Right People, Right Seats
Episode Summary
I just got back from a few weeks in Europe with plenty of time to think on those long flights, and I kept coming back to a topic I know well from running my own firm. Most law firm owners think they have a hiring problem. In my experience, it's rarely that simple.
In this episode, I talk through why the same person can struggle in one role and thrive in another, and why so many owners end up quietly carrying underperformance instead of looking at the structure underneath it.
Nothing about the person needs to change. Often it's the seat that does.
What We'll Cover
- Why "we have a hiring problem" is usually a symptom, not the real issue
- How roles quietly grow into a mismatch of jobs stitched together over time
- The difference between a skill problem and a will problem
- What accidental role design looks like inside a growing firm
- A simple process for mapping your people against properly defined seats
- Why redesigning a role before replacing a person saves time and money
What You'll Learn
- How to tell whether an underperformance issue is about the person or the role
- A simple way to separate "can they do this" from "do they want to do this"
- What the core seats tend to look like across a typical law firm
- Why documenting each role protects you from being the only person who understands how your firm runs
This episode connects to team performance, delegation and building a firm that doesn't rely entirely on you holding it all together.
Free Resources
- Clio is hosting an exclusive dinner in Newcastle on Tuesday, October 20th, 5:00pm to 7:30pm at QT Newcastle. Expert led sessions, hands on AI demos, and real conversation with people shaping where Australian law is heading. Free to attend. Grab your spot here.
Ready to Stop Blaming the Wrong Thing?
If you're carrying underperformance on your team right now, I'd encourage you to pause before making any changes. This is exactly the kind of work we do together inside Accelerator, my law firm coaching program. If you want support building this properly, jump on a call with one of our team members.
Who's Still Waiting on You to Notice?
Know a law firm owner who's constantly chasing their team, wondering why nothing gets done unless they're the one pushing it?
Send them this episode. It might be the nudge they need to stop treating it as a staffing problem and start looking at the structure behind it.
And if something in this episode made you rethink the way you work, I'd love to hear about it. Share your biggest takeaway on social media and tag me. I love seeing the shifts you're making inside your firm, even the small ones that, over time, add up to something much bigger.
- Apple Podcasts: Listen on Apple
- Spotify: Listen on Spotify
- YouTube: Watch on YouTube
