"Soft skills" – nontechnical abilities such as public speaking and general business savvy – rise in importance as legal professionals move up the ranks. Since senior-level responsibilities include hiring, retaining, motivating and mentoring employees, "people" skills quickly become as important as expertise in legal management in order to ensure efficient operations within your firm.

Managers rely on soft skills every day in their interactions with staff, executives, partners and clients, so proficiency in all types of communication is essential to success. Like any other ability, soft skills can be learned, practiced and improved upon. A few strategic tips follow that can enhance your soft skills:

Perform an Honest Self-evaluation
Assess the current state of your skills by closely monitoring your interactions with employees at all levels of your firm, but especially those you manage directly. Target areas for improvement – your perceptiveness may be high, but perhaps you need to develop your ability to build consensus among employees, for example.

Invite Constructive Criticism
Those with whom you work closely will be able to provide a more objective view of your soft skills. Inform trusted coworkers of your desire to improve, and ask for suggestions to act upon. Take their recommendations as specific points of motivation toward your personal advancement.

Seek Opportunities to Improve
There are a number of professional seminars legal managers and administrators can take to heighten listening, negotiation and public-speaking abilities. Also, the capacity to perform under pressure, make good decisions in a time crunch and project a professional image can be enhanced with practice. Seize the opportunity to improve each time you communicate with another person.

Those who develop soft skills early in their careers may advance more quickly than others, but it is never too late to improve. Dedication to personal development will not only position you well for future leadership roles, but it will also increase your marketability.