What drives a successful legal organization today? Business-as-usual is no longer adequate for the challenges of the 21st century, particularly as our world navigates the devastating socio-economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and public health crisis. There is a pervasive sense of anxiety cutting across the legal profession.

However, purposeful, trustworthy legal leaders, lawyers and their legal organizations – from law firms to alternative legal service providers to in-house legal departments – will play a key role in delivering to businesses, communities and a shaken global economy a harbour of calm and competence.

And, in this business environment, the ability for a legal professional to quickly establish and build trust has become a particularly important skillset, particularly where partnerships and strategic alliances are common practice. Why? Because trust – or lack thereof – is a leading indicator of whether others will evaluate a lawyer or legal professional either positively or negatively.[1]

Which comes first, being liked or trusted? … In order to build trust, work on your likeability. You’ll be surprised at how many more opportunities you get to develop trust when you’re more likeable.

– Patrick Bet-David[2]

Being a high functioning legal professional is not just having the technical skills, as important as they are. You also need well-developed emotional intelligence (EQ), interpersonal skills and the ability to build and maintain relationships. “Likeable” lawyers and legal professionals are seen as credible and trustworthy: likeability builds trust. If you’re going to be successful in your career, you need to be exceptional at selling your ideas and talent, and that means building trust – and this requires EQ and the ability to come across as likeable in a genuine and authentic way. And EQ and ‘likeability’ are skills that can be learned.[3]

Legal leaders and lawyers today must work to master the business of law, because the practice of law is table-stakes, and because trust is the essential business element for lawyers to be selected for high-stakes matters and to be able to deliver extraordinary results in an enduring way.[4] If “someone you’re trying to influence doesn’t trust you, you’re not going to get very far; in fact, you might even elicit suspicion because you come across as manipulative. A warm” and likeable, “trustworthy person who is also strong elicits admiration, but only after” they “have established trust does” their “strength become a gift rather than a threat”.[5]

[B]eing likable is under your control, and it’s a matter of emotional intelligence.

– Travis Bradberry, CNBC[6]

Legal leaders, lawyers, and legal professionals should develop their EQ and ‘likeability’ muscles because it increases trust. And trust and reciprocity are considered to be the foundation of all human interaction. Trust is your most valuable social capital. Yes, first impressions do matter and are made in just a few seconds. However, deep trust between two people depends on being relatable, reliable, dependable, and predictable[7] – in shorthand, likeability and competence (expertise).

Self-aware legal professionals that achieve this level of trust – a key differentiator – command more credibility among decision-makers and in the boardroom, and are seen as a strong business partner to accomplish business goals.

If You Don’t Understand People, You Don’t Understand Business.

– Simon Sinek[8]

Introduction

A legal organization – whether a law firm or in-house legal department – providing excellent legal advice and services is a basic client expectation. This is table stakes.[9]  The traditional legal organization’s reliance on practice excellence, pedigree, and reputation – without more – is no longer sufficient to be competitive or sustainable.[10]  Clients are looking for and expecting from their legal organization greater efficiency, price predictability, and cost-effectiveness in the legal services they contract for and receive. A sustainable “value proposition” in the new normal requires a new business model that incorporates and delivers effective legal service delivery (utilizing technology, process, and alternative staffing models: the right person – lawyer or otherwise – for the right task), practice excellence, and client-centric customer service.[11]

Legal organizations are more likely to be recognized and successful if they have legal leaders and business savvy lawyers who – over and above understanding their client’s business, and delivering strategic, collaborative, practical and cost-effective legal advice and services – are likeable and trustworthy.

The pandemic has accelerated existing trends in the economy and society, including the increasing use of technology, telework and automation …. This will have lasting effects on how people live and work. While technological advances are generally positive for societies over the long term … on a short-term basis they create disruption, and as the market adjusts to the new normal the pain isn’t shared evenly.

– Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell[12]

Likeable professionals build trust with others. If a professional’s character, competence (expertise), and purpose is credible – if it demonstrates a real, irreversible commitment to profiting from actually solving problems – it builds authenticity and trust, as well as loyalty in clients, colleagues, employees, partners and communities. Profit should be seen as the product of a professional’s purpose, but not the purpose of the professional.

Legal professionals that fulfil their purpose and communicate (in words and conduct) with clients in a language they can relate to are generally perceived as likeable and trustworthy. But there is more to it than that. There is a need to align policy and practice as well as ethics and values – which together can be used to guide any professional, in any country or jurisdiction.[13]

All things being equal (i.e. competence), clients and others are more likely to accept the position of a legal professional who is likeable – engaging, interested, empathetic, and committed. And these factors are more or less within the control of the professional – be they a frontline lawyer, legal executive, or other legal leader within an organization – so there is seldom an excuse for failing to attempt to develop rapport with a client, peer, boss/leader, judge or jury.

Likeability … means that people, on average, tend to form a good … impression of you, and that you are easy to like. That’s it. If likability means sacrificing your principles, independence or uniqueness, you’re doing it wrong. … While being likeable isn’t magic … it does have a dramatic impact on your life.

