Since there are many areas of your practice over which you have limited control or influence, it is very important that where you have influence you use it effectively to better manage your practice.

Managing the people in your office is probably one of the most important tasks you will undertake in the course of running your practice. This is true even if there is only you and a secretary and if your secretary works only part-time. Having and keeping the best staff possible is even more critical to the success of a solo or small firm practitioner. A mid-size or large firm can afford to have a few secretaries or support staff who are less than outstanding. A solo/small firm practitioner who has only one , two or three employees does not have this luxury. All of the employees have to be outstanding.

On the surface this need for your employee(s) to be superior would seem to be just one more of the difficulties in being a solo/small firm practitioner. While attracting, training and keeping good employees is difficult, it is effort well spent because these employees will become instrumental in the success of your practice.

Your secretary and all your employees represent you and your practice. They are a reflection of you. They should always be an asset to your firm. They should be assisting you with improving the performance and management of the entire practice. Consider your secretary and other employees and if this is not the case, you have to ask "why not?" and "How can the situation be improved?"

For sake of argument, it is necessary to assume that your secretary or staff are competent and want to do their best. If those two traits are evident, then here are a few guidelines which you can follow to ensure that you encourage your secretary/staff to be their best.

* Make certain that your secretary/staff are treated like integral members of the firm and the firm's success. All employees want to feel as those they are making a contribution and that the contribution is being recognized.

* Encourage questions from your secretary/staff. It is important that everyone in your practice understand as much as possible about the business and your clients.

* Do not assume that your secretary/staff knows what excellence or quality client service is. It is your responsibility to constantly reinforce to your staff what you expect from each of them. You must also lead by example. They should see that you give your clients quality service and that you make every effort to maintain excellence and professionalism.

* Always remember: compliment work well done in public, discuss room for improvement in private.

* It is important that your secretary/staff are aware of their responsibilities. Secretaries sometimes experience difficulties in working with paralegals due to lack of distinction between roles and overlapping workloads. No matter how small an office or staff you have, there should be written job responsibilities/expectations for each person. This will help both you and your secretary know what is expected.

* Encourage your secretary/staff to give suggestions on improvement of tasks performed in the firm. Ask for suggestions on how certain tasks can be streamlined or improved.

* As often as possible, give your secretary/staff adequate time to complete assignments. Needless to say, there will always be emergencies, but these should be the exceptions to the rule. Let your secretary/staff know the priority of assignments so that the work can be organized accordingly.

* Always treat your secretary/staff with the same respect and courtesy that you expect from them. Remember that these secretaries are your partners in the success of your firm.

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