Originally published on October 14, 2010 in our free BigLaw newsletter.
On August 6, 1930, I disappeared. Many have written about my disappearance, most recently Peter Quinn in his novel, The Man Who Never Returned. With all due apologies to Mr. Quinn, I have returned. And not from the dead. Rather, from a long 80 year "nap" of sorts. I did not relish living through a seemingly endless economic downturn, though I have awoken in the midst of another one. More importantly, I knew a day would arrive after my likely death when the world's largest law firms would need my wise counsel.
As a man of means, I worked with a brilliant young scientist to slow the aging process and my metabolism. For the last 80 years, I have "napped" while subsisting on BST — a high-protein intravenous fluid created from the blood, sweat, and tears of first-year biglaw associates. With the number of such associates dwindling and my supply of BST in jeopardy, I have "awoken" to help guide those who manage large law firms, and in doing so ensure my continued survival. In my first BigLaw column today, I offer some advice on a topic I know a great deal about — the two best places in your office take a nap. Because it's unlikely you're using them efficiently anyway.
Your Conference Rooms: Improve Your Meetings
Meetings can rack up billable hours, but they often accomplish nothing and prevent you from finishing your personal billable work earlier. Because relatively little of importance occurs during meetings, you're better off using your conference rooms for naps — unless you're willing to change your ways.
Writing for Harvard Business Review, Gina Trapani enumerates some effective measures successful companies have taken to shorten meetings. For example, Google uses a chess-like timer to keep meetings on track. Some companies employ chairless conference rooms, while others ban laptops and smartphones.
Marketing guru Seth Godin might agree to ban laptops and smartphones, but he believes the solution to more efficient meetings lies in iPads. Unfortunately, the app he envisions doesn't exist yet, but you as the meeting organizer can perform most of its functions. For example, you should create and distribute an agenda, ensure that everyone participates, and take votes.
Project management expert Michael Taylor echoes much of Godin's advice in his free report, How to Conduct Better Meetings, but he also offers an even more important tip. Park any extraneous topics that surface for discussion another time and stick to the agenda. I would add to Taylor's advice that you should save any small talk for a more social setting, which brings us to another good place for a nap.
Your Library: Transform It Into a Zagat-Worthy Cafe
Good riddance to libraries now that law firms no longer need them. But many still exist, relics of a bygone era chock full of untouched books with a five-year layer of dust. So just lie down within one of the quiet aisles and close your eyes — unless you're willing to better use this space.
If you're fortunate enough to have just leased some raw office space, don't even build a library — and reconsider your conference rooms as well. Last month, BusinessReport.com reported on Phelps Dunbar's new digs in Baton Rouge. Thanks to the help of architectural firm Gensler, Phelps Dunbar built flexible conference rooms that can change in size as well un-conference rooms — informal breakout areas where employees can congregate. The firm built a library — probably because an old-school partner insisted on one — but at least it's much smaller than the firm's previous library.
CMS Cameron McKenna in Scotland built its new office space in a similar manner according to allmediascotland.com in an article published this week. While the firm built a breakout area, it also unfortunately built a library.
In his new book, Where Good Ideas Come From, Steve Johnson disagrees with the conventional wisdom that innovation strikes most frequently in solitude — like when you're sitting in your office or when you're zoned out in your own world at a poorly-run meeting (see above). Instead, he argues that the best ideas most often stem from informal gatherings. If you don't want to read the book, watch his recent TED Talk instead.
Johnson's anecdotes and research are compelling, but as any lawyer knows, good ideas can also bubble up when you're alone but not necessarily in your office or even working. So consider transforming your library into a Zagat-worthy cafe. Move your librarians to cubicles somewhere (I'm not suggesting large firms no longer need librarians), and instead hire a barista to serve espresso drinks, sandwiches, and baked goods better than you could get at Starbucks.
If Johnson is right, your firm will benefit — more business, better work product, etc. — from the informal conversations that take place. Unlike your cafeteria, a cafe offers more opportunities for conversations outside your usual circles within the firm, and also serves as a better place for creative solitude. One possible downside of a cafe exists — more office romances.
Until Next Time
I can remain awake for only short periods of time. I must now return to my chambers for some BST and a nap. But don't emulate me. Instead, get to work on improving your meetings, and draw up a blueprint for your cafe.
Editor's Note: One of our readers pointed us to Malcolm Gladwell's article from ten years ago, Why Your Bosses Want to Turn Your New Office Into Greenwich Village.
Long considered dead after disappearing in 1930, Judge Crater instead hired a brilliant young scientist to slow his aging and metabolism. Subsisting on BST, a high-protein intravenous fluid created from the blood, sweat, and tears of first-year biglaw associates, Judge Crater periodically arises from his slumber to offer advice to those who manage the world's largest law firms.
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