When “They Always Figure It Out” Becomes a Liability
Every law firm has them.
The people who always step in.
The ones who fix things quietly.
The ones leadership trusts to “handle it.”
They’re smart.
Capable.
Reliable.
And they are often the single biggest operational risk in the firm.
Heroics Feel Like Strength — Until They Become a Crutch
In the moment, heroics feel good.
A deadline is saved.
A client is kept happy.
A problem disappears before leadership even knows it existed.
The firm moves on.
But what actually happened?
A system gap was patched — not fixed.
And the firm just trained itself to rely on the same people again next time.
Why Law Firms Drift Into Hero Mode
Firms don’t choose heroics intentionally.
They drift there because:
structure feels slower than improvisation
partners are busy and need quick fixes
growth outpaces documentation
“temporary” solutions keep working
no one owns system design
So the firm learns:
“Someone will figure it out.”
And over time, that expectation hardens into culture.
The Hidden Cost of “They Always Figure It Out”
Heroics hide problems instead of solving them.
They mask:
unclear roles
missing workflows
weak handoffs
vague decision rights
poor capacity assumptions
Because the work gets done, leadership doesn’t see the strain underneath.
Until the strain shows up as:
burnout
missed details
resentment
uneven performance
sudden breakdowns
Heroics absorb capacity — quietly and indefinitely.
Why High Performers Become the Bottleneck
The people who “always figure it out” usually:
care deeply about quality
move fast under pressure
don’t wait for perfect direction
fix issues before escalating
Which means:
more work flows to them
decisions get deferred to them
ambiguity lands on their plate
their role expands without design
Eventually, the firm depends on their presence to function.
That’s not leadership.
That’s fragility.
Heroics Create Inconsistent Client Experience
When success depends on who handles the work:
quality varies
turnaround times fluctuate
standards become subjective
clients experience inconsistency
The firm may have great people — but no reliable system.
That makes scale risky.
And valuation weaker.
Why Firms Mistake Heroics for “Culture”
Many firms justify heroics as:
commitment
teamwork
going above and beyond
But a culture that depends on overextension isn’t healthy.
It’s unsustainable.
Real culture is built on:
clear expectations
predictable execution
shared standards
systems that support people
Heroics are a signal that those things are missing.
The Structural Fix: Design for Normal Performance
The goal isn’t to eliminate initiative.
It’s to stop requiring heroics for basic operations.
That means:
documenting workflows
defining decision rights
clarifying roles and handoffs
setting quality standards
installing escalation paths
modeling realistic capacity
When structure exists, “normal” performance is enough.
And exceptional performance becomes a bonus — not a requirement.
How COOs Reduce Reliance on Heroics
Operational leaders don’t tell people to stop caring.
They:
surface where heroics are happening
ask why they’re needed
redesign the system around the gap
protect high performers from overload
spread knowledge instead of concentrating it
The firm becomes stronger — not just busier.
What Happens When Firms Break the Hero Cycle
When firms move away from heroics:
burnout decreases
performance stabilizes
onboarding improves
leadership gains visibility
execution becomes repeatable
The firm no longer survives on effort alone.
It operates on design.
The Question Firms Should Ask
Instead of:
“Who can handle this?”
Ask:
Why does this need saving?
Where is the system failing?
What would make this repeatable?
Who should own this long-term?
Those questions turn heroics into structure.
If your firm depends on a few people to “always figure it out,” the issue isn’t dedication — it’s missing structure.
I help law firms replace heroics with systems that scale, protect high performers, and make execution reliable — without burning people out.