– Scott Young[14]

Unfortunately, too many people succumb to the mistaken belief that being likable comes from natural, unteachable traits that belong only to a lucky few – the good looking, the extremely social, and the incredibly talented. It’s easy to give way to this misconception. In reality, being likable and trustworthy is under your control, and it’s a matter of emotional intelligence (EQ).

Harvard Business School[15] and the World Economic Forum[16] have identified EQ – a leading indicator of performance in the workplace – as a valuable business skill that can be taught. EQ is commonly broken down into four concepts: (1) self-awareness (i.e. ability to accurately perceive your emotions and stay aware of them as they happen), (2) self-management (i.e. ability to use awareness of your emotions to stay flexible and positively direct your behaviour), (3) social awareness (i.e. ability to accurately pick up on emotions in other people and understand what is really going on), and (4) relationship management (i.e. ability to use awareness of your emotions and the others’ emotions to manage interactions successfully)[17]:[18]

“In a study conducted at UCLA, subjects rated over 500 descriptions of people based on their perceived significance to likability. The top-rated descriptors had nothing to do with being gregarious, intelligent, or attractive (innate characteristics). Instead, the top descriptors were sincerity, transparency, and capable of understanding (another person).

These adjectives, and others like them, describe people who are skilled in the social side of emotional intelligence. TalentSmart research data from more than a million people shows that people who possess these skills aren’t just highly likable; they outperform those who don’t by a large margin.”

EQ is a flexible set of skills that can be acquired and improved with training, study, coaching, and practice. Legal professionals can and should develop this skillset – including Cultural Intelligence (CQ) in order to know when to adapt one’s communication, style, approach or strategy when working across borders with a different culture or on a multicultural team[19] – the “soft” skills possessed by highly effective lawyers. It is only by acknowledging the importance of these attributes that lawyers at any stage of their careers can learn to develop the necessary capabilities.

In supporting the acquisition of these “soft” skills, legal organizations and their leadership teams across the board will have the peace of mind knowing that the quality of their legal teams will be able to support the organization’s strategy, business objectives and client relationships in a way that maximizes successful legal representation and profitability and minimizes risk.

Why is the legal industry out-of-sync with its own customers for whom customer-centricity is an existential imperative? Short answer: lawyers.

– Mark Cohen[20]

Building Trust: legal professionals need trust now more than ever

Domestically and internationally risks are increasing, competition is intense, trust – the “water in which we all swim” – is at a record low,[21] and economic activity is fragile and uneven. Many people have lost trust and confidence in our institutions,[22] and in the integrity and ethics of business executives, public figures, and professionals.[23] On top of that, almost no other occupation provokes greater public distrust than lawyers.^[24]   

Note to the legal profession: lawyers are no longer the … presumptive “trusted advisor” for customers confronting complex business challenges. This is a bitter pill for the profession to swallow, but its health and influence depends upon it.

– Forbes[25]

This age of disruption – and the threat posed by even more competition and disruption on the horizon – create real, genuine pressures, and even inappropriate incentives, within an organization, legal department, or law firm that can undermine trust. High-trust lawyers and legal organizations are the ones that will move beyond surviving to thriving in today’s environment[26] as clients cast their verdicts with their pocketbooks and business.[27]

There are no shortcuts to building trust, and financial cleverness, platitudes, and endearing advertising – without substance – is not a sustainable long-term solution. Building and maintaining trust requires a professional client-first commitment, an organizational culture aligned with the client, a relentless commitment to improving client satisfaction and experience, and legal professionals trained and incentivized to build deep long-term client relationships (as opposed to transactional ones).

Organizations, legal departments and law firms rely on the professionals that they employ – from their frontline lawyers to the leadership team – to implement such a high-trust culture and client-centric strategy. And yes, sometimes positional power makes it possible for a legal professional to engage in any way they want. The people they are trying to reach may simply have to respond. But even for these well positioned professionals who have made their way to the top – the way people actually respond to them, of course, is still affected by their likeability, or lack thereof. In the new legal economy with more and more competitive legal entrepreneurs and alternative legal service providers, a successful professional cannot continue to lean on positional power only. Even for employees inside organizations, an entrepreneurial mindset is desired. Part of that mindset is knowing how to navigate and connect, to listen to and understand a particular audience while continuously developing their EQ “soft-skills” and likeability.[28]

Smart people sometimes devalue other skills, like relationship building, and over-concentrate on intellect. Very smart people sometimes see their success as inevitable because of their intellect, and don’t see other skills as important. 

– Harvard Business Review[29]

As a “client and knowledge business”, legal professionals across the board are a legal organization’s most valuable asset. So developing their knowledge and skills is a business-critical issue, particularly in light of the changing behaviour of the retail and corporate consumers of legal services. A law firm or in-house legal department providing excellent legal advice and services is a basic client expectation.[30]  Every good lawyer should be up-to-date on the law – the practice of law is an expectation – but they must also understand how to support their legal organization’s vision, strategy, and short and long-term goals and objectives:[31]

“The profession’s misalignment with its customers helps explain the emergence of a handful of elite legal service providers. … These providers have forged models that respond to unmet market need … Note to the legal profession: lawyers are no longer the presumptive choice to manage the delivery of legal services. Nor are lawyers the presumptive “trusted advisor” for customers confronting complex business challenges. This is a bitter pill for the profession to swallow, but its health and influence depends upon it.

