I have spent most of my career at Larkin Hoffman. When I became president one year ago, I thought I knew all there was to know about our firm. I was wrong. While this job has been harder than I ever imagined, it’s been incredibly rewarding because it’s given me a greater appreciation of the work we do every day.

Lesson #1: Our People Are The Heart of This Firm

When you are an attorney, it’s as if you are wearing blinders – you are focused on building your practice, maybe thinking about how your department works together – but it can be a very singular scope. When you become president, the blinders are ripped off. You suddenly see the whole picture. Instead of only focusing on what you do, your job is to help everyone else accomplish what they do.

Over the last twelve months, I’ve worked with people on a daily basis I previously only saw in passing. I have learned, what I suspected all along, that our professional staff are some of the most talented and dedicated people I have ever worked with. This new vantage point has also made some big gaps more apparent. For example, we weren’t doing enough Firm-wide internal communications, and that was impacting our professional staff. That’s why I started doing a monthly board update for this group. It’s resulted in greater transparency about what is happening at our firm. It’s also one of the most rewarding hours of my month. Seeing an engaged team come together around a shared purpose is insanely energizing, and it makes all of this work worth it.

Lesson #2: Leadership Requires a Shift in Mindset

I’m used to moving quickly to serve my clients, but I’ve found that leading a law firm is very different – enacting change is like trying to turn a barge with a much-to-be-desired turn radius. I’ve adjusted to a slower, more deliberate pace. I’ve also had to shift my mindset from individual problem solver to firm-wide strategist. Larkin Hoffman is not about me. Frankly, it’s not about any one of us. It’s about all of us.

There will always be competing priorities and interests at a law firm. My goal is to navigate them fairly and with the Firm’s best long-term interests in mind.

Lesson #3: We’re Uniquely Positioned for the Future

Larkin Hoffman is a special place. We are a mid-sized law firm with deep roots in Minnesota but with a national and international reach. Additionally, our unique emphasis on efficiency offers our clients and lawyers the level of service and support they would find at a bigger firm, but without the big-firm overhead. This makes us a place where top talent comes to do meaningful work. And that is how we will continue to grow – by bringing in the best people, giving them the tools they need and letting them build what’s next.

We have accomplished a lot in the past year, but there is more work to be done. One of my main goals is to offer the members of our firm more actionable support. Whether people are caring for young children or aging parents, at the beginning or end of their career – how are we helping them navigate the emotional and financial elements of those stages? As a leader, it’s my job to ensure that support is available.

The past year has taught me that our firm is not a collection of individuals, it is a family. Yes, we have occasional disagreements and avoid particular topics of conversation at the dinner table like any other family, but we genuinely care about each other, and we do what needs to be done to help our family. It has been an incredible honor to help lead this family forward, and I’m excited for what’s next.