Originally published in The Legal Intelligencer/law.com
Smart Strategy
Few qualities are as deeply embedded in law firm DNA as autonomy. It fuels books of business, strengthens ownership and sustains the partnership model itself. Dr. Larry Richards’ seminal research on lawyer personalities indicates it’s built into the profession itself by those who choose to practice law in the first place.
Yet autonomy carries risk. As explored in "The Problem With Partner Autonomy: When Strength Becomes Weakness" unchecked independence can contribute to internal conflict, derail strategy and slow the pace of change. But what if firms were able to harness this entrepreneurial spirit to supercharge strategic efforts and propel the firm toward a collective vision?
Aligning a group of highly independent professionals around a common goal presents law firm leaders with a unique challenge. The trope “herding cats” persists for good reason—it captures vividly the challenge of inspiring coordinated action without undermining autonomy. Savvy law firms use a different tact—they approach strategy not as a directive but as a dialogue.
Start With Smarter Questions, Sooner
Law firms are awash with surveys, yet rarely extract genuine insight. By the time surveys or listening tours begin, leaders have often already defined the problem – or even have a proposed solution. True inquiry starts sooner and embraces diversity of perspective as part of a collaborative effort. Big questions dominate over details.
When time-strained partners lack interest in questions or worse, find them pedantic or unintelligent, they not only won’t speak up, they’ll likely check out. Effective leaders start early and ask broadly. Instead of “How often should teams be in the office?” they ask, “What market forces will most disrupt your practice over the next five years?” or “Which client expectations do we underestimate?” These “what’s next” questions encourage forward thinking, signaling respect for judgment and perspective rather than compliance.
Equally critical to the right start? The right finish. When partners don’t see how their perspectives influence decisions, asking in the first place can end up feeling hollow. Sharing synthesized insights—visually, thematically or through leadership dialogue—demonstrates that input shapes strategy. Listening, in this sense, is not a gesture; it is the first act of alignment. Gathering input is a proven tool to help generate buy in and build enthusiasm for change, even when the outcome doesn’t align directly with an individual’s preference.
Don’t Dodge the Difficult
The capacity to tolerate discomfort may be among the most underrated leadership skills in law—and beyond. Inevitably, some input will be negative or sensitive topics will arise. Don’t dodge the difficult feedback when it comes (and it will). Strategy inherently introduces uncertainty—around compensation, technology, growth, and identity. Lawyers, naturally skeptical—another tendency well-documented by Dr. Larry Richards—balk at uncertainty. In many firms, the instinct is to neutralize tension quickly, to protect collegiality. But avoiding discomfort often defers progress.
Leadership cultures that normalize having difficult discussions make space for candid dialogue without framing disagreement as dissent. Structured forums—small group discussions, “honest conversation” workshops, or facilitated practice-level sessions—can help partners build confidence in addressing friction directly. One Managing Partner shared he incorporated an “Elephant in the Room” agenda item into every partner meeting to boost ease and address “taboo” topics.
This is a prime example of modeling. When leaders remain calm in ambiguity, when they resist the urge to rescue a tense discussion, they communicate something more powerful than reassurance: that the firm can handle complexity without collapsing into conflict. Over time, discomfort becomes not a signal of dysfunction but an indicator of engagement.
Training, similarly, is essential. Giving partners, senior associates, managers and other leaders the tools to effectively spot, surface and navigate conflict builds confidence and encourages resolution over avoidance. When sticky issues are handed over unceremoniously to leaders—and accepted—the norm becomes aversion. Providing critical skills in conflict resolution empowers everyone to step up and contribute to advancing change, even when it’s hard.
Engage the Lions
Every firm has its lions, the outspoken partners or rainmakers whose influence extends far beyond their formal role. Their skepticism can stall a strategic initiative; their advocacy can ignite one. The natural impulse is to manage around them or, perhaps more often, cater to them. The wiser move is to engage them directly.
