Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Hurrah to David Maister.
I am really pleased to share this excerpt from his blog with you:
"Lawyers have discovered, like the Dickensian factory owner, that you can, in reality, make a lot of money if you work everybody very, very hard and really slash your costs, and don’t give a gosh-darn about the how people (partners, associates or staff) feel about their work-lives.
But as I analyzed in a 2005 article called “Are You Abusive, Cynical or Exciting?” (available here on my website) while it’s an approach to riches, it can be proved that it is not the approach to riches. “Let’s succeed by working more hours with ever decreasing amounts of support” is not the most sophisticated piece of business thinking I’ve ever heard. Yet it’s exactly what most law firm partners tell me (and you, Ellen) that their firm is doing.
Why do law firms find it so hard to understand that a feudal warlord system forcing everyone to work harder is not the height of mankind’s achievement in civilization?"
David does not agree with these practices and he was writing in response to a question from Ellen Ostrow, who is a coach/consultant with a Ph.D. in psychology who promotes work/life balance issues in her practice with women lawyers.
I am really pleased to share this excerpt from his blog with you:
"Lawyers have discovered, like the Dickensian factory owner, that you can, in reality, make a lot of money if you work everybody very, very hard and really slash your costs, and don’t give a gosh-darn about the how people (partners, associates or staff) feel about their work-lives.
But as I analyzed in a 2005 article called “Are You Abusive, Cynical or Exciting?” (available here on my website) while it’s an approach to riches, it can be proved that it is not the approach to riches. “Let’s succeed by working more hours with ever decreasing amounts of support” is not the most sophisticated piece of business thinking I’ve ever heard. Yet it’s exactly what most law firm partners tell me (and you, Ellen) that their firm is doing.
Why do law firms find it so hard to understand that a feudal warlord system forcing everyone to work harder is not the height of mankind’s achievement in civilization?"
David does not agree with these practices and he was writing in response to a question from Ellen Ostrow, who is a coach/consultant with a Ph.D. in psychology who promotes work/life balance issues in her practice with women lawyers.
