Book Review: Gung Ho!

Why Productivity Breaks as Law Firms Grow ( and How to Fix It )

The Problem This Book Solves

Many law firm owners experience the same frustrating pattern:

• When the firm was small, productivity was high

• As the team grew, revenue didn’t scale with headcount

• Stress increased, margins tightened, and clarity disappeared

Gung Ho! explains why this happens, and why productivity is a leadership system issue, not a people problem.

The Core Story (Quick Summary)

The book follows a leader who takes over a failing department that’s about to be shut down due to low productivity.

Inside the same company, one small team is outperforming everyone else.

The key question becomes:What makes one team highly productive, and how do you scale that mindset across the organization?

That question applies directly to growing law firms.

Why This Matters for Law Firms

A common real-world scenario:

• A solo attorney generates ~$400,000 in revenue

• Three attorneys are added

• Total revenue grows to ~$900,000

  
  

Despite quadrupling headcount, productivity per person drops.

This isn’t uncommon, and it’s exactly the issue Gung Ho! addresses.

The 3 Leadership Principles That Drive Productivity

The book presents three core ideas. Here’s the law firm translation.

1. Clarity

People need to understand why their work matters.

Most firms say:

“We provide legal services.”

That’s not motivating.

What is motivating is helping your team understand:

• How their work reduces client fear and uncertainty

• How it protects clients’ futures

• How it creates stability during stressful legal moments

  
  

When people see the impact of their work, engagement and ownership increase.

2. Challenge

Comfort kills motivation.

Teams disengage when expectations are vague or too easy.

Productive firms clearly define:

• What average performance looks like

• What good looks like

• What excellent looks like

  
  

This creates healthy challenge. People know what they’re striving toward, and effort increases as a result.

3. Celebration

Progress must be visible to be motivating.

Many firms stop at clarity and challenge, but forget celebration.

Celebration isn’t about praise for praise’s sake.It’s about confirming:

• “Yes, this is working.”

• “Yes, you’re making progress.”

• “Yes, this effort matters.”

  
  

Without celebration, motivation quietly fades.

The Financial Impact of Getting This Wrong

Low productivity leads to:

• Shrinking margins

• Owners subsidizing payroll instead of growth

• Increased stress without increased results

  
  

Productivity is not an HR issue.It’s a profitability issue.

Final Verdict

Gung Ho! is a short, story-driven read that offers a powerful reminder:

Sustainable law firm growth depends on leadership systems, not pressure, micromanagement, or longer hours.

If you’re growing your firm and want productivity to scale with headcount, this book is worth your time.

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About TLTurner Group

TLTurner Group is a law firm–focused accounting and advisory firm that helps attorneys bring clarity to their finances and confidence to their decisions. We work with growing law firms to translate financial data into leadership insight, so owners can scale profitably without burnout, chaos, or constant guesswork.

Our work goes beyond bookkeeping. We help firm leaders understand how productivity, pricing, staffing, and systems actually show up in the numbers, then use that clarity to build sustainable, well-run firms.

If you believe growth should feel intentional (not exhausting), you’re in the right place.