Confidently Incompetent II
1 Comments - Posted By Rob Millard In Strategic People Issues , , , - Permalink -
Business Pundit's post by Rob May, titled Why The Dunning Kruger Effect Is Ruining Your Business, provides a new perspective on a phenomenon that I blogged about some time ago, that bears repeating:
"Those that are most confident are often the least competent."
Rob May takes this a step further, explaining how the Dunning Kruger Effect explains why most people think they are worth more money than everyone else they work with, even when the evidence is firmly to the contrary. In the absence of concrete performance metrics, many under-performers genuinely believe that their performance is better than their peers in the firm. Even when fixed performance criteria do exist, though, they still often explain their shortcomings away by insisting, sometimes most eloquently, that their under-performance in one area (e.g. low billing / poor client satisfaction / bad interpersonal relationships within the firm) is outweighed by stellar performance in other (usually difficult to measure) areas. The collegial, conflict-averse culture of many law firms (and firms in many other professions too) makes it very difficult for them to even have frank discussions around this topic.
This can be a real problem where the end result is that those that contribute most to the firm find themselves under-appreciated and the "confidently incompetent" are disproportionately rewarded. Inevitably, resentment sets in.
What to do about it? There are a few pointers in my previous post on this topic, courtesy of the Department of Psychology at Cornell University. Rob adds these three:
1. Use as many measurable standards of performance as possible. Even idiots have a difficult time refuting concrete performance goals.
2. Encourage dissension and debate. This is tough, because if this is not handled properly, it can build a culture of negativity and risk aversion. Your goal shouldn't be to avoid risk, just to expose and understand it.
3. Show confidence in your best employees, even when they don't have confidence in themselves.
If any of this resonates with you then, whatever you do, please don't wait until you are staring at the letter of resignation from one of your under-appreciated star performers before you grasp this nettle.
Smoke and Mirrors
0 Comments - Posted By Rob Millard In Strategy 101 , - Permalink -
I've just spent a fascinating few days comparing notes with leaders of some of London's greater law firms. One of the topics that came up was the old favourite of the market's preoccupation with "profits per partner" (PPP) as a metric. More properly (in this case) "profits per equity partner" (PEP.) Bottom line: Look at the breakdown of equity versus non-equity partners before taking PPP/PEP, in isolation, too seriously. Now, I know this is probably old news to many readers of this blog, but just in case there is anybody that has missed this trick ...
Continue ReadingOverstressed Law Firm Associates - A Solution?
0 Comments - Posted By Rob Millard In Inter-Generational Issues , Specific Issues , - Permalink -
The issue of overworked and overstressed associates in law firms seems to be gathering momentum. Bruce MacEwen over at Adam Smith Esq has just blogged about it, quoting David Childs and Tony Angel, managing partners of Clifford Chance and Linklaters respectively. Certainly, there is no shortage of material on this. I blogged about it recently myself, here, following a winging email from an associate at a Magic Circle firm that was leaving because he couldn't take it any more. "Shocking place," he said, "I'm off!"
That's all well and good, I suppose, but juxtapose that with my friend and colleague Ed Wesemann's recent tale of the associate that kept an inflatable camp bed in his office because he found his work so cool that he was afraid that he'd miss something if he went home. Clearly there are many lawyers that thrive on a constant diet of intellectual adrenalin and pressure. The trouble is: there are not enough of them to populate the firms that need their lawyers to thrive on a constant diet of intellectual adrenalin and pressure....
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