Here's our business nugget for management to chew on. 

Emotional Intelligence. (EI): this is the measure of one's ability to maintain peace with others, keep to time, be responsible, be honest, respect boundaries, be humble, genuine and considerate.

This concept of Emotional Intelligence however, seems abused in most work environments, where, either managers lack it's proper understanding or deliberately use it now as a subtle oppressive tool. 

This is because, I have personally had instances when a manager who is clearly abusing the Rights of a colleague still insists that, that person he is abusing, because they would not timidly stand by and watch their Rights abused, but assert it strongly, are the ones rather without an emotional intelligence. What happened to the honest and responsible legs of the concept from these managers.

The point, however, is that this concept is a two-edged sword in the hands of anyone who wishes to use it effectively. 

It is definitely not a tool to cover or oppress articulation in the workplace. 

Similarly, the use of CAN-DO ATTITUDE as a concept to mean that a worker must be submissive to all forms of abuse, is a management fallacy. 

Only weak managers exploit these broad concepts in the workplace to cover up their own leadership inadequacies. 

The next time you use these Concepts in the workplace, remember it is a huge responsibility that you carry to do right to all manner of persons as you would want done to you. 

Patrick Quashigah 10/11/22

What is a Team?

Among the many definitions of a team, Glenn Parker’s definition chosen by Dr Irfan Raja, in his manual on high-performing teams as: “A group of people with a high degree of interdependence geared toward the achievement of a goal or the completion of a task.” (From “Team Players and Teamwork” by Glenn Parker) is summed up for this piece below.

What does the above definition mean?

It means that members of a team are members agreed on a goal and agree that the only way to achieve that goal is for them to work together. Some groups have a common goal but they don’t work together to achieve it. For example, many teams are really groups because they work independently to achieve their goal. Some groups work together, but they don’t have a common goal.

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Team

While there are a lot of advantages to teams, there are also some drawbacks that we should take into consideration.

The Advantages of Teams

Stakeholder involvement engenders acceptance. The way decisions are made is a major factor in the level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with work. Individuals are much less likely to be dissatisfied with decisions that they were involved in making or know about from start. Decision making is therefore, important when done from bottom-up, as in gathering input for the deliberations from the people the decision would affect and not be assumed on their behalf.

The "crazy ideas" that others bring into decision-making discussions are some of the very reasons you would want input from many others. After all, if everyone thought the same way as the team leader or the supervisor, there would be no point in discussing the matter.

Although discussions can bring misunderstandings when not handled well, they provide an important opportunity for the team leader to provide clarification and avoid potential problems when it comes time to implement decisions. A leader can be handicapped at this stage, if he is himself not very abreast of the relevant topic or issue hence, discussions serve also as a reason for leaders to “search for and arm” themselves with relevant information. This improves leaders and keeps them current on the job.

The personal biases that team members bring can also be helpful. Biases are based on previous informed experience, on what has worked or not worked in the past, or on assumptions. It is a useful lesson for leadership to seek to understand the resistance against a course of action in their team members, in case something vital has been overlooked. If someone is resisting an action, it is better to hear them out, as it may be a silent caution to be dealt with than have them or the error sabotage your later efforts at implementing the decision.

Self-interests are often based on the desire to have decisions result in what is best for them. If this is consistent with what is also best for the organization, these can be valuable viewpoints to hear.

How Do Teams Help Employees Grow?

Team decision-making provides learning and personal growth experiences. Decision making challenges team members to think; to try to understand facts, alternatives, and how different jobs affect one another; to see the bigger picture. Participation in decision making makes people better decision makers.

Teams increase employee autonomy. Employees require less management time when they are encouraged and begin to accept responsibility for their own work and for making their own decisions. This is vital for team initiative, confidence and productivity.

Teams also increase receptivity and trust of management decisions. When teams get involved in decision making, they develop an appreciation for the fact that solutions are not as simple as they might appear and that it is not so easy to choose among options. As a result, they become more accepting of even unfavourable decisions made by their leaders or others. Also, being listened to and having their opinion considered increases their willingness to respect the opinion and judgment of others as thought out.

Teams make better quality decisions. Team decision-making brings out the knowledge and experience of all members and allows the sum to become greater than the parts. Team decision-making also improves teamwork. Most decisions will need the cooperation of more than one person to implement. The longer you wait to involve others affected by the decision, the harder it will be to gain their teamwork in the implementation of the decision.