Customer-centric legal services can be delivered from a variety of sources—in-house legal departments, law companies (a/k/a “alternative legal service providers”), law firms—or Amazon. The provider source(s) may vary, but their core characteristics do not. These include: … a culture built upon a customer-first commitment … a culture aligned with the customer … a long-term approach to building customer relationships, not a transactional one … a focus on what the customer needs, not what the provider sells … proactive customer business partners / value creators … build an organization that is easy and pleasurable for customers to engage with … do good to do well.”

Trust, not money, is the currency of business.

– David Horsager, The Trust Edge[32]

A trust-based approach has a notable impact on clients and stakeholders and the success of the business. Research across the world and statements by recognized business and legal leaders show consistently that, while trust may not always be front of mind, it is the foundation of doing business”:[33]

“Some businesses can succeed in the short term without building trust. But over the longer term, a business without trust eventually loses its licence to operate – in some cases irrevocably. … Trusted companies have taken a long-term perspective in their thinking, and have used their fund of trust to create a buffer of credibility and sound reputation against potentially damaging events. When a crisis has struck, stakeholders have given these businesses more time, leeway and benefit of the doubt to respond and put things right.”

“Trust, not money, is the currency of business” (and life) – generating “tangible business benefits, with measureable fiscal and non-fiscal impacts”.[34] Values-driven leaders of integrity and accountability have been reported to bring five times as much to the bottom line as do “low character leaders”.[35]  Edelman’s annual Trust Barometer survey has noted as far back as 2011 that:[36]

“Nearly three-quarters of consumers say they will actively avoid doing business with a company they don’t trust, while 85 percent will go out of their way to buy from a company they trust.”

Trust is the essential prerequisite on which all authentic business success depends.

– Journal of Management Research[37]

Trust and reputation are critical professional assets,[38] and must be treated as such. Trust and reputation are the easiest to lose and the most challenging to maintain.

For professionals and leaders to win the trust issue in these trying times will take a genuine reinvention of the way many organizations operate – an emphasis on the issue as a strategic priority is required, or risk the serious consequences.[39] In this respect, risk awareness is the first step on the path to solutions.

In order for a corporate client to feel safe delegating important aspects of their business to a legal professional, there must be a level of trust that they will act with integrity and with their best interests in mind. Trust, therefore, is at the heart of the relationship with a legal professional, and by association their organization and its leadership. If trust diminishes, clients can begin to fear they are no longer in safe, reliable hands.^[40]

Trust is not a benefit that comes packaged with a lawyer or legal professional’s title or a “nameplate on your door. It must be earned”.^[41]

Trust is the level of positive expectation we have of another person, when in a situation of risk.

– Building Trust in Business Partnerships, Queens University[42]

Lawyers, executives, and other professionals cannot reasonably expect smooth sailing at all times. External challenges including ‘wicked problems’, surprise deadlines, heavy workloads, truly difficult people, and many other stresses, come with the job. But success means bringing your best self – your best mindset and skillset – to work:[43]

“Harvard Business School professor Amy Cuddy … says that people quickly answer two questions when they first meet you:

• • Can I trust this person?
  • Can I respect this person?

Psychologists refer to these dimensions as warmth and competence, respectively, and ideally you want to be perceived as having both.

Interestingly, [Professor] Cuddy says that most people, especially in a professional context, believe that competence is the more important factor. After all, they want to prove that they are smart and talented enough to handle your business.

But in fact, warmth, or trustworthiness, is the most important factor in how people evaluate you.

‘From an evolutionary perspective … it is more crucial to our survival to know whether a person deserves our trust’. … [W]hile competence is highly valued, [Professor] Cuddy says that it is evaluated only after trust is established. And focusing too much on displaying your strength can backfire.”

By understanding the behaviors that underlie trust, leaders are better able to elevate the level of trust that others feel toward them. Here are the three elements … Positive Relationships … Good Judgement / Expertise … Consistency. … One element of trust is more important that the others. Relationships seem to matter more than judgement or consistency.

– Harvard Business Review[44]

In short, lawyers will be judged primarily by two criteria: their warmth/likeability, and their competence. These “are often described as trust and power. And in a business context these descriptions may be more useful. The first and most important question we ask ourselves, unconsciously, when we meet someone is: ‘Do I like this person?’ which is an assessment of their warmth (likeability) and trustworthiness, a reading of whether we feel they are a friend or foe, in which case we need to be weary of their intentions. That judgement is followed by “Do I respect this person?” which is a judgement of their effectiveness and competence, and how capable they are of carrying out their intentions”:[45]

• High warmth/likeability (trust) and high competence (expertise) results in admiration. This is the goal.
• Low warmth/likeability and low competence generates feelings of – well, not admiration. This is not the goal.

