The Challenge
The incoming COO of an Am Law 200 firm was charged with driving the execution of the firm’s business strategy. She quickly learned that the strategy had not been updated in five years, and most partners were not familiar with it. At the leadership table, important business decisions — such as new partner admissions and partner compensation — were made on an ad-hoc basis, without reference to the strategy.
The COO reached out to Calibrate for help in reinvigorating the strategic management framework.
Calibrate’s Solution
Calibrate first created a briefing book on culture, market and infrastructure factors affecting the firm. Calibrate then facilitated a series of leadership team meetings to crystallize the mission, vision and values for the partnership. This in turn led to the framing of specific, measurable business goals for the firm to achieve. The team quickly understood that their legacy geography-based business units would not encourage the collaborative, “one-firm” behaviour that was necessary for success, and embarked on a structural reorganization to focus on practice and industry groups.
Calibrate supported the leadership team in the reorganization process, and developed communication and change management materials to launch and sustain the firm’s new strategy and structure.
Let’s Connect
To learn more about how Calibrate partners with firm leaders to help optimize firm framework and launch change management initiatives to help sustain it please reach out to David Schaefer, Managing Director of Leadership Advisory at Calibrate.