Developing your high-performing Team:

There has been a great deal of study on teams and on group dynamics. Bruce Tuckman is responsible for this straightforward model, which emphasizes that all teams and groups go through five stages of development, although they do not necessarily go through those stages together or at the same time.

Forming

This is sometimes referred to as a team’s childhood. This is the first stage of development. At this stage, team members may have no clear idea of what to expect or what they will accomplish. The team leader’s skills will be very influential and he will likely make many of the decisions to get the team on-board. Your leadership style here is usually that of telling the team what to be done.

As a team leader, you will make sure your team members know one another and know about one another so they can begin feeling comfortable together. You help them decide on their team goals and objective, and you share your expectations with them and allowing them to ask questions. You are the role model so you must demonstrate that you value each member of the team, and have high expectations that they will perform well. Your communication skills would be very much needed here, as you must be careful what verbal or body language you convey to them.

Storming

This stage is often referred to as team adolescence. As members of the group work together, they become more comfortable voicing their own opinion and they may not agree with either the team leader or the other members of their team. There is often disagreement and conflict at this stage, with little cliques forming and alternate goals being suggested. Members of the team notice how different other members are and a pecking order may be established. In this stage of team development you will usually find the selling style most useful.

This can be a difficult time, particularly if turf wars develop. You are an even more important role model now, communicating with all team members and reminding them of how valuable each of their roles is, and helping them settle their disagreements in a civilized fashion: not ignoring them, but dealing with them openly and honestly. All the while, you are helping them get to know one another better and coaching them so they become more skilled at their job. Any group training at this point is often on team building.

Norming

This stage is often referred to as young adulthood for a team. Eventually, if you continue to encourage, support and communicate with your team they will work out their differences and begin to see that they are quite a bit alike after all. Now they begin to enjoy being together and they start having more fun—so much fun that occasionally they may even forget about the work they are to get done. You will find that the participating style serves you well when a group is in this stage of development.

Eventually your hard work and your support will pay off and your team gradually begins to trust one another and become a more cohesive group, especially as you did not take any sides or show bias during the Storming stage. Now they start enjoying work and the company of other team members. They begin to notice what you have been telling them all along, that’s if you have been gently coaching them, that they really do have a lot in common. They start to socialize together and may even get so involved in social activities that they forget about what they are trying to accomplish. This is a good time to move away from being quite so hands-on and begin to delegate tasks and encourage trust. Cross-training can be useful here without making it dependent on any requirements that can be abused.

Performing

Now the team is beginning to mature. They have skills, know their own strengths and limitations, and have a good deal of problem-solving abilities. By now they have figured out, with your help, who does what to make the team effective and they work well together. The challenge for you now is to keep them from becoming bored on the job. You will use your skills as a delegating style leader.

Finally they’ve arrived! You have a team who really are capable of working on their own. Hopefully you have been celebrating team successes ever since you started working together. However, don’t stop now. They still need to feel appreciated. Encourage them to do some self-evaluation and some work evaluation to see if there are things they can do even better. Again, this must not be on the basis of some requirements, it must be for all. Continuous suggestions for improvement should come from this group themselves.

A word of warning here:

Group dynamics are never static, so don’t ever be “fooled” into thinking your battle is won. If a new member joins the team, or their roles change, you may find your group right back in the storming stage again.

Adjourning

When the group has formally finished working together, or when things are winding down naturally, the group will disband. Celebrate successes and achievements, and then bring the team to a close. Alternatively, if this was not a successful team, the group should evaluate what went wrong, and use the lessons for later projects.

Even if the same group is to work on future projects, they will still need to go through all of the stages, although they will likely formand stormvery quickly.

The leader of the team

Leadership definition varies, but can be said to be the art of skilfully influencing and or motivating people who are set example by the leader of what ought to be done.

As with any human attribute or skill, leaders bring to the role of leadership their various human qualities which influence how they lead. Hence, there are good and bad influences deriving from the qualities that a particular leader brings to bear on their role of leading.

A typical set of leadership qualities that would make a good leader is that which makes them act professionally, fairly, have integrity, and be engaging among other skills listed below:

A good leader must possess the qualities of a great listener to those he or she leads and to promptly answer to any concerns that they may have by way of an effective feedback system. He or she must also be a person of integrity who commands trust in the way they deal with those led, so that the led can repose trust in their leader, as trust is of a critical importance to any form of human relationship.

