In-House Counsel

Winning Hearts And Minds

Establishing credibility is often the easy part. Establishing trust can be more challenging.

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Go, team!

In today’s business world, an organization’s success or failure depends heavily on whether that organization’s employees are able to perform at a high level both individually and collectively. There can be no question that strong leadership combined with effective teamwork is THE key to attaining stability, growth, and success. Teamwork absolutely does make the dream work, but to be an effective team player, you need to win over the hearts and minds of those people with whom you work.

Credibility And Trust
So what is the difference between credibility and trust? For me, credibility is something that comes from the head while trust is something that comes from the heart. You can be one without the other, but you must work hard to establish credibility and earn trust if you want to truly be effective as an in-house counsel.

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What Is Credibility?
Credibility relates to how qualified someone thinks you are to do a job. You can establish credibility by demonstrating that you are qualified to do a specific job. You start with your resume and your experience.
What Is Trust?

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Trust is less tangible and is harder to establish. It is the impression you leave with another person. Earning is not easy, but losing it is.
How Do You Build Trust?
Establishing credibility is often the easy part. You can often establish credibility quickly and simply by just sharing your credentials, showing your experience, and providing solid references from other credible professionals in your field.
Establishing trust can be more challenging. Establishing trust is a process, and it does not happen overnight. It can be especially challenging for an in-house counsel when that in-house counsel does not interact with other employees in the organization on a day-to-day basis. If you want to establish trust, I would recommend consider doing the following things:
1. Consider building trust through the language you use. Be intentional about what you say and how you say it.
  • You should show that you are grateful.
You need to make sure you are not simply saying the words. You need to mean what you say, and you need to give specific reason for why you are grateful. Gratitude goes a long way when you let your team members know of your gratitude immediately following the completion of a challenging project. Let each member of the team know precisely what you appreciated about their individual contribution. You need to let them know how it ensured the success of the project.
  • You should show that you are open to the ideas other than your own.
You need to make sure that you are actively soliciting ideas from all team members regardless of the position that person may hold in the organization. When proposing solutions to problems, you should ask other employees for their perspectives regarding the problem as well as possible solutions. By doing that, you are not only helping your team’s individuals feel like part of the solution, your organization is more likely to arrive at the best solution possible.
  • You should show that you are listening by asking thoughtful questions.
The benefits of asking thoughtful questions are many. Not only will you learn a great deal about people and processes, it will also help you bond with the person with whom you are speaking. Ask your questions as part of a conversation and resist the urge to interrogate. Watch the sequence and tone of your questions and favor the open-ended question over “closed” questions that be answered with a “yes” or a “no.”
2. Consider building trust by showing vulnerability — let your team know you know you are not perfect and that you are willing to ask for help.
You are a leader. You are not a superhuman. Your greatest accomplishments will never be those things that you did on your own. Your greatest accomplishments will be those things that you accomplished when you brought a team together and shared the burden together.
3. Consider build trust by showing trust.
Trust is a two-way street. You often have to trust your team before your team will trust you. How can you show trust? You can show trust by resisting the urge to micromanage and by giving your teammates the power and the authority to manage projects on their own. You can assign new and additional responsibilities. Think about including all your team members when strategy is discussed and decisions are made.
Protect The Trust You Earn

If you take anything away from this article, let it be this one thing. Credibility is the thing that lands you your job as an in-house counsel, but trust is the thing that will help you keep it. If you do not take the time necessary to develop trust with the people with whom you work, it will be impossible to truly serve the organization, your client, to the best of your ability. Do what you can to earn that trust and then guard it above all else.

Lisa Lang is an in-house lawyer and thought leader who is passionate about all things in-house.  She has recently launched a website and blog Why This, Not That™ to serve as a resource for in-house lawyers.  You can e-mail her at lisa@lawyerlisalang.com, connect with her on LinkedIn, or follow her on Twitter.

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