By Kristy Bourgeois
Nearly everyone working in a law firm, from a Millennial just a year or two into her or his career, to a seasoned lawyer with more than 50 years in practice, can agree that the practice of law is fast-paced, high pressure, demanding and requires constant focus. The best lawyers I’ve met have numerous skills, but one that seems to be common among most of them is the ability to focus extremely intently, often for extended periods.
That’s a great quality of course, but the downside to it is that it often leads to people missing things that they might otherwise notice easily. In my years of practice, I’ve noticed that communication often falls into this category. Communication and all of the nuances of it, is easy to take for granted and that can lead to problems.
This is especially true when members of different generations are working together, in a demanding profession such as law. We all have a tendency to fall into our preferred methods and styles of communicating, but doing so may mean we end up missing excellent opportunities to reach across the generational divides. Millennials who are aware of this and build those intergenerational bridges may benefit tremendously.
Millennials – who grew up with texting, instant messaging and of course, email, value speed and efficiency of communication. These instant forms of communication are not only rapid, but they also don’t require an interruption, as do phone calls. We see the speed and efficiency of these forms of communication, and many of us assume everyone else does as well. When it comes to getting things done, we value this efficiency. We also don’t see any reason to be tied to an office or a desk, and we’re like our Generation X colleagues in that we have blurred the lines between time at work and time at home. We don’t have any problem answering work related texts or emails during our “off time.”
And while Millennials value communication, we differ from previous generations, especially Baby Boomers, in that once we have an assignment we tend to get to work on it and complete it as efficiently as possible. We often don’t see a need to communicate or provide status updates as we complete our projects. But we need to remember that Baby Boomers like and often require status updates. Baby Boomers, as a group, tend to feel that if they don’t get status updates no progress is being made and/or they are being kept “in the dark.” So it serves us well to recognize that and to send a brief project status update email to our Boomer colleagues. Boomers see this as “good communication.”
Boomers also place high value on face-to-face interaction. The pre-email business environment in which they came of age included regular meetings. Millennials who recognize that and are open to more face-to-face interaction will be viewed by Boomers, and to an extent, Gen Xers, as “team players.”
We also need to recognize that Gen Xers are heavy users of email, though they are usually proficient in other communication modes. And while these tools are extremely efficient and help us keep interruptions to a minimum, we need to recognize the limits of email and texting. These tools are excellent when it comes to simple transfers of information. However, every one of us has almost certainly seen or been involved in instances where solving a problem with text or email exchanges exacerbated the situation. Rule of thumb: answer questions via email or text, solve problems on the phone or in person. This is especially true when dealing with our more senior colleagues.
Finally, it’s important to understand the needs of our most senior colleagues, the members of the Silent Generation. As they are now in their late 70s, they are the smallest generational group (just under 3%) in the legal industry today, but they are often highly respected and sought after advisors valued for their institutional knowledge and immense experience. Many members of the Silent Generation use email, but they are for more comfortable with in-person communication. Like their Boomer successors, they value regular communication, value experience and seniority and appreciate being sought out for their opinions. Millennials who understand this and act accordingly will not only be viewed favorably by members of this generation, but will often find themselves being offered valuable information by them. Experience, after all, is a great teacher.
Make a habit of considering your “audience” when communicating with your fellow lawyers and clients. Consider their generational communication preferences. And remember that in doing so, you can position yourself as a Millennial who is a “team player” and a “great communicator,” traits that all of us, regardless of generation, value.
Kristy Bourgeois is an Associate with Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard P.C. in St. Louis, Missouri, where she heads the firm’s Institutional Industry Group. Kristy holds a B.A. in Psychology and J.D., both from Saint Louis University. She can be reached at kbourgeois@sandbergphoenix.com or 314-446-4206.