Integrity also means the sense of adherence to standards or values outside one's self, especially with the truth. Calmness, and not rush defensiveness, is another key quality that a good leader must possess in the exercise of their role of leading people to believe in them and their leadership.

Leaders must have the quality of enthusiasm and seek to always create an enabling work environment, to be good effective leaders on their job.

What a leader seeking to be a good and respected one must not do, is to take those they lead for granted and to treat them with no dignity and respect or have no regard for their right to privacy and confidentiality. This breaks any good bonds in the relationship and leads to a disengaged team.

The leader must aim always to promote an open communication culture within the team and also to see that conflicts, when they come up, are immediately resolved. Above all, the leader must be one who sees the good in any criticism of his decisions.

The effective leader must ensure the team makes progress and be a fair balancer of the use of his carrot and whip managing tool.

What the effective leader must know and work on

1. Absolutely no one enjoys being criticized! Yet, if you want to succeed as a leader, you've got to overcome all your natural instincts and actively seek out feedback from your team, good and bad.

2. Diffuse attacks. To give yourself a breathing room, turn "attacks" of criticism into information exchanges where you feed on the knowledge of others. The natural human reaction is to become defensive and offer a list of reasons why the comment is untrue and to prove that you are the leader to be obeyed.

This quickly locks both sides into fixed adversarial positions from which it is hard to retreat, especially as a leader. Break the cycle. As hard as it may be, respond to any negative criticism by immediately agreeing it may be correct. Then ask for more specific details, enlisting the accusing team member as your ally in improving the situation. You'll get lots of useful feedback, both negative and positive.

3. Separate intent from content. Any negative comments about our actions, appearance, or attitudes automatically seem very personal. Yet, amazingly, the commenter may have had the best intentions to contribute to the progress of the enterprise. Recognize that different people have different personality styles and communication skills. They may sincerely mean to help, but deliver negative comments in a way that is hard to process and accept. On the other hand, an ill-wisher often provides valuable insights. Decide, as a leader, that it is never productive to take any comments personally.

4. Feedback your feedback. Paraphrasing what you've just been told helps to eliminate misunderstandings, honouring and acknowledging the criticism, and compelling you to really listen. "Nothing" demonstrates better to a team member that you have heard them than paraphrasing their statements." It also helps you to filter out and focus on the useful information.

5. Protect yourself. We're not always in shape, especially as leaders, to cope with negative comments. It's appropriate to give people feedback on the best time and way to offer you feedback. It's your job to communicate to the team, that you will respond better and feel respected, if you can receive the criticism in a different way, time, or place.

6. Don't expect everyone in your team to love you. Praise and approval are wonderful. We all thrive on them. But we all need a dose of reality now and then. Just because people notice imperfections about your leadership style and point them out doesn't make them your enemies for life. If you've armed yourself with a positive attitude toward criticism, they are going to be your best friends.

Let go of the heat and stress of each day, walk through that gate to work with an open mind and let life be!!!

For more practical business leadership and employee engagement tips, please get a copy of my new book PRACTICAL KEYS TO PROFITABLE TEAM ENGAGEMENT from www.amazon.co.uk

Patrick Quashigah.

There is an unresolved debate in the business world over whether there is any difference between LEADERSHIP and MANAGEMENT. 

Most people use the term "manager" for those in leadership roles. However, in the Trust-Based Leadership Model, we refer to leaders as leaders and acknowledge that they have various management responsibilities. 

Here at Corporate Consult, we believe that you LEAD PEOPLE, and you MANAGE THINGS. 

These things that are managed in the work environment can be assets, systems, resources, operations, projects and focus of effort, etc. 

In our experience, effective leaders of people are almost always effective managers of things. However, effective managers are not always effective leaders of people, because they are often too focused on things or the mechanical aspect of the business than the engagement of the human component of the business. 

The failure to distinguish this core difference is a key factor that leads to underachievement or total failure of projects. This is because, once you forget that people are not machines, systems, or projects to be "managed" you fail to deal with their emotional needs. 

Next time you deal with your staff, remember to engage them at the point of their emotions and see how you can turn around a failing business. 