As lawyers and as leaders we try to influence people in every aspect of our professional life, whether we are negotiating a case, developing clients, working with a colleague or staff member to improve work performance, or persuading a judge or jury. Developing a good rapport and trust with clients and among your colleagues and opponents and decision-makers can lead to better results, happier clients, and a more pleasurable work environment.

Like it or not, you are a negotiator. Negotiation is a fact of life.

– Roger Fisher and William Ury, ‘Getting to Yes’[46]

Legal leaders and lawyers need to make emotional connections and be persuasive. But, all too often, these essential aspects of practice development are overlooked.

Persuasive communicators are seen as self-assured, credible and trustworthy. They are likeable. And they get things done. If you are going to be successful in your career, you need to be exceptional at selling your ideas, and that means building trust. Not just products and services, but, perhaps more importantly, your ideas, your points of view and yourself[47]:[48]

“Ideas are the currency of the twenty-first century. The ability to persuade, to change hearts and minds, is perhaps the single greatest skill that will give you a competitive edge in the knowledge economy — an age where ideas matter more than ever.”

And the bottom line if you a respected lawyer and a likeable professional?

• You will build trust.
• You will become more effective.[49]
• You are much more likely to enjoy a happy and fulfilling working life.
• You will have access to exciting opportunities you may not otherwise have.

So what does this look like?

Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House. During his first campaign, voters overwhelmingly believed him both trustworthy and likable. One of his top advisers capitalized on these findings and created the campaign slogan, “I like Ike.” That slogan quickly became one of the most popular in political history.

– ‘The single most important quality a president must have’, David Gergen (White House adviser to four presidents)[50]

The Likeability Factor – a skill that can be learned

There is no doubt that you need to present and communicate in a polished manner to be a professional. However professional practice means so much more than that. It is important that as a lawyer to have an outgoing, friendly and appropriate civil approach to clients, colleagues, etc, as the circumstance dictate. A critical aspect of forming trust in a relationship is whether as a lawyer you can inspire others to have confidence in you.

Trust is born out of our emotional ties, and “can be built in two ways; first, it is through cognitive trust, which occurs when a person makes a conscious decision to trust you based on the best knowledge. Second, is through affective trust, which is the confidence one places in a partner based on feelings generated by the level of care and concern the other person demonstrates”.[51]

Some intelligent people don’t realize that intellect is only one element of achieving success and that personal connections are powerful in the professional world. They never try to improve their social skills, learn to network … and often denigrate people who excel in these areas.

– World Economic Forum[52]

There is also a ‘triple threat’ according to some experts when it comes to trust and persuasiveness – expertise (competence), honesty and likeability. When a person is interacting with a legal professional who has one of these qualities, they are more disposed to the lawyer’s position or request. If the legal professional exhibits all three, that trust and openness rises accordingly.[53] Of the three, ‘expertise’ is related to education, experience or organizational position. ‘Honesty’ is linked to the past track record with the person – has the lawyer demonstrated truthfulness and integrity over time? “But of the three, ‘likeability’ is the most abstract and elusive. And also the one factor that can swing outcomes in” a legal professional’s “favour … or not”.[54]

From a big-picture perspective, it has been suggested that likability can be distilled down to eight traits that work together pairs, with each pair deepening the relationship with the particular professional exhibiting them:[55]

• (1) captivation and hope.
• (2) authenticity and relatability.
• (3) protectiveness and reliability.
• (4) compassion and perceptiveness.

Digging down, David Horsager, the author of ‘The Trust Edge: How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom Line’, has stated that trust and relationships – with clients, employees, colleagues, and leaders – can be specifically earned by building and maintaining on the following key strengths:[56]

• Connection: People want to follow, buy from, and be around friends—and having friends is all about building connections. Trust is all about relationships, and relationships are best built by establishing genuine connection. Ask questions, listen, and above all, show gratitude – it’s the primary trait of truly talented connectors. Grateful people are not entitled, they do not complain, and they do not gossip. Develop the trait of gratitude, and you will be a magnet. [note: “likeability” by any other name …]
• Compassion: People put faith in those who care beyond themselves and are empathetic. Think beyond yourself, and never underestimate the power of sincerely caring about another person. People are often skeptical about whether someone really has their best interests in mind. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is not just an old saying. It is a bottom-line truth. Follow it, and you will build trust.
• Commitment: People believe in those who stand through adversity. People trusted General Patton, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and George Washington because they saw commitment and sacrifice for the greater good. Commitment builds trust.
• Consistency: In every area of life, it’s the little things – done consistently – that make the big difference.  It is the same in business. The little things done consistently make for a higher level of trust and better results. The great leaders consistently do the small but most important things first. They make that call and write that thank you note. Do the little things, consistently.
• Clarity: People trust the clear and mistrust or distrust the ambiguous. Be clear about your mission, purpose, expectations, and daily activities. When a leader is clear about expectations, she will likely get what she wants. When we are clear about priorities on a daily basis, we become productive and effective.
• Competency: People have confidence in those who stay fresh, relevant, and capable. The humble and teachable person keeps learning new ways of doing things and stays current on ideas and trends. According to one study, the key competency of a successful new MBA is not a specific skill but rather the ability to learn amid chaos. Arrogance and a “been there done that” attitude prevent you from growing, and they compromise others’ confidence in you. There is always more to learn, so make a habit of reading, learning, and listening to fresh information.
• Contribution: Few things build trust quicker than actual results. At the end of the day, people need to see outcomes. You can have compassion and character, but without the results you promised, people won’t trust you. Be a contributor who delivers real results.
• Character: People notice those who do what is right ahead of what is easy. Leaders who have built this pillar consistently do what needs to be done when it needs to be done, whether they feel like doing it or not. It is the work of life to do what is right rather than what is easy.

