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### **Who are you?**

My name is Bill Galloway, and I’m a user experience designer. I have worked as a digital creative director for 20+ years, helping brands and products improve their digital offering. I have been lucky enough to work with some prestigious brands such as Disney, Ford, Boots, Paul Smith, Manchester United FC, and more. I believe that creating a strong service design offering, innovative product development and beautiful creative design is central to the success of any business in the age of digital communications. This experience allows me to help the Flex Legal team produce stronger service design offerings than ever before. In turn, this will help our clients to embrace the digital transformation and modernisation facing the legal industry.

### **What has Flex Legal allowed you to learn?**

The legal industry is new to me, so I am busy embracing it and learning as much as I can. New industries mean new challenges – which I am finding incredibly exciting! We’ve already done a huge amount of work to understand our user’s journeys in their interactions with our website and online portal. This has allowed us to understand exactly what people want and need from a service like Flex Legal, meaning we can offer increasingly better and slicker services to clients and legal professionals alike.

### **What is your favourite thing about working at Flex Legal?**

I’m always amazed at how people can adapt to difficult and challenging situations. This year has made most of us acutely aware of how important it is to adapt, to embrace the new and challenge some long-standing things which have defined work for the last 100 years. What has surprised and amazed me is how quickly the Flex Legal team embraced this change and even thrived on the challenges it brought. I’m very lucky to be working with such a talented and openminded group of people.

### **What does working Flex-ibly mean to you and how do you do it?**

I think that I have been working flexibly for many years. Having the opportunity to work with larger brands often meant delivering with a global team and the development of delivery and communication methods to allow this has meant that flexible working became central to how I work best. Flex Legal has allowed me to take this a step further – and I now work almost entirely from my home in Surrey with my son Tom and my wife Alison. This has, in no uncertain terms, changed my life and I believe made me a more capable user experience designer.

### **What should I do if I want to learn more about Flex Legal?**

The best way to find out more is simply to talk to us. We are always here and happy to listen! We try to embrace new ways of communicating but we are just as happy to meet for a coffee and a chat (well maybe not this year).

**Additional Resources:**

* *[Bill’s website](http://www.billgalloway.com/). Anyone looking to learn a little more about Bill and his work should take a look through his website.*
* *[This is me: Ally](/blog/this-is-me-ally). A previous version of this blog series, offering a look at Ally, a former Associate on the Flex Legal Commercial Development Scheme.*
* *[This is me: Louie](/blog/this-is-me-louie). Another look at one of our team members (and winner of our Paralegal of the Month Oct. 2020 award), Louie Buckland.*

User experience group

This is me: Bill

Only two things in life are certain; taxes and professional feedback.

Okay, maybe that isn’t quite how the famous saying goes – but it’s still a good point. Regardless of your job title or your position in a company – sooner or later you’re going to have to deal with feedback. Whether giving it or receiving it, there’s no denying the importance of this inevitable aspect of professional life.

Fortunately, earlier this often overlooked topic was the subject of this month’s Junior Lawyer Lunch, in collaboration with [Crafty Counsel](https://craftycounsel.co.uk/) and [LexisNexis](https://www.lexisnexis.co.uk/). Sharing their insights on the art of giving and receiving feedback was [Mel Nebhrajani](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mel-nebhrajani-139ba688/) – Legal Director at the [Department of Health and Social Care](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care) and[ Rob Povinelli](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-povinelli-31350926/) – Talent Development Manager at [Dentons](https://www.dentons.com/en), as well as Flex Legal’s very own [Sophie Gould](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-gould-95832316/).

We covered a lot of great stuff in the call, which we’ve summarised the art of giving and receiving feedback into 4 easy steps:

## **1) Understand the human psychology of feedback**

It’s perfectly understandable to be fearful of giving or receiving feedback. Nobody likes to hear that they’ve done something wrong, just as nobody likes to tell a colleague that they’ve done something wrong. Understanding the background psychology of why feedback is such a hard topic is essential if you’re looking to master it. This was contextualised fantastically by Rob when he explained that the limbic system of the human brain (part of the “mammalian brain”) hasn’t evolved much and is still hard-wired to perceive danger in the same way it always has. Our hunter gatherer ancestors had the same reactions to mortal danger as we do to social danger. If you’ve ever felt complete dread about professional feedback before – your hunter-gatherer ancestors felt the same way when Saber Toothed Tigers were lurking about the underbrush!

