Control Your Narrative

In the movie Working Girl, our shero, Catherine, Tess's manager, does not take her seriously and instead views her as another secretary from Staten Island that does not have what it takes to advance. Unfortunately, like the movie, the legal world does make judgments about people and their prospects - both fairly and unfairly.

And, like the movie, you can shift how you are perceived, the narrative, and your future. You just need to take consistent steps to do it. Below are three steps to take to control your narrative.‍

Step 1: Understand the Current Conversation and Environment‍

To change the narrative, you must know what it is and why. To do this, you need to reflect on feedback and have conversations with people to understand what people think and why.

Ask deep follow-up questions to confirm your understanding and know what should be changed and why. The endgame is to get practical and actionable information so you understand what needs to change.

The other thing you need to assess is whether the current culture and/or management are open to a change of approach. I personally loved people who got information and acted on it --- changing the discussion of what was possible for them. To me, it showed a learning mindset, and that is something to be valued.

But not all managers are me, and some put people in boxes or have opinions of them that are set in concrete. You need to know what your environment is like. You still should change the conversation, but where that change happens may be different.‍

Step 2: Work on A Plan‍

You then need to take the information you have obtained (and you should talk to several people so that you have different views) and write down each thing you wish to change. Not just the thing but what you want to be.

For example, you want to go from being a siloed-thinking lawyer to a business partner who does not use legalese and does not focus on small risks.

For each item you want to change, come up with a detailed approach and how you will do it. For example, for becoming that business partner above, how will you prepare differently for meetings, what will you now do in your communications, etc.?

A best practice is working with someone you trust, a mentor, or a coach on your plan.‍

Step 3: Set Yourself Up For Success‍

The first way to set yourself up for success is by limiting how much you tackle at once. It takes work to change multiple things at once. Please limit yourself to three and then re-visit when it makes sense to add more. Focus on the ones that will have the most significant impact on the conversation.

Second, calendar time to assess how you are doing on your plan and attain feedback on how your changes are working with people.

Finally, calendar and give yourself the time to prepare to be different. For example, if you are trying to change how you handle business objections to your advice. Spend time working through how you want to be and how you want to communicate in those situations. That may mean blocking time on your calendar before those meetings to work through your approach and responses to objections.

Finally, remember changing behaviors and perceptions takes time. There will be steps backward as well as forward. Do not let one misstep weaken your resolve.

You can change the conversations happening, but to do so, you need to be proactive, focused on the things that matter, and consistent.

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Want to learn how to leap from in-house technician to legal leader?

Take a look at my guide which outlines the 7 Steps to Leap from In-House Technician to Legal Leader.

In this guide, I share with you my time-tested strategy for in-house counsel to leap from in-house technician to legal leader so you can have greater impact and control of your career, compensation, and courage.

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