But what qualities — aside from courtroom victories — make a lawyer more likable? While some of the … tips may seem obvious, they also are easily overlooked. The key is in striking the right balance.

– Matthew Prinn and Katie Reagan, Daily Record[57]

As a thesis, it may be fair to say that it is more about deferring the spotlight from oneself, being in tune with others, and fostering authentic connections. With that in mind, for a legal professional to improve in this area “it is prudent to consider whether” how you present yourself and what you say and do “makes you more likeable” and trustworthy … “or less”. The following are eight straight-forward points that extraordinarily likeable professionals do, consistently and repeatedly on a day-to-day basis to connect with people:[58]

• Give people their full attention. Listen first, then speak. Be highly present.
• Be interested in people beyond just the professional matter at hand. Look for shared interests.
• Give credit where credit is due, sharing the stage.
• Be authentic[59] (embracing both their strengths and weaknesses) and have an open friendly demeanor.
• Be curious and purposeful in engaging with their environment rather than simply responding or reacting. Accept that mistakes are a normal part of growing and improving, determine responsibility (without blame) and look for solutions.
• Be open-minded and respectful of others’ opinions and ideas, even if they do not agree with them.
• Reflect a positive balanced outlook – realism and optimism – both verbally and nonverbally. Appropriate optimism is a force multiplier.
• Be client-centric.

[D]ifficult … for leaders to find a balance between expressing their personalities and managing those of the people they aspire to lead or at least influence. Yet the ability to strike that balance – and to preserve one’s authenticity in the process – is precisely what distinguishes great leaders from other executives. … Let us be absolutely clear: Authenticity is not the product of pure manipulation. It accurately reflects aspects of the leader’s inner self … They retain their distinctiveness as individuals, yet they know how to win acceptance in strong corporate and social cultures.

– Harvard Business Review[60]

It is only by acknowledging the importance of these EQ and CQ “soft skills” that legal leaders and lawyers at any stage of their careers can learn to develop the necessary capabilities. But highly effective lawyers will remember to adapt their communication, style and approach as required by the circumstances: [61]

“As [lawyers and] negotiators, different people will have different interests and styles of communication. Different things may be persuasive to them, and they may have different ways of making decisions. How should we accommodate such similarities and differences in [communicating and] negotiating with different people? Here are some suggested guidelines:

Get in step.  In any [interaction, communication and] negotiation it is highly desirable to be sensitive to the values, perceptions, concerns, norms of behaviour, and mood of those with whom you are dealing. Adapt your behaviour accordingly. If you are [communicating or] negotiating with someone, it is that person whom you are trying to affect. The more successfully you can get in step with that person’s way of thinking, the more likely you are to be able to [build trust and persuasively] work out an agreement. Some common differences that can make a difference in [building relationships, communicating or] negotiation include the following:

• • Pacing: fast or slow?
  • Formality: high or low?
  • Physical proximity while talking: close or distant? …
  • Bluntness of communication: direct or indirect?
  • Time frame: short-term or longer?
  • Scope of relationship: business-only or all-encompassing?
  • The expected place of doing business: private or public? …
  • Rigidity of commitments: written in stone or meant to be flexible?

Adapt or general advice to the specific situation. This is … general advice. It will not apply in the same way in every circumstance with every person. But the basic propositions are generally applicable. … The best way to implement these general principles will depend on the specific context. Consider where you are, with whom you are dealing, customs of the industry, past experience with this [person you are developing a relationship with], and so on, in crafting an approach to fit the situation.

Pay attention to differences of belief and custom, but avoid stereotyping individuals. Different groups and places have different customs and beliefs. Know and respect them, but beware of making assumptions about individuals. The attitudes, interests, and other characteristics of an individual are often quite different from those of a group to when they may belong. …

Question your assumptions; listen actively. Whatever assumptions you make about others – whether you assume they are just like you or totally different – question it. Be open to learning that [the people you are interacting and communicating with] are quite unlike what you expected. The wide variations among cultures provide clues as to the kind of differences for which you should be looking, but remember that all of us have special interests and qualities that do not fit any standard mold.”

As noted by leading advocates, “sadly the rapport phenomenon also has its downside. Studies have shown that” people “are also somewhat more likely to credit the arguments of lawyers who are tall, ‘attractive’, and, shall we say, demographically similar to the” people “themselves. Fortunately, these biases are often unconscious and can be neutralized”[62] through skillful, rapport-building interaction, EQ and CQ:[63]

“Defining likeability is a strange thing; at the same time, an intuitive gut feeling, and a series of different traits. In his book, The Popularity Illusion, Mitch Prinstein describes likeable people as cooperative, able to keep a conversation going, while giving others a chance to speak, and creative at solving awkward dilemmas. In short, they’re good at being part of a group. It’s finding that gentle balance of feeling comfortable in our own skin to share and lead, without the need to dominate.”