## **2) Practice to minimise the fear of feedback**

It’s all well and good to know that the same parts of the brain perceive mortal and social danger, but how can we use this to stop our Tiger-level sense of fear in its tracks? First of all, the right environment can help! You want your colleagues to feel accustomed to sharing feedback so it shouldn’t come as a total system shock. Nurture a work environment where mutually constructive feedback conversations are a routine practice. These conversations don’t have to take long, but the more you have them the more habitual and easy they become. Secondly, recognise that feedback needs to be mutual. Everyone should have a chance to share their view uninterrupted and collaboratively identify how things can improve. Remember – you’re trying to solve problems as a team, not drill into the mistakes of a single person.

## 3) **Find the right phrasing for the conversation**

When grappling with feedback, it’s important to remember that the way you frame the conversation goes a long way. Subtle tweaks in the phrasing and terminology you use can have a surprisingly large impact! As touched upon above, think of the conversation as an opportunity to solve working problems together. One of Mel’s suggestions to do this to try and deliver of ‘feed-forwards’ instead of ‘feed-back’. This really resonated, as it shifts the balance of the conversation away from dwelling on mistakes that have already been made, and instead draws more focus on a collaborative conversation about what can improve in the future next time. It might sound small, but focusing on what’s ahead not only reduces the difficulty of having these conversations, but hugely benefits the long-term effectiveness of a team over time.

## **4) Ask lots of questions**

Having a conversation where feedback is discussed is one thing, but how do you make sure everyone involved can take something away? Easy - ask *lots* of questions, wherever possible. If you’re on the receiving end of some feedback, and you don’t understand what’s being communicated to you, then make sure you do! Ask questions, figure it out, and come away with clear, actionable points. Conversely, if you’re on the giving end of feedback, make sure what you’re trying to communicate has come across. Ask the other person if they can repeat it back to you, or make sure you ask for their thoughts. Everyone should know exactly what has been discussed, and exactly what should be done differently next time? If you’re struggling to have a feedback conversation in a general way, try being more specific. Think of it like this: instead of “*Can I give you some feedback?*” try something more along the lines of “*Can we put our heads together and discuss how we can do this specific task more effectively?*”

So there we have it: 4 steps for mastering the art of giving and receiving feedback. It’s a daunting task that often goes overlooked as an area for improvement and mastery, so hopefully this post has provoked some thought for you about how to navigate this tricky topic. You can also [sign up to December’s Junior Lawyer Lunch by clicking here](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/flex-legal-virtual-lunch-with-lexis-nexis-and-crafty-counsel-december-tickets-130016331347).

### **Additional resources:**

[Ted talk by Joe Hirsch ‘The Joy of Getting Feedback’](https://www.ted.com/talks/joe_hirsch_the_joy_of_getting_feedback). This 8 minute talk delves more deeply into the idea of ‘feed-forward’, and covers the speaker’s personal journey from being terrified of receiving feedback, to loving it as a tool for personal development.

[‘5 top tips for coping with professional mistakes’](https://flex.legal/blog/5-top-tips-for-coping-with-professional-mistakes). Making mistakes is inevitable, but what should you do once you’ve made them? This blog post from last month’s Junior Lawyer Lunch shines a light on how to better cope when this unavoidable part of any professional journey.