Patrick Quashigah. 14/11/22

There are many reasons for the implementation of a dress code at work.

You may need to do it for the safety of your staff or to uphold a professional company image. 

Other uniform policies are simply appropriate for certain work environments.

But despite these possibilities, you may find employees refusing to wear their uniform or not finding them comfortable.

For this reason, we’ll take a look at some of the most common problems you might face when it comes to staff dress codes.

But first, let’s determine what you can legally expect from your employees.

It can be difficult to know what exactly is required for workwear. Uniforms are unique to every business, and finding a set list of do’s and don’ts can be challenging. 

To help you make the right decision, this article will explain what you should and shouldn’t expect from your uniform policy, as well as what you can and cannot appeal to when it comes to the uniform of your workplace.

Why Are Uniforms Important?

Uniforms are more than just having a single form of dress for your team. They serve many valuable purposes to both the employees and the company. Uniforms can not only be used to create a dress standard within your business, but they can also protect employees’ safety where necessary. Finding the uniform that works well for all of your employees can be challenging, but finding that balance between style and functionality is crucial to its acceptability by staff.

Safety and functionality are the priority when picking a uniform for your business, especially if there is a specific need for any PPE within the employee uniform policy. PPE can be crucial in some industries to the safety and wellbeing of employees, and its presence is legally required in specific industries in which it is needed. The employer must supply all PPE that is necessary to complete particular jobs.

What Are Uniforms Regulations?

In short, uniforms, dress regulations, or dress codes are company policies that define precisely what employees of a business should and shouldn’t be wearing while at work. These regulations can cover anything from the exact clothes that must be worn at work to how hair should be worn during working hours.

A company usually puts dress codes and regulations in place for health and safety reasons. These health and safety reasons differ for each business and its requirements. Some of the health and safety uniform regulations that can be brought in are:

Tying hair back to prevent it from getting caught,
asking your employees to wear hairnets when handling food and wearing PPE in dangerous areas or around hazardous substances.

Are There Laws Around Work Uniforms?

It may interest you to know that there is no law in the UK that requires each business to have a dress code for its employees. However, some laws dictate what can and can not be included in your employee dress code.

Your uniform dress code must not discriminate against any of your employees, or within the different departments or shifts. 

You must keep the dress code of the business in line with the nine protected characteristics laid out by the Equality Act 2010.

The uniform dress code must also remain the same for both men and women working in the business. This can only be different for the different requirements that men and women have. You can make any necessary adjustments to the dress code for any employees with disabilities who find the dress code or uniform policy unsuitable.

Can Employees Appeal A Company Dress Code?

When assigning a dress code for your employees, it is crucial to ensure that it fits in line with the rules and regulations set out in the Equality Act 2010 and ensure that employees are comfortable with their uniforms and uniform requirements.

Employees can not appeal a dress code if it follows the Equality Act 2010 perfectly, but they can discuss any issues internally within the business. Alternatively, if the company does not follow the regulations, employees are well within their rights to appeal to any dress code decisions that have been made.

Imposing a dress code policy within the business is legal when considering employee rights. In some cases, however, employers make demands that discriminate against employees. There is a fine line between finding the correct dress code for your employees and imposing on their rights by making the constraints of your uniform too tight.

Can an employee refuse to wear a uniform?

Yes, but only if the uniform is not stipulated in their contract and discriminates against them in some way. Employers would need to discover why the employee is refusing to wear the uniform and come to a resolution of the problem. If the employee has their uniform regulations set out in their contract and the uniform does not discriminate against them in any way, then they can not refuse to wear the uniform.

Do Employers Have to Pay For Uniforms?

This is often a grey area that catches employers and employees alike out. Who pays for the uniform and its maintenance? Well, this isn’t a clear answer in all cases and can differ for each business, especially when not particularly captured in the contract. Can the employer then enforce the wearing of a uniform it does not maintain?

An employer has no legal obligation to pay for uniforms provided to their employees. However, if they decide not to pay for uniforms, they must have this written in the contract provided to employees when they start. If it is not in their contract that the employee is obligated to pay for their uniform or its maintenance, the responsibility falls on the employer.

It is always important as an employee to check your contract for such uniform obligations before you sign. Always make sure you know the situation with your uniform before you start to avoid any unpleasant surprises come your first day.