Effectively developing trust and persuading a potential new client, a colleague, a superior, an employee, a judge or jury, or an interviewer – and being able to do it time and again – requires a solid understanding of how people and businesses interact and make decisions. Likeability, trust and ultimately persuasion traditionally relies on three techniques, namely: to speak the truth (logos), be credible (ethos), and move your audience emotionally (pathos).  Unconscious (cognitive) biases can interfere with or bolster these techniques.[64] With the right information and tools, clients will be more likely to listen to you, take your recommendations, and refer you to more clients. This in turn will help make your legal career more pleasurable and allow you to provide your clients and organization a harbour of calm and competence.

In its widest sense, advocacy is the art of convincing others, that is to say the art of persuasion. In this general sense it is a valued accomplishment in many departments of life – such as commerce and finance, labour relations and politics – as well as in law.

– John Munkman, The Technique of Advocacy[65]

Conclusion

Persuasive legal professionals are “self-assured, credible and trustworthy. They are likeable. And they get things done”.[66]  So, be smart and build your legal expertise and competence, but also exhibit ‘likeability’: show a deep respect, decency and curiosity about the people and the world around you:[67]

“Acting with decency and achieving humanity may seem like lofty goals for lawyers. But, if we assume that the law profession still has the capability to demonstrate decency and lead the way toward a more perfect society, why wouldn’t we? …

[B]ehaving with decency [and civility] is “smart.” Life is easier when you’re good to people, because they usually respond in kind. …  Decency builds friendships and fruitful business connections, and makes life less stressful. Where there’s decency, there’s strength. … It makes a lot of sense …. Decency is strength and power.”

Being a likeable, respectful, and client-centric legal leader and/or lawyer starts with how you view or feel about yourself and your career. If you enjoy being a lawyer and enjoy working in your legal organization and practice area, then it will be much easier to develop your EQ skillset and for your clients, peers, employees, and leaders to find you likeable and trustworthy.

Being likeable and persuasive is not a character trait reserved for certain people, it is a skill to be learned. And just like any other skill, if you put in the work and effort it can be improved.

Knowledge of this information and development of these ‘soft’ skill tools allows the professional to take control of their career – a swing factor in increasing your sphere of influence and having your ideas and point of view “heard and acted on”.[68] More often than not, even a lawyer who is less experienced will attract more clients simply because they are likeable and trustworthy. This is because we are all human, and clients – like most people – want to work with people they trust and who they enjoy being around.

How refreshing to realize a new story is being told, or perhaps an ancient one, being re-told at just the right moment, in just the right way.

– Kit Troyer[69]

The objective of an ‘up and coming’ lawyer should be to connect with people first and only impress them with their abilities thereafter. People are much more likely to listen to and believe a lawyer or other legal professional’s ideas or recommendations if they already perceive you in a positive light (i.e. like and trust you).[70]

Likeability and trust. These are human characteristics that inspire positive expectations in another person. If people are to be open to receiving a legal professional’s message, the messenger has to be liked and trusted. Lawyers, professionals and leaders who stick to “just the facts” are forgetting this crucial element of the message.[71]

The legal profession is in a period of major change. Once insulated, law has become one of the most competitive markets in the new normal.[72] As the legal services delivery model and legal market evolves nationally and across the globe there are significant implications for how traditional legal organizations will need to adapt and structure their business models to remain competitive and maximize opportunity.

Do not live in a fantasy world insulated by the perception of the importance of title, position or standing. The profession of law is more challenging today than ever before.  Between demanding corporate clients and an unpredictable economy, lawyers like many other professions are being forced to the edge of uncertainty. And many lawyers, law firms, legal executives and legal departments are not prepared for the business, economic and technological reality of today’s legal market.  And, it is only going to get more competitive.

It takes time to build trust, but once attained it will be your calling card – and provide a competitive advantage over those who do not. So be strategic, build your EQ and sought-after ‘soft’ skills, take the long view, find common ground, be persuasive, and above all, persist.

Eric Sigurdson

Endnotes:

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[1] Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, The 3 Elements of Trust, Harvard Business Review, February 5, 2019.

[2] Patrick Bet-David, Which comes first, being liked or trusted?, LinkedIn, April 16, 2015.

[3] Dan Richards, Why likeability gets you hired and promoted, Globe and Mail, October 1, 2018; Matt Gavin, 10 Important Business Skills Every Professional Needs, Harvard Business School Online, May 23, 2019; Lauren Landry, Emotional Intelligence Skills: What They Are and How to Develop Them, Harvard Business School Online, October 23, 2019; About Emotional Intelligence, TalentSmart.com; Hayley Hesseln and Janice Gair, Emotional Intelligence: Your Foundation for Success, FriesenPress, 2020; Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, Bantam, 1995; Christopher Connors, Emotional Intelligence for the Modern Leader: A Guide to Cultivating Effective Leadership and Organizations, Rockbridge Press, 2020; Jenna Goudreau, A Harvard psychologist says people judge you based on 2 criteria when they first meet you, Business Insider, January 16, 2016; Jeff Haden, A Harvard Psychologist Says This Trait Matters Most: 10 Ways to Make a Great First Impression, Inc., June 13, 2016; Amy Cuddy, Presence: Bringing your Boldest Self to your Biggest Challenges, 2016. Also see, Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Pocket Books, 1936.

