Coaching tips for the “leadership sauce” of in-house counsel

How is it that some in-house counsel have strong relationships with their corporate clients, peers, and bosses, while others don’t? Why do opportunities seem to come faster for some counsel than for others with similar talents? Is there a “secret sauce” for success?

Every in-house role requires a combination of technical and personal skills (think of these as ingredients). These ingredients - properly measured and mixed - comprise a "leadership sauce" that varies by counsel (you), and by your company, boss, team, and client constituents (because they’re all different, too). If your leadership sauce is a little off, commit yourself to improving your personal competencies and adapting them to every new situation.

To save job of your direct report, Olympic effort (and build trust)

There are proven techniques to getting rid of under-performing in-house counsel. You can ignore them (let them hang themselves with poor performance). You can manage them out (document clear expectations you know they will not meet). You can outright fire them.

Is that the best use of your time and your company’s money? Think of how expensive and time-consuming it is to find and train a replacement (your HR consultant may have the numbers to prove it).

Consider the alternative; harder, but better for the bottom line. An Olympic effort to manage to success!

Moneyball’s coaching lesson for in-house counsel

Moneyball is the antithesis of this blog, thematically speaking.  The theme of the movie (and the book) is using analytics and statistics to get an edge on the competition.  The theme of this blog is in-house counsel using leadership and coaching to get an edge in performance.  Such differences aside, Moneyball provides a lesson in coaching well worth a mention.

In the movie, Brad Pitt – portraying baseball Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane – exhibits the characteristics of a bad boss.  He is manipulative, secretive, and autocratic – to name a few of his overstrengths.

"Little bets" can work for in-house counsel, too

In May I wrote that in-house counsel might use "small wins" as an effective strategy for navigating through a new client, a new legal assignment, a new employer, or even a promotion.  Today I wanted to share some thoughts about one of my resources, a new book by Peter Sims, Little Bets, which I had the time to read while on a trip out West last month.

Although Little Bets is written with the entrepreneur in mind, I believe it has a far wider application, to include in-house counseling and our personal lives.  The premise of the book is that in your approach to a project, rather than putting all of your eggs in one basket ("big bets"), try out lots of different little things ("little bets"), knowing full well that many or most will fail, but along the way discovering what works and what doesn't.  Then take those things that work and implement them on a wider scale.

How to be more happy (or less unhappy) at your job as in-house counsel

Sure, in-house counsel generally enjoy their work, but are they that much more happy than most U.S. employees? A recent survey indicates that 82% of employed Americans are looking for a new job in 2011. Managing Talent Will Be Even Tougher in 2011. And 71% report they are less secure in their jobs than last year. Workers Feel Less Secure in Jobs than Year Ago.  So it would follow that in-house counsel, even if happy, are less happy than they should be (or appear to be to their co-workers). And even if you are happy, what about your peers and direct reports? And even if they are happy, your supervising attorney may not be. Many Employees Think Their Boss is Job Hunting.

The troubling economy, an annoying boss, and other factors beyond an individual’s control may be contributing to personal job dissatisfaction.  With the job and housing markets tepid in much of the country, most of you aren't going anywhere, soon.  Continued job unhappiness may lead to poor performance which may lead to lost employment.  And it's harder for you to be LeadingInHouse^sm if you're muddled in unhappiness.  So below is an action plan for your continued success:

Small wins–an effective strategy for in-house counsel

Starting something new?  A new client, a new legal assignment, a new employer, a promotion?  Then think “small wins” as the road to success.  A recent HBR.blog post reminded me of their importance in a corporate environment:

"Because setbacks are so common in truly important problems, people become disheartened unless they can point to some meaningful advance most days, even if that advance is seemingly minor, and even if it involves nothing more than extracting insights from the day's failures."  Small Wins and Feeling Good (Teresa Amabile and Steve Kramer).

Take Time to Invest in Relationships

It’s easy for in-house counsel to get engulfed in their work at the expense of developing relationships (at their workplace).  So use this blog-post as a friendly reminder to take the time to invest in your relationships -- with your key clients, with your peers, with your direct reports, and in your business network.

"Relationships and trust can be strengthened simply by spending quality time together," says Jon Gordon in his April 2011 post Winning with Relationships.  Here are some other quick thoughts on relationship building:

Failing successfully

Failure is “rarely enjoyable when you're in the midst of it or dealing with the aftermath.”  Failure Is Failure.  The thought of failing may seem even more painful for in-house counsel, for whom perfection (or near perfection) is often expected from clients or might be self-imposed.  Yet occasional mistakes and failures are inevitable, even for the most conservative of counsel.  Indeed, clients often want their counsel to take risks that (by definition) may end badly.

With this in mind, take heed of the recent rash of business articles that provide perspective on how to fail the right way:

• Failure is OK, just don’t fail at failure.  The premise is that the benefit of a failure is the “learning” that comes from it.  If valuable lessons are not learned (and you keep repeating what you did previously), then you are “failing at failing.”  See Adam Richardson's Failure Is Failure.
• Failing Forward.  Another view on a successful failure: "when I look back I realize that every failure has moved me forward.  Every failure taught me a lesson and made me stronger, wiser and better.  I failed many times but I failed forward (I first heard this term from John Maxwell)."  See Jon Gordon's Failing Forward.

