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Mastering the Art of General Counsel Leadership: Strategies for Growth
By MIKE WILLIAMS
People become leaders for many reasons, but it is always a choice. An individual may become a leader because it is part of the job requirements or because they are told to lead. An individual may step up because no one else is available, and without a leader, chaos may ensue. Sometimes, a leader is chosen because they are the senior person in the room or an expert in a particular area. And finally, sometimes, an individual steps up as a leader because they love to lead. In any of these pathways to general counsel leadership, the person accepting a leadership role is making a choice.
Leading Is Different Than Managing
General counsel who earn a reputation as effective leaders understand the difference between leading and managing, which comes down to three key points:
• Leadership is doing the right thing, while management is doing things right.
• Leadership is making choices to create a better future, while management is about being in the present.
• Leadership is conferred by the people who follow a leader, whereas management is conferred by a job title.
Ultimately, a good GC team leader is out in front but allows others to be out ahead. That is because a person leads by consent from the people they lead, not by command. It is about influence rather than authority. A leader gains influence by actions demonstrating integrity, moral courage, and a commitment to putting the organization before their own needs. When someone demonstrates these characteristics, others decide that person is someone they want to follow: a leader.
10 CRITICAL LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS FOR GENERAL COUNSEL LEADERSHIP:
Leaders fix problems rather than worry about who to blame. A good leader is like the little Dutch boy who, walking home one night, saw water pouring through a hole in a dike. The boy simply stuck his finger in the hole and fixed the problem. He did not call a meeting to say, “Who created d the specifications for this dike? Who built it? Who screwed up, and who do we need to sue?” Instead, he saw a problem and took immediate action to fix it.
Leaders prefer to do things right rather than right away. Effective leaders maintain high standards for themselves, their team, and their projects. They do not cut corners or look for shortcuts.
When given a task, leaders look at their watches, not a calendar. Although they maintain a high standard, leaders also know that a good plan executed today is better than a perfect plan executed tomorrow.
Leaders are proactive. It’s too late to think about digging a well when you’re dying of thirst. Good leaders are proactive, always thinking ahead and looking around corners.
Leaders know everyone makes mistakes. Leaders recognize they are not perfect, learn from their own mistakes, and continue forward. As a young lawyer, I once made a mistake in front of Sony Co-Founder, Akio Morita. He just smiled at me and said, “Michael, even monkeys fall out of trees.” Admit your mistakes, learn from them, but try not to repeat them.
Leaders set and maintain their priorities. One of the hardest jobs any leader tackles is setting and maintaining priorities. In some ways, though, this is the core of the job: to set the priorities and be in control of the strategy for executing them. There is a saying that if you are working from your inbox, you are working on other people’s priorities. The job of a leader is to have the organization working out of his or her outbox.
Leaders communicate clearly and concisely. The biggest complaint about people in leadership positions is they do not communicate clearly and concisely. When someone asks the time, a leader does not tell them how to build a watch. A leader answers the question. When asked for a recommendation or conclusion, a leader provides it as concisely as possible. If more information is needed, or knowing how a conclusion was reached is important, the person will ask. This does not mean leaders are pedantic or condescending.
Leaders trust people to do their jobs. In other words, good leaders do not micromanage, which interferes with the team’s ability to provide value to the business through their diversity of thought and expertise. If people need assistance, they will ask their leader for help or guidance. Some people want or need more details than others on tasks or projects, and it is okay to provide those to them.
Leaders know when to supervise. Good leaders are fluid, know their people, and look out for their welfare. They balance not micromanaging with supervising. They also measure what is being done, whether it is being done well, and whether the group is succeeding or failing.
Leaders are trustworthy. Trustworthiness is part of a leader’s personal brand. It is a promise, comprised of credibility plus reliability, to perform any task taken on. Leaders understand the value of maintaining trust and are careful not to over-promise because trust is extremely difficult to get back if it is violated.
Whether your legal department consists of two or 25 people, effective leadership always requires a selfless approach, acting with greater concern for others than for oneself. A good leader is courageous, willing to say what needs to be said, to stand behind a solid set of values, and do what needs to be done. At all times, the best leaders are driven by integrity, always following a baseline set of values to guide and inspire the team and any other members of the organization.
