution for putting both shoes on the ground — taking to the air, if necessary — and visiting your people wherever they are.
“You have to do it face to face,” he says. “It’s really a way of communicating. You start with the managers and major leaders of the company. You’re listening, but you’re also presenting ideas to your people and seeing how they react to them.”
Decker asked a number of overarching questions with the intention of forming a picture of the company’s status and future and how employees’ individual goals aligned with the big-picture goals of the organization.
“I asked a number of recurring questions,” he says. “‘Where do you think we are now as an organization? What is your perception of where we are now, and how do you think others perceive us? What major challenges do we face now? How do we move our firm forward, and what do you want to see this place look like in the future?’ I asked them what they considered our strengths, our successes and our weak points.
“You gather all that up, but at the same time, as you’re asking those questions, you’re really judging people. That is the most important thing. You’re assessing your people as you go, and you’re getting to know them.”
As you talk about the future of the company with your employees, you and your management team will start to develop an idea of how each person would best serve the company. You can gain an accurate picture of their talents, skill sets and shortcomings.
“You do have to get an idea of where your employees fit in, not just now but in the future,” Decker says. “At some point, you need to spend some time with the folks you’ve identified as high-potential, because they’re going to help you drive your vision in the future. You are helping to guide people toward a consensus on the company’s future. You have to be willing to let people grow but also get them out of their comfort zone, because people basically don’t like to change. That is especially true if things are going well.”
As part of his overall communication and feedback strategy with employees, Decker gathered his managers and potential future managers together and painted a verbal picture of Cozen O’Connor’s future as a full-service law firm with a vast array of clients. He wanted their input, and he wanted to know early on if there was a high level of buy-in among the firm’s present and future decision-makers.
“Throughout the firm, I started with the folks who run the management committee,” Decker says. “The management, the department chairs, the practice group leaders. I also communicated with other people who might be clear leaders but might not be in a managerial role. You make them look into the crystal ball, you show them what the business might be in the future, what is possible, what can be achieved, how do you grow. Because it’s all about growth, and everyone has to understand that. Nothing can stand still. If you stand still in business, you die. You’re either going forward or backward.”