Be careful of what you say in public places

A reminder for self management and coaching others, that confidential conversations can be overheard, which may lead to a waiver of privilege.  It can happen to anyone, as illustrated in the following political comment:

"To the lobbyist overheard in the Atlanta airport: Sorry to eavesdrop on your cell call.  I won't tell any of the legislators whom you were talking about what you said."

11 Benefits of Being Positive Minded - Jon Gordon

If you have a bottle-is-half-empty type on your team or in your client group, suggest that they read Jon Gordon's 11 Benefits of Being Positive.  I've always considered myself a positive-minded person, so I'm pleased to read that there are so many benefits of being so.  These three are on the top of my list:

It's what you DO that makes you successful - nine suggestions

Does this sound as familiar to you as it did to me?  "Why have you been so successful in reaching some of your goals, but not others?  If you aren't sure, you are far from alone in your confusion.  It turns out that even brilliant, highly accomplished people are pretty lousy when it comes to understanding why they succeed or fail."  Nine Things Successful People Do Differently. 

According to motivational psychologist Heidi Grant Halvor, it's "because of what they do," not "who they are," that makes successful people successful.  For performance-management purposes, I've put an in-house coaching spin to three items on her list of nine:

How to Navigate Bonus Season

In-house counsel who manage others may face communications issues related to compensation.  Amy Gallo does an excellent job of discussing challenges associated with communicating bonuses and other compensation (whether up, down, or stagnant).  Her blog contains a useful list of "Principles to Remember," including:  do "connect bonus awards directly to employee accomplishments" and don't "rely on bonuses as your only way to motivate people."  Read Amy's full blog at: How to Navigate Bonus Season.

Treat everyone with the respect

Too often we hear that in-house counsel (especially those new to the job) can be "condescending."  It is as true for in-house counsel as it is for any leadership position, that we should treat everyone with the same respect.  That is part of the message of Jodi Glickman, who writes:  "You should assume that everyone is your client and apply the same degree of professionalism to every conversation, no matter the audience."   Read Jodi's Harvard Business Review blog post at: Your Boss is Your Client (& Your Colleagues Are Too).

Coaching an employee to "extra"ordinary performance

If you need to get improved performance out of counsel and others you supervise, you may find assistance in this (somewhat corny) advice from John Maxwell.  He writes: "In the English language, only four (UPDATED: oops, five) little letters separate 'ordinary' from 'extraordinary:'  . . . And while “extra” can be defined as “outside,” in English it also means “just a little bit more.”

To help an employee close the gap between ordinary and extraordinary, Maxwell suggests "extra effort," "extra time," and "extra help."  Read this "extra" special blog post from John Maxwell at The distance between ordinary & extraordinary is shorter than you think!

This summary was prepared by Perry Cone and posted at www.leadinginhouse.com/

Legal Notice and Disclaimer

Employees See "Death" When You Change Their Routines

The headline is a bid dramatic, but the point is made.  If you have experienced a reaction to change "that's far bigger and more negative than anything you expected," and you blamed yourself for doing something wrong, it may be that you did everything right "except underestimate [the employee's] fear of death," according to the blog post, Employees See Death When You Change Their Routines.

Help! I'm an Underperformer

Being an under-performer is neither a sin nor a crime.  Indeed, under-performers often contribute much to the organization, although less than expected.  Career challenges, anxiety, and team issues can result from underperformance.  "It can be embarrassing, discouraging, and bewildering,"  Amy Gallo writes in her blog post Help! I'm an Underperformer.

Many excellent suggestions are provided in this blog, including the following "Principles to Remember:"

Bouncing Back from a Negative 360-Degree Review

I had my first 360 evaluation within 60 days of joining Travelers of Florida as general counsel.  I thought this was a good thing, until I learned that it was unusual to have a 360 this early in one's young career with a new employer.  It was not a pretty sight. 

I owe my mentor, who helped me survive that experience.  And it was re-assuring to see that others have had similar experiences, and recovered, as discussed in the blog post Bouncing Back from a Negative 360-Degree Review.

Amy Gallo describes the 360 process -- and the challenges of dealing with its feedback, as follows:  "360-degree reviews include input from a comprehensive set of people: peers, managers, direct reports, . . . One of the most valuable aspects of this tool is that the opinions are voiced anonymously, which encourages a higher level of honesty than you might normally get. However, the truth is not always pretty, and receiving a negative 360-degree review can be upsetting, especially when the opinions are echoed at many levels. But with the right attitude, you can still create a positive experience. How you handle a bad 360-degree review is far more important than the content of the review itself."

Mistakes & How to Recover

Amy Gallo reminds us that "mistakes, even big ones, don't have to leave a permanent mark on your career.  In fact, most contribute to organizational and personal learning; they are an essential part of experimentation and a prerequisite for innovation.  So don't worry: if you've made a mistake at work, — and, again, who hasn't? — you can recover gracefully and use the experience to learn and grow."

Amy's "Principles to Remember" include:  Do "Accept responsibility for your role in the mistake" and Don't "Be defensive or blame others."