There is a current business phenomenon that pushes foundational problems into the center of the business. I like to call this The Battle of the Bulge. This battle is chiefly about management practices. Since COVID, leaders have been less comfortable setting clear expectations and following through on those expectations. This phenomenon has been coined "The Accountability Crisis."  There are a few reasons for this, but suffice it to say that emotional appeal has come to outweigh structural integrity in management. To say it another way: emotional approval or disapproval/nagging are being used to manage employee behavior instead of actual accountability systems. Simple issues that should be dealt with at the foundational level are being pushed into the middle of the business and creating bottleneck that's difficult to see and define, but is felt and experienced. This phenomenon creates stress at every level of the business. The concept also applies to peer- accountability

We've all heard this saying before: Delegate and Elevate. The idea is that you delegate the tasks and responsibilities that don't require your expertise and skill set, so you can focus on higher-end production. This is great advice - but it doesn't always work the way we think it will. What can happen is that (because we are human) we end up delegating tasks we just don't like, or tasks that should be on our plate but we don't want to prioritize. In that case, we can actually end up adding friction and frustration to the workflow because we've handed off items that we should be handling. - Questions to Ask Before Delegating - Is this something I can do quicker and with higher quality? - Will delegating this task cause me to lose institutional frameworks? - Is the team member sophisticated enough to handle the task in a quality way and consistent manner? - Will this delegation enhance overall operations or cause friction and frustration? Over the weekend, think about your delegation practices and on Monday, maybe spend time on realignment. Here's to Your Weekend! Best Regards, Brooke Birkey, Law Firm Trainer Level Up Law Firm Business Coaching Inside Out Revenue Solutions for Your Business 239-224-8741 | leveluplawfirmcoaching.com Client Testimonials Hire a Secret Shopper

Why did the law student go to court wearing a shirt with no sleeves? Because he had the right to bare arms.

We've all heard this saying before: Keep it simple, stupid. Basically, this means to avoid unnecessary complexity. However, mastermind and conference culture have been emphasizing complexity for the last ten years as a marker of success. Sure, I can understand that. But, what happens when your business model is too complex for its foundation? You end up having a bunch of problems in the middle of the business that should be fixed at the foundational level. Two examples: 1. Staffing and human resources 2. Use of technology Staffing and Human Resources: Turnover happens at a significantly higher rate than before COVID. In order to have a stable foundation, your onboarding and infrastructure need to be simple. You want the mechanics of your business and institutional knowledge easy to pick up and digest. Keep your foundation simple so that the middle of the business isn't picking up the bottleneck. Use of Technology: Most firms have duplicative and/or sprawling tech stack because they layer features on top of each other from different platforms rather than taking the time to find clear alignment and simplicity in execution. Lots of time is wasted on duplicative, misaligned, or overly complex tech systems. Call to Action: I have a few resources for you. - Here at Level Up, we offer systems analysis. During our assessment, we review both tech stack and human resources to ensure your system is balanced and well-positioned. - If you need a more complex diagnostic on your automations, my friend and colleague Elisa Silverglade does this work. - If you're looking for a fractional Chief Technology Officer (CTO), my friend and colleague Jacob Baron does this kind of work.

"No white after Labor Day" is a gilded age rule that was designed to signify wealth and exclusivity. It's origins are arbitrary and outdated. Makes me think of how often we follow outdated (and yes, arbitrary) rules in business. In the last ten years, law firm mastermind and conference culture has been laser-focused on "growth and scaling." But what I'm seeing today is that the foundation of a business is much more important than whether or not it is positioned to scale. Because a weak foundation will sabotage growth and scaling over and over. And with the current labor market challenges and unwieldy tech booms, strong foundation is harder to come by. There is value today in scaling down, and ensuring that your ground-level is simple and can withstand turnover and unexpected setbacks. Think of it like a personal relationship with a loved one. Will the relationship grow properly if the foundation isn't healthy? Food for thought. And yes, you can wear white after Labor Day.