This requires thoughtfulness, understanding, and knowledge of my team. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, as each individual is driven by different needs. For instance, I have a young team, some are married with children, others are not, some are mobile, and others are not. Some are highly educated and need different incentives, while others are eager to learn and develop in their fields. So, it requires considerable understanding, and I engage fully with each one to meet their needs, expectations, and, to some extent, what they believe they are entitled to.

It’s important to tailor rewards and responses to each individual’s needs, ensuring I respond appropriately to each situation while maintaining a cohesive, collegial, collaborative, transparent, supportive, and high-performing environment. Our work is highly pressurised, and we are constantly managing multiple critical matters simultaneously, so supporting a balanced approach to work-life-wellbeing is key. During critical times, we work hard and long hours, but when it’s not, we do not. Even during critical periods, I encourage maintaining a balanced approach to wellbeing, such as taking breaks and scheduling time for the gym or any other personal training. I believe it’s especially important to maintain a regular training schedule when I’m busiest at work.

To address your earlier question, my approach includes setting clear expectations, explaining the reasons behind our actions, and engaging the team in the crafting of our legal strategy. I also seek their input on how they perceive the legal department within the broader business context. It’s essential that our legal strategy aligns with the business objectives, and we all understand what we need to do to support and enable the business to meet those goals. I’ve found that when people understand the ‘what’ and the ‘why’, they are more motivated to execute the plan, as it aligns with their own goals.

Whenever I receive a compliment, whether for myself or for a team member, I immediately share it in our group Teams chat and celebrate that person. As lawyers, the work we do is often unseen or undervalued, so when one of us is praised, we all get excited and share in that recognition. The business has also created avenues to raise awareness for support staff across various departments, ensuring that these unsung heroes are recognised in some form.

The nature of our work requires quick decision-making, as they need to be the right decisions. Creating bottlenecks in a system already challenged by other obstacles is counterproductive. For this reason, I hire the right people, give them the autonomy to make decisions within their roles, and trust them to carry them out. This not only increases motivation but also fosters creativity and accountability.

As I mentioned earlier, leading a young team means being available and connected. They learn and grow by observing, so even though we operate in a hybrid environment, we meet once a week at the office to discuss what we’ve worked on, lessons learned, and what we’re focusing on in the upcoming week. This information is shared among the team, ensuring that if someone is stretched or absent unexpectedly, the work continues seamlessly as everyone is informed and shares updates. Although team members work with their own clients, there’s an openness within the team that ensures the client always receives the best service within the agreed timelines.