There is only one situation in which the employer must pay for any uniform, and that is if the uniform contains pieces of PPE. If this is the case, it is the duty of the employer to purchase any personal protective equipment and distribute it to employees where necessary. 

Reasonable leadership and compromised negotiations must be allowed to guide the resolution of such an issue should one arise.

Patrick@CorporateConsult. 

25/10/2023.

Date: 22/03/2021
By John Hyde

As the pandemic has shown how remote working can provide major benefits for legal practices, clients and lawyers, the traditional law firm could be facing an existential threat

After seeing off so many high street retailers, the irony was not lost when Amazon recently announced it would open physical stores. This ultimate disruptor had come full circle.

There are parallels with the consultancy model of law firms, which experts say stands on the brink of permanently breaking the hegemony of the traditional practice. While many of these were built on lawyers working remotely, a significant number have also taken to opening bases in city centres, creating a hybrid model appealing to lawyers nervous about ditching the office environment for good.

One consultant firm, gunnercooke, opened an office in WeWorks’ Birmingham facility with the likes of Helen Miles in mind. The Midlands-based pensions lawyer, with 25 years’ experience in the sector, was lured from Squire Patton Boggs last summer. Miles cited gunnercooke’s flexible model as one of the biggest draws.

‘I am quite an independent person and happy to work in that way, and I’m a business person and not just a lawyer,’ said Miles. ‘We have a city centre office and I look forward to going in [when the restrictions are lifted]. There is remote working in the firm but also remote team bonding, and the firm really makes an effort. It is a balance – sometimes you want to see people, but home working is better than working in an open-plan office.’

There is remote working in the firm but also remote team bonding and the firm really makes an effort. It is a balance – sometimes you want to see people but home working is better than working in an open-plan office

Helen Miles, gunnercooke

Miles is not alone. A report last month by investment bank Arden Partners suggested that within five years one-third of lawyers could be working under a consultancy model.

John Llewellyn-Lloyd, head of business services at Arden, said there is potential for an existing disruptor or even a new entrant to have 10,000 lawyers on its books. This could be possible for a so-called traditional firm, but that would require the partnership model to adapt with uncharacteristic speed, he said.

The likes of gunnercooke, Setfords, Excello Law and Keystone have all emerged in recent years as rivals, rather than curiosities, to the legal establishment. Keystone and gunnercooke are both in, or close to, the top-100 firms based on turnover, and many are backed by private equity or stock market investment. Their model largely centralises back-office operations and allows the lawyers to operate flexibly as consultants keeping a share of the fees they bring in, rather than as equity partners.

Those who might have scoffed at this model in the past have spent a year working in the same way as consultant lawyers, but without many of the perks. Paul Bennett, a partner at advisory firm Bennett Briegal, said many lawyers will already be planning when to hand in their notice once offices reopen.

‘I don’t think the traditional law firm with people chained to the desk was attractive even pre-Covid,’ said Bennett. ‘It is now all about working in a new and different way. We are about to see over the next 18 months that the number of people wanting to work differently away from the office – either as a consultant or through a traditional firm that has recalibrated – will be a change on an “industrial revolution” scale. Covid has totally changed the landscape.

‘It used to be the awkward squad who didn’t fit in who went off to be consultants. Now we’re talking about high-profile lawyers with a big client following acting to suit their needs and not the firm’s.’

Llewellyn-Lloyd agrees that the pandemic has played a huge part in this surge, but not just in spurring lawyers to find new ways of working.

‘Covid has proved at a stroke to clients that their lawyer can work in this fashion,’ he explained. ‘Then it comes down to costs. This model allows them to work at cheaper cost as the whole operation is about efficiency from a central office.’

While firms can attract senior lawyers under the premise they can work more independently, there is concern about the pipeline of junior lawyers who may not suit consultancy work. Gunnercooke, among others, is addressing this issue with a programme specifically for emerging talent.

Manda Banerji, chair of the Law Society’s Junior Lawyers Division, said its members nearing five years’ PQE appreciate flexibility and a better work-life balance, although she stressed the importance of checking what supervision will be available.

It remains to be seen how traditional firms will fight this newly emergent threat. In the ongoing discussion about when and how often lawyers will return to offices, the bigger question is whether some will return at all.


Original article here: https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news-focus/new-breed-of-law-firm-consultancy-transforming-the-market/5107868.article