79% of barristers and lawyers in a poll I ran chose legal expertise, experience or results as the sign of a high-performing leader in law.

Only 21% chose raising standards and lifting others.

58% said legal expertise and experience
21% said meeting targets and delivering results
21% said raising standards and lifting others

That split explains a lot of the problems we face in legal practice.

Most barristers and lawyers have the opportunity to attend advocacy training at some point in their careers.

I did, in the early days as a Barrister.

Advocacy teaches you how to analyse the law, build arguments, and present a case clearly.

The aim is simple:
Advocate to a decision-maker about your legal position.

Usually a judge.
A tribunal.
An arbitrator.

And decision-makers in all aspects of practice are still people.

Clients deciding whether to follow your advice.
Opposing lawyers deciding whether to accept your offers in a mediation.
Teams deciding whether to take ownership of work.
Counterparts deciding whether to cooperate or resist you.
Judges deciding which arguments they place more weight on.

Advocacy training is valuable, but it doesn't train lawyers to influence people in high-pressure moments.

So when pressure rises, many lawyers fall back on the only tool they were taught.

Become more adversarial
Argue points harder.
Get more frustrated, angry and forceful.
Prove they're right.

And people push back.

Clients resist advice.
Counterparts dig in.
Teams wait to be told what to do.

Not because their legal or other opinions are necessarily wrong.

Because the person or situation required influence, not advocacy.

High-performing leaders approach leadership differently.

They raise their standards.
Standards of communication.
Standards of decision-making.
Standards of accountability — including their own.

And that influences the standards of the people who operate around them.

Clients engage with advice more often.
Teams step up.
Counterparts move without a fight.

Legal skill earns respect.

But a high-performing leader who influences... moves people —
in offices.
in court.
in mediations.
and in chambers.

This is the difference between high-achieving barristers and lawyers and high-performing leaders.

If this is a skill you know you need to develop (and who doesn't, right?), we'll be working through it in the Leaders Influence workshop 8 am Wednesday...this week.

Details and link to register HERE