Leadership and Management Development at Eversheds
Building capability at a leading law firm
Tim Drewitt, Eversheds LLP15 June 2011
About Eversheds
• 4,500 employees in 48 offices around the world• One of the world’s most innovative law firms• Company commercial, human resources, litigation and
dispute management and real estate• Aerospace and defence, central government, education,
energy and natural resources, financial institutions, food, healthcare, industrial engineering, local government, retail, sport and transport
One of the world’s largest law firms
Presentation Overview
The journey so far
2011/122010/112009/102008/9
Balancing needs and business realities
A soft launch
Extending and embedding
development
2008 and 2009
Balancing needs and business realities
A gallop through 2008/9 to 2009/10
• Challenging business climate• Rapid e-learning tools and new LMS introduced
– c. 120 courses developed in-house
• Web-conferencing for training launched– c. 120 webinars delivered with five-fold increase between
years one and two
• Legal training delivered through e-learning• Development of new skills compasses and
development frameworks• 25 ePocketbooks for soft skills support
Needs of the time, foundations for the future
Skills Compasses
• 200+ interviews• What makes a top-
flight lawyer or business support professional?
• Over 350 elements across 15+ compasses
The starting point
Development Frameworks
At a glance development to support careers
A Soft Launch
May 2010 to April 2011
The business need
• The most knowledgeable and innovative client-focused lawyers in the industry– Equipped to advise on latest legal developments– Capable of understanding each client’s business
environment– Able to appropriately leverage the full
international capabilities of the firm– Able to lead for client-focus and profitability– Able to encourage and drive through innovation
in provision of legal services
The starting point
Background to Launch
• New skills compasses and development frameworks launched in challenging business circumstances– Budget and travel pressures– Organisational change and adjustment
• Learning technologies established as core delivery platform
• Purchase of two suites of generic soft skills e-learning modules and 5 new ePocketbooks
Time to deliver development “of the moment”
Softly softly
• Subtle linking of new generic e-learning titles to all compasses elements and framework blocks– Team of HR managers and advisors mapped
50+ courses to 350 elements and 3 frameworks– Interactive development frameworks on intranet
site• New learning management system quietly rolled
out to deploy e-learning solutions• E-learning used to meet ad hoc requests• Core SRA development programmes delivered
Business as usual
Extending and Embedding Development
May 2011 and beyond
A New Business Environment
• Business conditions improving– Able to roll out full programme of learning
interventions• New business practices and work/learning
balance preferences established• Newer learning methods more embedded and
readily accepted• Generic e-learning a recognised development
option• Participants more webinar-savvy
Conducive conditions to innovate
Components of Development Solution
• Learning and development guide to formally publicise new offer and support managers
• Generic e-learning formalised as underpinning dimension to development frameworks
• More interactive webinars focussed on soft skills programmes
• Development of Eversheds Four Step Approach model
• New range of face-to-face workshops
Delivering the Eversheds blend
Learning and Development Guide
• Desk copy for all appraising managers
• E-brochure version for all employees
• Underlying message– There’s never been a
better time to develop yourself and your team
Delivering the message
Our Learning Delivery Framework
Quick E-learning
Podcasts
Passive Webinars
Interactive Webinars
Blogs Yammer Discussion Forums
Learning Time Commitment
Self-p
ace
d v
Liv
e
Face-to-face Classroom
One-to-one Coaching
Referenceware
Recorded Webinars
Attitu
de/S
kills v K
now
ledge/T
ask
Shorter Longer
Mobile LearningVideocasts
Eversheds Four-step Approach
1. Introductory webinar– Set context, introduce topic, explain pre-work
2. E-learning– Develop basics, deliver theory [HMM/rapid dev]
3. Expert learning– Internal or external expert, skills practice– Face-to-face, webinar, tele- or video-conference
4. Shadow learning– Regular check-ins from “experts in the field”
An expert-led blend
Eversheds Four-step Approach
• Senior Lawyer Development Programme
• Empower and delegate• Managing a virtual
team• Coaching skills• Delegate and prioritise• Seminar design and
delivery
• Delegation and giving honest feedback
• Coaching and motivating your team
• Time management and organisation skills
Blended management development
Innovative Innovation Training
• Video introduction with Head of Innovation– Set context, provide small and large examples,
everyone’s role, your next step• ePocketbook
– Winning hearts and minds• E-learning modules
– Help me generate innovative ideas– Help me implement these ideas successfully
• FlipCam interviews with Innovation Forum winners– It’s real, it works, it’s easy, it has an impact
A video/e-learning blend
Leadership and Management Development Goes Mobile
Responding to demand for mobile learning
Train on the Train
• Firmwide-led demand for mobile learning– 1,500 BlackBerries and 300 iPads– Medium term device neutral policy
• Three-month pilot– One exemplar mobile learning module– Selection of podcasts– Selection of videocasts
Personal development via mobile learning
Leadership Development on the Move
• Selection of titles focused on client service excellence– Preparation Is The Key To
Becoming A Trusted Advisor– Switching From Transactional
To Partnership Selling– Know Your Client And
Understand Their Business– Listen To The Changing Needs
Of The Consumer– Opportunities For Innovation
Come From Knowing Your Client
Underpinning client-centred leadership
Leadership and Management Development Goes Social
Leveraging the benefits from informal learning
Having a Good Old Yam
• Yammer gaining attrition as complementary communications channel– IT Community– L&D and Professional Support Lawyers– Trainee lawyers
• Knowledge Team working party• Social learning working party
– How does L&D earn the right to be followed by targeted audience?
Using social media to support development
Our Challenges in Using Social Media
• If we Yam, will they follow?• L&D needs to earn the right to be followed
– What will be our voice?• Chicken and egg
– Do we encourage uptake through our messages?
– Do we wait until tipping point in Yammer use is reached?
• Yams to support programmes and share management and leadership news and views
Our current discussions
Presentation Review
A softly softly approach to building capability
2011/122010/112009/102008/9
Balancing needs and business realities
A soft launch
Extending and embedding
development
© EVERSHEDS LLP 2010. Eversheds LLP is a limited liability partnership.
@timdrewitt