To successfully lead a legal team to be ready, to execute and deliver, there are five key attributes a leader must have, according to Jeana Goosmann, author, CEO & Managing Partner, Goosmann Law Firm.

Goosmann Law Firm is a service provider at the marcus evans Chief Litigation Officer Summit June 2021.

What does it take to successfully lead a legal team today? 

Having been an entrepreneur and business leader during the past two decades, I have discovered five key attributes foundational to successfully leading a team—boldness, confidence, strength, vision and activation.

When you lead a team, you must be bold and sometimes take those risks that others are not willing to take. While others may question what they are doing, you are already busy making moves. Furthermore, confidence is required to make bold moves and to fully stand behind them. 

No matter how bold and confident you are, you cannot avoid adversity, that is where your strength comes into play. An entrepreneur with internal strength will not crumble beneath pressure and self-doubt. Business leaders know that hurdles will always arise, but they have a vision and a solid grasp on the overall picture of their plans.

Successful business leaders know how to take their confidence, strength and vision, and put it into action. They are activators, they get the ball rolling and they lead their team with the conviction to achieve.

What does it take to create and maintain a high-performance culture? 

First and foremost, as a leader you must be clear on your vision and have total belief that it is part of who you are. If you do not have a strong belief in your business and your visions, your team will not follow suit.

It is important to have themes of your culture. At Goosmann Law Firm, culture is one of our core values, and keeping the culture is a belief and behavior that we stand by. This includes putting diversity and inclusion in the forefront, working to build fulfilling careers, having a giving mindset, positive attitude, working as a team, and being thankful and grateful.

In order to maintain a great culture, you need to keep investing in the emotional connections with employees throughout the entire year. Carefully select other leaders who align with your vision, mission and values, who will emulate the culture you have built.

What is a “culture jury”? 

Just like a jury determines the verdict of a court case, the people at your business decide the outcome of your workplace culture. Are they voting yes or no? A jury applies a law to the facts and ends up with a verdict. Your people will take your vision alongside the facts, and they will be engaged.

How would you define “effective leadership”? What are your top tips for success?

I always use the term “warrior mentality”. A leader with this mentality has team members who believe in them. These leaders are confident and bold in their planning and execution. An effective leader needs to show up every day and be someone who is worth following.

How can in-house litigation counsel make sure the legal team is ready to execute and deliver? What can such a team do better/different?

My tips for success would be to follow my R.E.D. Philosophy. This stands for ready, execute and deliver. You get ready by building a strong business foundation. You execute by taking action on all the plans you have developed. You deliver by hitting and exceeding the goals that you set for yourself and your business.

Focusing on how to lead and teach your team is critical. Coaching on strategy, ethics, negotiation, and building relationships will improve performance so you get the best results. It starts with leading by example and then investing time to identify those teaching moments. Coaching takes time up front but reaps great reward long term.