Episode 357 | Is Discomfort Holding You Back from Hiring? Here's What to Do About It
You know you need another attorney. Your calendar is full, the work keeps coming, and there’s only so much you can handle yourself.
But every time you think about hiring, the questions start. What should I pay her? How will I manage another lawyer? What if she costs me more than she brings in?
So you keep doing the work yourself. You’ll revisit hiring when you feel more ready.
How long have you been telling yourself that?
In this episode of the Wealthy Woman Lawyer® Podcast, I’m talking about the discomfort that keeps women law firm owners from hiring attorneys, even when they can see that their own capacity is limiting the firm.
Some of that discomfort comes from practical questions you haven’t answered yet. Some comes from wanting to be certain you’ll get it right before you begin. Both can keep you waiting far longer than you intended.
I walk through the five concerns I hear most often and how to start looking at them in a way that helps you make a decision. We also look at the cost of postponing that decision, because the salary you’re worried about is only one side of the equation.
We get into:
- The questions to answer before you hire, from compensation to whether an associate can support her cost.
- Three safeguards that help you manage the risk of a hire that doesn’t work out.
- How perfectionism keeps capable attorneys waiting for certainty that never arrives.
- The trade-offs between an experienced associate and a newer attorney who needs more training.
- Where you still have choices when the candidate you pictured isn’t applying.
You’ve already made uncomfortable decisions to get here. Starting your firm was one of them. Hiring asks you to develop another set of skills, and you don’t have to master all of them before you take the first step.
If you’ve been putting off an attorney hire while your workload keeps growing, listen before you decide to wait another few months.
LINKS TO LOVE:
Ready to get clearer about your next attorney hire? Book a call with me. We’ll talk about where your firm is now, your growth goals, and the hiring, compensation, and training questions that may be keeping you stuck. We’ll also explore whether working together is the right next step for you.
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