Osmosis Is Not a Management Tool
She's frustrated with her firm. Mistakes are happening. Client communication is haphazard. Turnover is unacceptably high. We talked about managing her firm, and I suggested more frequent, systematic communication. She resisted team meetings and consistent communication. Pressed, she was full of excuses. Her kids, court dates, and outside meetings all took priority over her team. When asked how she shares her priorities with the team, she said, "It happens through osmosis." They texted often. This is a lawyer who felt out of control. She didn't know what was happening when or what her associates were working on. She didn't know or keep track of deadlines and couldn't explain turnover. Her "osmosis" style of management was an abysmal failure because osmosis isn't management. Management is deliberate. Unless you want to stay a solo forever, you can't scale without coordinated, scheduled management. Communication is the foundation for growth. This is how it's done correctly.