Critical Thinking Makes the Difference
Let’s be honest, in a billable revenue-model world, there isn’t a whole lot of incentive to be efficient, and to proactively improve processes. Yet business evolution shows us that a good thing can’t last forever. Fixed fee and plummeting prices for services such as document review are fast becoming the new normal. A well-prepared firm pays attention to this trend and actively invests in innovation, efficiency, technology and high quality talent to stay ahead of the curve, and drive more business than competitors. All of these investments rely on a not-so-obvious success factor – critical thinking.
In my long learning and development career, I have found a few truths to be self-evident. One of these truths is that critical thinking is a necessary cornerstone of competitive excellence.
Attorneys are already trained to think critically for their clients, but when it comes to law firm operations, processes/workflows, and talent management practices, there is plenty of opportunity to utilize critical thinking. When incorporating technology, streamlining processes, and adding value to clients, law firms that weave critical thinking into their cultural fabric will prove to be long-term survivors and innovators. More importantly, to be competitive and profitable in a changing revenue landscape, critical thinking is mandatory.
As I mentioned in my DisruptHR presentation earlier this month, we don’t always recognize when critical thinking is used, but we almost always recognize when it is not. Critical thinking drives innovation, stimulates creativity, and enables problem solving. So how can you spot opportunities to incorporate critical thinking into your firm’s day to day business?
1. Look and listen for derailers:- “This is the way we’ve always done it.”
- “I don’t know what alternatives there are, I didn’t ask.”
- “That’s what the client [partner/attorney/vendor, etc.] said, so I didn’t question it.”
- “It’s what they wanted asked for, so that’s what I gave them.”
2. Stimulate critical thinking by asking these questions:
- Does it make sense to accept the status quo?
- Will accepting a request or statement at face value result in viable, beneficial or satisfactory outcomes?
- Is taking something “as is” producing the best outcome possible?
3. Implement new ways of working, and incorporate critical thinking:
- Hold people accountable for generating improvements
- Ask probing questions before agreeing on next steps
- If you are a manager, refrain from giving all the directions and doing all the thinking, challenge your employees to do the thinking
- Document and implement process improvements
The gains produced from applying critical thinking, even if incremental, lead to inevitable and noticeable competitive advantages in the long run.
