Running a World Class Legal Department

Transcription

1 Running a World Class Legal Department What makes a leadership team great? September 14, 2011 Presented By: Huron Legal in cooperation with Association of Corporate Counsel and the Law Department Management Committee

2 Jonathan Middleburgh Director, Huron Legal 2

3 Running a World Class Leadership Department Outline What great looks like Influencing skills Business Outside Counsel Optimizing Team Relations 3

4 Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other (John F. Kennedy) How much time do you devote to developing your leadership skills? 4

5 What great looks like 5

6 What great looks like (1) Leadership Clear top-down leadership with clarity of vision for the Department Senior Leadership aligned in terms of vision, values and goals for Department Strong communication between senior leaders; an absence of silos; an absence of political games Crisp, but considered, decision making Absence of micromanagement leadership should empower/enable 6

7 What great looks like (2) Teamwork Cooperative cross-departmental teamwork individuals working collaboratively with each other across teams; an absence of competition Possibly, but not necessarily, matrix team working Strong leadership team Strong vertical (and, where relevant, horizontal) teams 7

8 What great looks like (3) Effective leadership communications Set clear guiding values and goals Discuss issues facing the company and the team not just the big decisions/announcements Pass on all useful information to employees, especially those that involve change initiatives or personally impact employees Make time for employees and listen intently when they express opinions and concerns Multi-modal, varied, communication (not one size fits all, flat communication e.g. only ) 8

9 Multimodal communication 9

10 Influencing Skills 10

11 Key relationships Develop a trusted business adviser relationship with the business Work on developing a relationship of partnership with outside counsel firms Work on developing your soft influencing skills 11

12 Communication with the Business Communicate effectively with the business Strong two-way communication with the Business/internal clients, especially: (from Legal) How and when to use Legal; who to use; Feedback (from Legal) Education e.g. legal trends; must know/useful information (Business to Legal) Key business needs; Feedback (2 way communication) Informal discussions; mutual sounding board 12

13 Communication with Outside Counsel Work at developing a strong relationship with Outside Counsel Develop the relationship outside business as usual e.g. Actively manage the relationship Be clear about what you need Keep outside counsel in the loop on key business issues/imperatives Mutual feedback/discussion Use outside counsel as an educational tool Collaborate on speaking engagements 13

14 The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority (Kenneth Blanchard) What are you doing to develop your influencing skills? 14

15 Optimizing Team Relations 15

16 How much time do you devote to developing your team? What do you do above and beyond business as usual? 16

17 Personality Differences People are true to their unique nature and don t change much over time, which impacts the way we interact within team settings Understanding and taking people s natural preferences into consideration can improve communication within the team, facilitate problem solving, and create a more effective team dynamic 17

18 How many have you have used a psychometric test (e.g. Myers Briggs) to understand and explore personality difference in your team? 18

19 Why Active Listening is Important Decrease Defensiveness Listen for Understanding Increase Understanding Increase Information Increases Possibility for Individual and Organizational Change and Growth Increase Trust and Respect Source: People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others and Resolve Conflicts by Robert Bolton 19

20 Employee Engagement Employee satisfaction and engagement are the two main factors that drive performance and retention Satisfied employee happy with current pay, benefits and atmosphere; doesn t want to change the status quo through initiative or achievement Engaged employee demonstrates innovation and creativity; takes personal responsibility for making things happen; desires to contribute to the success of the company and team; has an emotional bond to the organization and its mission and vision Source: The Carrot Principle: How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage their People, Retain Talent and Accelerate Performance by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton 20

21 Engagement and Motivation Career Development Examples of Legal Department career development assignments not necessarily tied to official promotions: Transition to supporting a different business unit within the company Short-term secondment to the business unit the individual supports Short-term secondment to a partnering law firm Leadership role in special department initiatives 21

22 Feedback and Motivation Building a culture where employees are highly motivated is closely tied to the leader s ability to recognize their performance The following are building blocks of recognition: Day-to-Day Above and Beyond Career Recognition Celebration Events Source: The Carrot Principle: How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage their People, Retain Talent and Accelerate Performance by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton 22

23 Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it (Dwight D. Eisenhower) What do you currently do to motivate and engage your team? What could you do better? 23

24 Questions? Jonathan Middleburgh Director Huron Consulting Group 24