[4] Jenna Goudreau, A Harvard psychologist says people judge you based on 2 criteria when they first meet you, Business Insider, January 16, 2016; Amy Cuddy, Presence: Bringing your Boldest Self to your Biggest Challenges, 2016.

[5] Jenna Goudreau, A Harvard psychologist says people judge you based on 2 criteria when they first meet you, Business Insider, January 16, 2016; Amy Cuddy, Presence: Bringing your Boldest Self to your Biggest Challenges, 2016.

[6] Travis Bradberry, Unmistakeable Habits of Unlikeable People, CNBC, January 15, 2017.

[7] Soulaima Gourani, The 30/70 Rule To Gaining Someone’s Trust, Forbes, August 12, 2020.

[8] Simon Sinek, If You Don’t Understand People, You Don’t Understand Business, Legitimate Leadership, March 23, 2017 (note: summary of video).

[9] Eric Sigurdson, In-house Staff Counsel Operations: alternative legal services delivery model employs ‘first class lawyers’ to effectively handle litigation in the new normal, Sigurdson Post, February 18, 2017.

[10] Mark Cohen, Differentiation in the New Legal Marketplace and Why it Matters, Forbes, January 2, 2018.

[11] Eric Sigurdson, The Evolving Legal Service Delivery Model: A 2018 Survival Guide for BigLaw and Traditional Law Firms – building a new business model, Sigurdson Post, January 14, 2018.

[12] Anneken Tappe, The economy as we knew it might be over, Fed Chairman says, CNN Business, November 12, 2020.

[13] See generally: Colin Mayer, It’s time to redefine the purpose of business. Here’s a roadmap, World Economic Forum, January 7, 2020; Principles for Purposeful Business: An agenda for business in the 2020s and beyond, The British Academy, 2019.

[14] Scott Young, The Importance of Being Likeable, ScottYoung.com, September 2009. 

[15] Matt Gavin, 10 Important Business Skills Every Professional Needs, Harvard Business School Online, May 23, 2019.

[16] Alex Gray, The 10 skills you need to thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, World Economic Forum, January 19, 2016; Insight Report: The Future of Jobs Report 2018, World Economic Forum, 2018. Also see generally, Bruce Anderson, The Most In-Demand Hard and Soft Skills in 2020, LinkedIn, January 9, 2020.

[17] Matt Gavin, 10 Important Business Skills Every Professional Needs, Harvard Business School Online, May 23, 2019; Lauren Landry, Emotional Intelligence Skills: What They Are and How to Develop Them, Harvard Business School Online, October 23, 2019; About Emotional Intelligence, TalentSmart.com; Hayley Hesseln and Janice Gair, Emotional Intelligence: Your Foundation for Success, FriesenPress, 2020; Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, Bantam, 1995; Christopher Connors, Emotional Intelligence for the Modern Leader: A Guide to Cultivating Effective Leadership and Organizations, Rockbridge Press, 2020. Also see, Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Pocket Books, 1936.

[18] Travis Bradberry, 9 Things That Make You Unlikable, Forbes, January 24, 2017.

[19] Kwame Christian, How to be More Persuasive in an Increasingly Complex and Diverse World, Forbes, November 12, 2020; Darren Menabney, Why Emotional Intelligence needs Cultural Intelligence when Working Across Borders, Forbes, December 30, 2020; P. Christopher Earley and Elaine Mosakowski, Cultural Intelligence, Harvard Business Review, October 2004.

[20] Mark Cohen, When Will the Legal Industry Become Customer-Centric?, Forbes, October 27, 2020.

[21] See generally: 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer, Global Annual Study, Edelman.com; 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer, Global Annual Study, Edelman.com; 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer, Global Annual Study, Edelman.com; 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer, Global Annual Study, Edelman.com; Frank X. Shaw, Building Trust in a Post-Truth World, Linkedin.com, May 25, 2017.

[22] 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer, Global Annual Study, Edelman.com; 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer, Global Annual Study, Edelman.com; Christine Lagarde, The Role of Business in Supporting a more Inclusive Global Economy, Conference on Inclusive Capitalism, New York, International Monetary Fund, October 10, 2016; Klaus Schwab, Five Leadership priorities for 2017, World Economic Forum, January 2, 2017; Richard Edelman, A crisis of trust: A warning to both business and government, Economist, The World In.com, 2016; Jim Norman, Americans’ Confidence in Institutions Stays Low, Gallup.com, June 13, 2016; Clare Malone, Americans Don’t Trust Their Institutions Anymore, FiveThirtyEight, November 16, 2016; Jake Johnson, As Millions of Workers Face Pension Cuts Thanks to Wall Street Greed, Executive Benefits Remain Lavish, Common Dreams.org, April 29, 2016; Matt Taibbi, Looting the Pension Funds, Rolling Stone, September 26, 2013; M.B., Busted Trust: Faith in world leaders, Economist, January 23, 2012; James Crisp, Juncker admits Europeans have lost faith in the EU, EurActiv.com, April 19, 2016; Nathaniel Persily and Jon Cohen, Americans are losing faith in democracy – and in each other, Washington Post, October 14, 2016; Richard Edelman, A crisis of trust: A warning to both business and government, Economist, The World In.com, 2016.