Feedback: By colleagues

How to give and receive feedback in 4 easy steps

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mooreje/">James Moore</a>, <a href="https://flex.legal/">F-LEX’s</a> Co-Founder and CTO, recently ran a webinar in collaboration with <a href="https://www.lawnet.co.uk/">LawNet</a> where he shared his top tips on effectively managing a remote team.&nbsp;James has been managing remote teams for 15 years. These have incorporated different time zones, geographies and cultures, and have made James well-accustomed with the different obstacles which may hinder remote workers. Now managing an entirely remote team, James has found the adjustment to current conditions relatively seamless.The biggest question a remote manager must ask themselves is ‘how can the project progress?’ Fortunately for readers, James has found a few key strategies which help to answer this.<h1 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Distinguish between co-located and remote teams</h1>When everyone works remotely, there are fewer communication issues because everyone is in the same working environment. However, problems can arise when a team is split, with some working together in the office and some working remotely. This is because the team in the office could agree something verbally which doesn’t get relayed to those working remotely, for instance. Team integration is another big concern. An office environment often leads to lots of informal interactions between team members throughout the day, for instance having a quick chat as you make a coffee or going out together to grab lunch. This strengthens team cohesion and collegiality, however for remote workers it can lead to feelings of isolation and detachment from the rest of the team, which ultimately impacts on efficiency and the quality of work being produced.So what is the solution? If it is possible, try to separate teams into those working together in-person and those working remotely. By doing so, remote workers are less likely to feel that they are missing out on the office environment because the rest of their team is also working remotely. If this distinction isn’t feasible, it is important to address the unequal footing of remote workers. Team meetings play a huge part here because they offer a platform for everyone’s thoughts and problems to be heard and considered equally. Further, regular informal catch-ups between team members and supervisors helps to make remote workers feel included and engaged with the team.<h1 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Encourage asynchronous communication</h1>In an effective team, everyone is communicating constantly. However not all communication is equal, and it is important to understand the nuances of its different forms. Asynchronous communication means that you don’t expect a response to a message or query straight away, but instead within a reasonable timeframe. Conversely, synchronous communication means that a response is expected almost instantly, and can leave you sitting at your screen waiting for it to appear.James has found that encouraging asynchronous communication and work practices to be the best approach for workflows and enhanced productivity. This is because the stress levels and pressure felt by employees increase when they feel the need to respond instantly to every question they are sent. This can often mean they are ‘firefighting’ by responding to these messages instead of completing more productive work. Asynchronous communication removes this pressure, and means that their thought processes aren’t interrupted by every new notification. As a remote manager, encouraging this communication style is a great way to increase team productivity.<h1 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">But synchronous communication still has its place!</h1>Despite the above, synchronous communication should still be used where appropriate. An example may be daily update meetings with your team. Here, James asks team members what they did the day before, what they are planning to do that day, and what may be preventing them from completing it. This helps people to feel supported, and ensures that work-quality is high and that resources are being properly allocated. James also has 1-to-1 catch ups with his team every two weeks, where he has a wider chat about work and how they are getting on generally. This helps to set goals for each team member, and shows an investment into personal relationships which helps with team cohesion and wellbeing.<h1 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Deconstruct large tasks</h1>James’s final tip is to break down large pieces of work into smaller tasks which can be more effectively allocated without overwhelming individuals. By doing so, tasks are also more easily reviewed by peers. This contributes to a rigorous quality-checking system, and allows for accountability to be shared between a team for a large project, instead of one person having to carry complete responsibility.<h1 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Some FAQs about remote management</h1>How do we ensure junior people have enough supervision and are keeping their profile up?&nbsp;It can be tricky for more junior team members to work remotely. James has found the peer-review mechanism useful for collegiate work because it allows junior members to constantly learn, and also for their individual wins to be celebrated. By doing so, confidence within the team also increases, meaning junior members are more likely to reach out for help when they need it.How do you deal with huge email traffic and highlight important messages?&nbsp;We can all be captive to our emails. A simple way to manage emails is to set up labels and tags in your inbox, which help to automatically file away unimportant messages. This leaves your inbox as a ‘to-do’ list, which only contains messages which need actioning and helps avoid distractions.Further, James recommends the book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport (2016). This book helps to break down some of concepts discussed in this post, and highlights the difficulty of returning to a task once your focus has been broken.Do any of you have examples of good practice you have adopted around supervising junior team members?<ul data-rte-list="default"><li>Open door policy: It is important to be approachable and make time for team members, particularly junior members who may have more questions compared to more established colleagues. Making the effort to reach out to your team on an individual basis also helps to create a supportive and collegiate working environment, and stops junior members from ‘suffering in silence’.</li></ul><ul data-rte-list="default"><li>Technology: Zoom, Slack, and OfficeVibe are all pieces of technology that F-LEX uses on a daily basis to stay connected and ensure that an accurate understanding of team morale is being gauged.</li></ul><ul data-rte-list="default"><li>Retrospective meetings: These are held every two months, and allow the team to break down what has gone well recently and what can be improved on going forwards.</li></ul><ul data-rte-list="default"><li>Elevensies: F-LEX has implemented ‘Elevensies’ since the start of lockdown which allows the whole company to catch up informally over a coffee at 11am every Friday. We hold this over Zoom for around 30 minutes, and each week someone sets a trivia quiz. This has been great because it means everyone gets to chat to people in different teams that we may not be working with on a daily basis! </li></ul>

This is me: Bill

How to give and receive feedback in 4 easy steps

Check Your Distance: How to Effectively Manage Remote Teams