This article was provided by our friends at Abby Connect, a virtual receptionist provider serving legal and financial firms using the power of the human connection. Learn more by visiting www.abby.com
Letting go of control; it’s easier said than done. You don’t want to do everything, but you do want everything to be done right. This need for control can drive up your stress and drive down your productivity—negatively impacting the morale around the firm, your clients and work, and your own happiness and health.
So, sometimes we have to let go of control. Here are three broad factors you can consider when deciding what control you can let go of!
When You’re Not the Expert
You got into law to be a lawyer, not to be a business owner. You’re the expert in your area of law, your processes, and your cases—but you aren’t the expert in marketing, reception and client services, scheduling, filing, IT, or accounting.
And you shouldn’t be! That’s why you delegate to the experts. They generally cost less than you do (consider revenue lost when you can’t focus on billable hours) and they’re faster than you—because it’s their area of expertise, not yours!
Use your experts. It’ll improve morale and productivity, and reduce your stress (once you get used to it, at least!). You don’t have to be the expert; all you need to do is find one and give them control. You can always check the work!
When You Can Get the Same Quality AND It’s Cheaper or Faster
Maybe you’re an expert in many things! You still may be more expensive than the alternative. Your hourly billable rate could be north of $200, and I bet you can find an expert who you can pay less than that.
If that resource is cheaper per hour than your hourly rate OR they work faster than you can, it makes sense to utilize it. Think about things like answering your phone, scheduling, filing, writing, and editing… You can do them yourselves. But does that make sense?
For this to work, you need 2 of the 3. It has to be close to the quality you produce and either cheaper or faster—bonus points if all three are true! The goal is to ease up your tight control over your work in order to work faster, cheaper, and smarter.
When It’s Easily Reviewed
You care about your firm and your work, but you can’t always find a resource that’s the quality you want. This may seem like where you give up do it yourself. But fear not. While you don’t want terrible quality, you don’t need perfection in order to see the benefits of letting go of control.
Do some math. If they can get you the work you need quickly and inexpensively, and it won’t take you more than an hour to review and edit it, it may be worth taking a step back and letting them work.
Give Up Control When It’s Best For You
Doing the work yourself is expensive—so focus on the work that makes sense for you and delegate the rest! You don’t have to let go of everything, but giving up some control will help you boost productivity, reduce stress, and get the work done right.
Abby Connect
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