How A Law Firm’s Shift Led to a $2 Million ROI through Increased Retention, Engagement, and Performance

THE CHALLENGE: A LAW FIRM AT A CROSSROADS

Nardella & Nardella is a law firm based in Orlando, Fla., specializing in commercial litigation and bankruptcy law. On the surface, they were a huge success. The firm had grown to a team of 15 attorneys and 25 total professionals and built a business model designed to weather the storms of a volatile economy. But under the surface, something was shifting.

The ambition that had driven lead partner Michael Nardella through years of long hours, hard work, courtroom battles, and business growth was no longer enough to sustain him.

“The reasons that once drove me, like money and survival, weren’t enough anymore. Once those needs are met, you naturally go to what’s next. I was still pushing, but with less clarity and less joy.”

Despite building a stable and successful business, Michael was still leading the firm like it was in startup mode. 

At the same time, his younger attorneys were showing signs of a generational shift. The industry was struggling to motivate and retain young lawyers. They were talented, but many needed guidance focusing their drive. Some had grown up in the shadow of the financial crisis and COVID, carrying a quiet pessimism about what hard work could really produce.

Michael started asking deeper questions:

• What motivates people today?
• Why doesn’t traditional leadership development seem to stick?
• And most urgently: If I keep leading this way, where will this take us?

“I couldn’t keep leading the way that I was. It got me to a good place, but I needed to evolve.”

THE TURNING POINT: SHIFTING FROM SUCCESS TO SIGNIFICANCE
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Michael began working with SightShift™ through its leadership development process. What started as a personal journey of realignment quickly evolved into something much deeper. It became a reintegration of his intellect, identity, and leadership.

“If I had read the SightShift books on my own, I would’ve gotten maybe 40% of the transformation. But working through it directly with SightShift revealed things I didn’t even know were in me.”

SightShift™ challenged Michael to examine:

• New motivations for new levels of impact.
• What he truly wanted from the next stage of leadership.
• How to lead from the best mindset possible.

Michael began to see a new possibility. Rather than stepping back from the firm, Michael envisioned a firm that was an extension of his values. Where the very culture of the business could become life-changing and transformational. 

This wasn’t about re-writing mission statements or implementing surface-level culture activities. It was a call to do the hard work of leading from a better mindset and invite others to do the same.

One of the first shifts Michael made was to view the business as a platform to build something meaningful with people and through people. 

“I used to think: build the business to earn your freedom. Now I think: build the business to build a community.”

As his mindset shifted, his leadership followed.

He reinvested in mentoring young attorneys, which brought him more joy and fulfillment. He also began delegating operational control of the firm, which allowed him to turn his focus to the long-term vision.

Michael’s mindset shift led to a complete transformation of the firm.
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THE TRANSFORMATION: A CULTURE RESET FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Michael invited SightShift™ to expand its work to the rest of the firm. Together, they worked to surface culture patterns that had been holding the team back and align the leadership team around shared values.

They implemented:

• The Growth Culture Health Check™ to measure the greatest culture risks their team faced
• Organization-wide coaching through the Figure That Shift Out™ coaching program
• Ongoing leadership development through the SightShift Leadership Operating System™

The result was a full cultural reset, without blowing everything up.

“It’s not just a new vocabulary. It’s a new system of thinking that helped everyone name what was really going on and it gave us tools to act on it.”

The work Nardella & Nardella invested in paid immediate dividends.

“I can trace over $2 million of legitimate ROI that would not have come in if not for SightShift after just six months of working with them.”

Sure, the business grew, but more importantly, the momentum of the business grew. 

• Talent retention - High-potential lawyers stay.
• Increased engagement - People now bring their full selves to their work.
• Increased clarity - The firm knows who it is and how it leads.
• Accelerated growth - The team expanded into a larger vision with shared ownership.

“I used to carry the whole thing. Now, I’m surrounded by leaders who can think, act, and build alongside me.”

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‍IMPACT & ROI: HUMAN, CULTURAL, FINANCIAL

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What Michael experienced personally has now scaled through the entire culture of the firm. People show up differently, interactions have deepened, and the culture has become more reflective of the values that drive them. 

Michael sees the ROI not just in revenue, but in the culture that supports it.

“There were people I thought we were going to lose. We didn’t. And I know that’s because of the cultural clarity we’ve built.”

Is your organization growing, but without a clear cultural foundation?

The scalability of your organization depends on the scalability of your leaders. SightShift™ helps fast-growing companies identify the hidden risk factors that threaten to hold them back.  

With proprietary data, proven coaching systems, and a simple model for building culture, we can help you accelerate your growth without sacrificing your values.

“Very few things actually work. This did. You don’t ignore something that works.”

Take the first step.

To accelerate the growth of your leaders, team, and business, visit www.sightshift.com/culture

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Listen to the full conversation

‍Enjoy the full interview with Michael Nardella. You can listen right here, or find the episode on your favorite podcast platform.

This episode is also available on Apple Podcast, YouTube and PodBean,

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