How Legal Executives Can Utilize the Metaskills Assessment Framework Worksheet to Develop Future-Ready Teams
Like any other department within a corporation, legal teams face unprecedented challenges: the explosion of data, the advent of AI, and evolving regulatory environments, to name a few. To address these challenges, a team of business-of-law professionals recently published “Metaskills for the Future-Ready Team,” a white paper that offers legal executives a strategic approach to future-proofing their teams by identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing crucial skills.
At the end of the white paper, we offer a Metaskills Assessment Framework Worksheet, a practical tool for any executive to plan for the future of the organization. Here’s how legal leaders can leverage this powerful tool to drive strategic decision-making and team development.
- Assess Current Capabilities (Got)
The worksheet allows teams to evaluate their existing strengths across ten critical metaskills, such as adaptability, data literacy, and emotional intelligence. Legal executives should:
- Conduct team workshops to discuss which metaskills are already present and who the internal champions are for each skill.
- Use the questions provided in the “Got” section to identify where these skills are frequently applied and how they support ongoing workflows.
- Recognize any reliance on specific individuals to prevent bottlenecks or risks related to single points of failure.
By identifying current capabilities, executives can map out the metaskills their team already excels at and pinpoint areas where they may need support.
- Prioritize Skills for Strategic Value (Want)
The “Want” column helps identify which metaskills are most valuable to the organization’s future goals. Legal executives should:
- Align skill priorities with the department’s strategic objectives, such as improving compliance workflows or integrating advanced eDiscovery tools.
- Use the worksheet to evaluate how each metaskill supports core business functions, like revenue generation or maintaining company culture.
- Prioritize metaskills that are likely to enhance the department’s ability to innovate and adapt to evolving challenges.
This step ensures the team focuses its development efforts on skills that will have the greatest impact.
- Mitigate Risks from Gaps (Need)
The final column, “Need,” highlights skills that, if absent, pose risks to the team’s performance or the organization’s goals. Legal executives should:
- Identify skill gaps that hinder efficiency, innovation, or the ability to manage risks, such as adapting to new data regulations or using generative AI responsibly.
- Analyze how these gaps could impact talent retention, operational efficiency, and the ability to respond to future legal challenges.
- Use this risk assessment to justify investments in skill development or strategic hiring.
Addressing gaps proactively helps mitigate risks and ensures the team remains agile and effective.
Develop a Strategy: Buy, Build, or Partner
Once the assessment is complete, leaders should determine the best approach to address gaps:
- Buy: Invest in hiring new talent with specific metaskills if there’s an immediate need and budget availability.
- Build: Develop internal training programs or upskill current team members if the team already has moderate proficiency.
- Partner: Collaborate with external providers for interim or specialized needs, such as consulting services or technology training.
Legal executives can use this structured approach to balance short-term needs with long-term growth.
Integrate Metaskills into Organizational Planning
The insights from the worksheet shouldn’t remain static. Legal executives should incorporate the findings into the team’s performance reviews, training plans, and hiring strategies going forward. Leaders should regularly revisit the worksheet to adjust priorities as the legal and business landscapes evolve. Finally, executives can foster a culture of continuous improvement by emphasizing the importance of metaskills in team meetings and strategic discussions.
The Metaskills Assessment Framework is more than a worksheet—it’s a roadmap for building a future-ready legal team. This proactive approach empowers legal departments to transition from reactive problem-solvers to strategic enablers of business success. Start the journey today by using the worksheet to unlock your team’s potential and drive transformative growth.