Creating structured avenues for dissent—“red teams,” strategy councils or small task forces asked to test assumptions—turns challenge into contribution. It encourages critique and allows dissenting views to strengthen direction rather than corrode it. Plus, it aligns quite nicely with lawyers’ analytical mindsets and tendencies.
One-on-one discussions can be equally powerful, though more time-consuming. These appeal to lions’ egos and offers them a captive audience so they feel heard. In group settings, mitigate the negativity by acknowledging opposing viewpoints and redirecting the discussion. Research shows “bad apples” have an oversized influence on team dynamics. Private discussions, coupled with staying focused and avoiding debate in group settings, helps to ease impact.
Converting even one highly influential, vocal antagonist into an advocate often prompts others to reconsider their resistance.
Create Opportunities to Create
Entrepreneurs are creators—they thrive off opportunities to carve their own path and make a mark in the world. Firms that channel this energy into structured initiatives can leverage autonomy to their advantage.
Drawing on what was learned in the listening phase, savvy firms will tailor communications around strategy to the motivators and special interests of their audience. Messaging will incorporate clear references to what matters most to those on the front lines. A “choose your own adventure” model, replete with a menu of ways professionals can contribute, will ignite excitement and draw in those most interested in maintaining their independence while still supporting the united front.
Modular strategy is a similar approach, framing firm priorities as adaptable “strategic plays” rather than mandates. Practice groups can interpret and localize these plays—whether focused on client experience, pricing innovation, or talent development—within clear boundaries. The model balances freedom with focus.
Another effective mechanism is the formation of innovation pods, small, cross-functional teams with defined objectives and time horizons, taps into creative juices. The design is simple but powerful. It confers authority to act while anchoring accountability to results.
Recognition closes the loop. When individual initiative visibly advances firm priorities, autonomy becomes cultural capital, proof that independence can fuel growth.
Break the Status Quo
The greatest resistance to change often arises not from autonomy itself but from how change is introduced. Imposed initiatives provoke defensiveness; participatory ones invite engagement.
Scenario exercises can transform abstract strategy into active exploration. Asking partners to hypothesize the effects of radical shifts—moving to fully remote work, eliminating first-year associates, abandoning the billable hour—forces a shared reckoning with assumptions. When teams are asked to map both risks and potential advantages, the process replaces resistance with curiosity.
Some firms have taken this further, using gamified simulations to make strategic thinking more collaborative. The format may vary—points for creative solutions, recognition for insight, even investment in skunkworks-style initiatives—but the underlying intent is consistent: to build reflexive, adaptive capacity. When change feels like a shared challenge rather than a leadership edict, autonomy becomes a tool for experimentation rather than avoidance.
Use Clarity to Empower
In many firms, clarity is mistaken for control. Leadership hesitates to define direction too precisely, fearing it will dampen entrepreneurial spirit. Yet autonomy thrives best within clear boundaries. When expectations, objectives, and decision rights are explicit, partners can innovate confidently, knowing where freedom accelerates progress and where it risks misalignment.
Anchoring autonomy to purpose strengthens both. The most cohesive firms articulate not just what they aim to achieve but why it matters—to clients, colleagues and the firm’s enduring identity. Independence, in that context, becomes a form of contribution.
Clarity can also be measured. Periodic assessments of strategic understanding often reveal that resistance labeled “cultural” is in fact informational. Partners are less likely to challenge direction when they understand its rationale and boundaries. Alignment begins not with agreement, but with shared understanding.
From Autonomy to Action
Autonomy can be approached as a liability or an asset in strategic implementation. It can be volatile if unmanaged, yet powerful when guided. Firms that learn to harness it listen before they instruct, invite friction before it festers, and create avenues for ownership before disengagement takes hold.
The result is not uniformity, but coherence. A culture in which independent actors move in concert toward shared intent.
Reprinted with permission from the November 21st edition of the Legal Intelligencer © 2025 ALM Global Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited, contact 877-256-2472 or asset-and-logo-licensing@alm.com.