Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement

My Story So Far

It’s 2019, and I’m at a crossroads in my career: I’m reflecting on my work as a lawyer specializing in corporate debt recovery. While I’m regarded as an expert, there’s one nagging thought: Is this what the next 22 years will look like?

Fast forward to January 2021. I’ve just completed an international MBA and realized how much I enjoy learning and leveraging that for reinvention. This is the catalyst I need for a new path.

By April 2024, I’ve decided to tackle strategy execution, the “great unaddressed issue” in most organizations, as Stephen Covey describes it. I set a bold goal: Can I turn strategy consulting into a product?

Enter Account-a-Trac, and my partnership with Reghardt Pretorius, a mechatronic engineer from Discovery. A year later, we have a working prototype of software that leverages human connections, AI, and low-tech tracking of my clients’ strategic actions taken each week. Built in under six months, it’s already generating revenue.

What’s My Point, You May Ask?

The key factor has been mindset: It’s said that mindset is what separates the best from the rest. Although our product is far from perfect, we are gaining traction and believe we are solving a valuable problem that can help our clients gain momentum in implementing their business development strategies.

We regularly meet to discuss new ideas and just last week sought feedback from an industry professional on a potential follow-up market among coaches. His feedback was that he’s pleased to see how we take the time to understand the problem we’re addressing before diving into building a solution. This is a common pitfall for many entrepreneurs - spending all their time creating products without fully understanding the problem.

We’ve been experimenting with different aspects of the software, using opportunities for development from discussions with sales, user experience experts, and a marketing strategist. And, we celebrate the small wins by sharing a good coffee and giving each other feedback on our progress toward solving a significant challenge.

Let’s Apply This to Your Practice

Here are the takeaways from my journey of continuous improvement to help you on your own journey of reinventing your practice:

1. Promote a Growth Mindset

Encourage your team to view challenges as opportunities to grow. A growth mindset allows individuals to see setbacks as learning experiences rather than failures. This will foster resilience and enable continuous improvement.

For example, in the evolving legal market, the rise of technology and alternative legal service providers has disrupted traditional models. Law firms that have resisted adopting new technologies or ways of working have faced client attrition and difficulty attracting top talent. Those that embraced change and a growth mindset - viewing new tech as an opportunity to expand service offerings - have not only survived but thrived.

To dive deeper into the power of a growth mindset, I recommend Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck. This book is a must-read, as it explores how adopting a growth mindset can transform both personal and professional development, empowering individuals to reach their full potential.

2. Regularly Seek Feedback

Feedback is crucial for growth. It keeps your team aligned with goals and helps identify areas for improvement. Constructive feedback ensures continuous progress, refining strategies over time.

In law, where client expectations shift constantly, regularly seeking feedback allows you to identify potential service gaps before they become problems. A firm that doesn’t actively seek feedback may lose clients to competitors who are more attuned to their needs.

For a comprehensive understanding of how feedback can drive improvement, I suggest reading Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen. This book will equip you with the tools to not only give but also receive feedback effectively - critical for personal and organizational growth.

3. Encourage Experimentation 

Encourage your team to try new ideas and innovate. Experimentation opens the door to breakthroughs and provides valuable learning opportunities that can drive improvement.

In the legal industry, experimentation could mean offering new billing models, using AI to assist with document review, or adopting virtual consultations to expand your reach. Those who embrace experimentation can adjust quickly to client needs and market changes. On the other hand, firms that resist change or stick to traditional methods face the risk of becoming irrelevant in a tech-driven world.

If you want to explore how experimentation can lead to business breakthroughs, The Lean Startup by Eric Ries is a must-read. This book highlights the importance of testing ideas and iterating on them to ensure sustainable growth.

4. Provide Opportunities for Development

Help your team grow through training, mentoring, and applying their skills in real-world scenarios. Continuous learning ensures your team adapts to evolving challenges.

Resistance to development is one of the biggest barriers to improvement. Law firms that fail to invest in their people - through training on new technologies, advanced legal methodologies, or leadership development - will fall behind those firms that prioritize employee development and growth. In a rapidly changing legal market, firms that foster growth through continuous development will gain a competitive edge.

To dive deeper into how development opportunities can set your team up for success, The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels by Michael D. Watkins is a fantastic read. It offers strategies for accelerating learning and growth, especially when taking on new challenges or leadership roles within a firm.

5. Celebrate Small Wins

Acknowledge and celebrate small wins. Recognizing incremental progress keeps your team motivated and reinforces the idea that consistency leads to larger success over time.

In the fast-paced legal market, where big wins can be few and far between, celebrating small wins - like a client referral, a successful case outcome, or the adoption of a new technology - helps build morale and keeps the momentum going. Firms that recognize these victories stay motivated and focused on long-term goals.

For a great read on the importance of small wins, The Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All the Difference by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval is highly recommended. This book emphasizes how even the smallest progress can create significant results over time and keep the momentum going.

Is Your Firm Focused on Continuous Improvement?

Creating a culture of improvement takes time, but with dedication, it leads to long-term success. By promoting a growth mindset, regularly seeking feedback, encouraging experimentation, providing opportunities for development, and celebrating small wins, your firm can build an environment where continuous improvement drives success.

Addressing Common Objections: 

I know what you might be thinking - But what about the costs of implementing these strategies? Or maybe, How can we overcome the resistance to change, especially when our team is set in their ways?

Let’s start with cost. Yes, change requires investment, whether it’s time, money, or effort. However, the cost of not implementing continuous improvement strategies is often far higher. Firms that resist innovation risk falling behind in a competitive, technology-driven market, losing both clients and talent. The return on investment (ROI) from adopting these principles - whether in the form of improved client satisfaction, higher retention rates, or more efficient operations - is substantial.

As for resistance to change, this is common in any industry. People are naturally skeptical about new methods, especially when they’ve been operating in a certain way for years. Overcoming this requires strong leadership, clear communication, and a commitment to ongoing support and development. Show your team the why behind these changes and how they align with the firm’s long-term success. Start small, celebrate progress, and soon you’ll see momentum shift in your favor.

Finally, skepticism about the product’s value is natural, especially in the early stages of adoption. However, our product has already helped multiple firms streamline their strategy execution, and we continue to improve it based on feedback from users. Like any tool, its value increases over time as you integrate it more deeply into your processes.

Start small, and soon the results will speak for themselves.