Podcast Summary: Your Next Move — "How to Develop a Culture Around Accountability"

Podcast: Your Next Move
Host: Inc. Magazine (Sarah Lynch)
Guest: Sharon Ramage, Founder of the Ramage Law Group
Date: September 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode explores how Sharon Ramage, founder of a thriving family law practice, developed a culture of accountability within her firm. Sharon shares insights into leadership, scaling a people-centered practice, adapting to technology, building the right team, and facing the challenges—and opportunities—of rapid growth. She reflects on her lessons learned, including embracing transparency, fostering the right mindset for both employees and herself, and evolving service models to better meet client needs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Building a Culture of Accountability

• Metrics and Transparency:

  • Sharon emphasizes that real growth comes from tracking what matters:
    • "You can't grow unless you're measuring. And you can't measure that that you don't monitor." (01:13, Sharon Ramage)
  • The firm tracks every employee's KPIs; everyone sees everyone else's numbers, fostering team support and openness.
    • “There's no secrecy, there's no hiding because we want to help someone out if maybe they're a little short or if maybe they're having a hard time meeting their KPIs.” (02:56, Sharon Ramage)
  • This visibility enables proactive help and course corrections.

• Frequent Communication:

  • Regular meetings and check-ins ensure goals are clear and allow accountability to be a shared value.

2. Embracing Technology

• Automation as a Strategy:
  • Initially hesitant, Sharon became a strong advocate for automating processes:
    • “If it can be done more than once, it gets automated.” (01:52, Sharon Ramage)
  • Marketing, intake, and client acquisition are handled via 100% automated processes. Only the consultation itself remains a human interaction.
  • Legal team workflows are also automated for efficiency and improved client service.

3. Defining Team Values & Hiring Philosophy

• Core Qualities: Humble, Hungry, Smart:

  • Sharon favors Patrick Lencioni’s "Ideal Team Player” framework.
    • “I want people that are humble, hungry and smart. ... You don't want know-it-alls, you want learn-it-alls.” (04:19, Sharon Ramage)
  • The best hires own mistakes and strive to improve.
  • People and team skills matter as much as technical ability.

• Learning from Hiring Mistakes:

  • Sharon admits past missteps in putting people into the wrong roles:
    • “I would take 100% ownership of it and not really, really evaluating whether they were appropriate for the job, whether the job was the right fit for them and they were the right fit.” (05:40, Sharon Ramage)
  • Now, she rigorously assesses fit via skills assessments and prioritizes moving on quickly if someone isn’t a match.

4. Proactive and Empathetic Client Service

• Marketing with Empathy:
  • The firm’s messaging: “We're going to be your advocate and you're safe here.” (08:14, Sharon Ramage)
  • Initial consultations are with a sales-trained team member who listens and demonstrates care before legal staff get involved, emphasizing a listening-first approach.
  • Marketing efforts focus on helping clients protect their futures—adapting outreach from digital ads to live events depending on the audience.

5. Living the Firm’s Core Values

• Truth with Compassion:
  • The firm’s top value is to “speak the truth with compassion above all else.”
  • Sharon recounts a deeply personal moment—her mother’s hospitalization—where a doctor’s honest, compassionate conversation allowed for meaningful goodbyes and closure.
    • “Tell the truth, even when it's something the other person doesn't want to hear, because you don't know what gift is on the other side.” (09:26, Sharon Ramage)

6. Organization & Leadership Practices

• Staying Focused and Prioritizing:
  • Sharon leans on working from home, pragmatic checklists, and systems like EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to stay organized.
  • Fires may arise, but blocking time for strategic ‘on-the-business’ thinking is key.
    • “Working in the business is not something that I really feel like is the best use of my time. I need to really work on it.” (13:43, Sharon Ramage)

7. Future Vision and Bold Moves

• Innovative Service Models:

  • Sharon aims to shift from billable hours to project- or flat-fee billing.
    • “I am planning to get rid of the billable hour ... I think we can do it and I think that is where our business is headed.” (15:06, Sharon Ramage)
  • Technology will enable this transition; Sharon believes consumer expectations demand it.

• Encouraging Big Thinking:

  • Sharon challenges herself and others to reject limiting beliefs:
    • “Don’t limit yourself ... If you think there’s a limitation on something you want to do, stop. Because there isn’t.” (17:01, Sharon Ramage)
  • She describes how thinking bigger—moving from a solo practice to building a team—freed her to focus on growth rather than just daily revenue.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On measuring success:

  • “The minute we started tracking everything, we grew exponentially.” (02:56, Sharon Ramage)

• On qualities of great team members:

  • “You don't want know-it-alls, you want learn-it-alls.” (04:19, Sharon Ramage)

• On learning from mistakes:

  • “We don't know what works until we know what doesn't.” (05:40, Sharon Ramage)

• On leadership:

  • “Courage to grow, where does that come from?... My why is to challenge the status quo.” (19:20, Sharon Ramage)

• On honesty in client communication:

  • “Never hold back on having the hard discussions ... you don't know what gift is on the other side.” (09:26, Sharon Ramage)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:13] – Sharon on developing an accountability culture
• [01:52] – Embracing technology and full process automation
• [02:56] – Tracking KPIs and transparency within the team
• [04:19] – Hiring values: humble, hungry, and smart
• [05:40] – Learning from hiring mistakes
• [08:14] – Marketing with empathy and client focus
• [09:26] – Company values and the power of compassionate honesty (Sharon's story of her mother's last moments)
• [13:43] – Organization and time management as a founder
• [15:06] – Moving away from billable hours to alternative models
• [17:01] – Sharon’s advice for thinking bigger and embracing growth
• [19:20] – The entrepreneur’s mindset: challenging the status quo

Episode Tone

• Candid and Reflective: Sharon speaks openly about her mistakes, growth, and personal evolution as a leader.
• Pragmatic yet Aspirational: There’s a blend of practical advice (systems, automation, hiring rigor) with big-picture encouragement to challenge norms and embrace bold visions.
• Compassionate: Empathy—for both clients and team members—is a consistent theme, especially in how values are applied in real moments.

In Summary:
Sharon Ramage’s journey illustrates that accountability, constant measurement, transparent teamwork, and compassionate honesty are fundamental to building a resilient and growing business. Her willingness to innovate, embrace vulnerability, and think big offers guidance and inspiration for leaders scaling their own organizations.