[23] 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer, Global Annual Study, Edelman.com; 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer, Global Annual Study, Edelman.com; 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer, Global Annual Study, Edelman.com; Ty Kiisel, Without It, No Real Success is Possible, Forbes, February 5, 2013.

[24] Deborah L. Rhode (Stanford law professor), Lawyers as Leaders, 2013; Rebecca Love Kourlis, Public Trust and Confidence in the Legal System: The Way Forward, University of Denver, iaals.du.edu, September 13, 2019; Tristin Hopper, Campaign aims to boost Canadians’ plummeting trust in lawyers, but is that even possible?, National Post, July 31, 2013; Staci Zaretsky, Scientific Study Concludes No One Trusts Lawyers, Above the Law, Sept. 24, 2014; Susan Fiske and Cydney Dupree, Gaining trust as well as respect in communicating to motivated audiences about science topics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, April 3, 2014; Catherine Baksi, Lawyers ‘not trusted’ by majority , says consumer watchdog, The Law Society Gazette (UK), June 21, 2011.

[25] Mark Cohen, When Will the Legal Industry Become Customer-Centric?, Forbes, October 27, 2020.

[26] Jessica Rohman, The Business Case for a High-Trust Culture, Great Place to Work.com, 2016.

[27] See generally: Building a Corporate Reputation of Integrity, Ethics Resource Center (www.ethics.org/fellows), 2011; Gillian B. White, The Toll of Wells Fargo’s Account Scandal: The fallout has implications not just for the bank’s reputation, but also its bottom line, The Atlantic, April 19, 2017.

[28] Kim Page, Likeability in Business: Why We Need It More Than Ever, Entrepreneur, November 20, 2019.

[29] Alice Boyes, 5 Ways Smart People Sabotage Their Success, Harvard Business Review, November 13, 2018. Also see, Richard Feloni, 11 ways smart people sabotage their success, World Economic Forum, June 10, 2015.

[30] See generally: Eric Sigurdson, In-house Staff Counsel Operations: alternative legal services delivery model employs ‘first class lawyers’ to effectively handle litigation in the new normal, Sigurdson Post, February 18, 2017; Mark Cohen, Differentiation in the New Legal Marketplace and Why it Matters, Forbes, January 2, 2018.

[31] Mark Cohen, When Will the Legal Industry Become Customer-Centric?, Forbes, October 27, 2020.

[32] David Horsager, The Trust Edge, 2012. Also see, Arthur Gensier, Trust is the most powerful currency in business, Fortune, July 28, 2015.

[33] David Horsager, The Trust Edge, 2012; WEF Leadership (Trust and Performance Equation Project prepared in collaboration with PwC), The Evolution of Trust in Business: From Delivery to Values, World Economic Forum, January 2015.

[34] David Horsager, Trust Edge, 2012; WEF Leadership (Trust and Performance Equation Project prepared in collaboration with PwC), The Evolution of Trust in Business: From Delivery to Values, World Economic Forum, January 2015. Also see, Amina Shahid and Dr. M. Azhar Shahid, Integrity and Trust: The Defining Principles of Great Workplaces, Journal of Management Research, Vol. 5 No. 4, October 1, 2013; Building a Corporate Reputation of Integrity, Ethics Resource Center (www.ethics.org/fellows), 2011.

[35] Fred Kiel, Return on Character: The Real Reason Leaders and their Companies Win, April 2015; Neal St. Anthony, Consultant: CEOs with integrity produce better returns, Star Tribune, May 15, 2015; Measuring the Return on Character, Harvard Business Review, April 2015; Jessica Rohman, The Business Case for a High-Trust Culture, Great Place to Work.com, 2016.

[36] Building a Corporate Reputation of Integrity, Ethics Resource Center (www.ethics.org/fellows), 2011; Edelman 2011 Trust Barometer, “Trust Has Tangible Benefits,” (video), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viXTQBBY258, January 2011; Elizabeth Garcia, Top Five reasons customers trust businesses, WHNT News.com, August 9, 2016.

[37] Amina Shahid and Dr. M. Azhar Shahid, Integrity and Trust: The Defining Principles of Great Workplaces, Journal of Management Research, Vol. 5 No. 4, October 1, 2013.

[38] Building a Corporate Reputation of Integrity, Ethics Resource Center (www.ethics.org/fellows), 2011; Frank X. Shaw, Building Trust in a Post-Truth World, Linkedin.com, May 25, 2017.

[39] Kent Grayson, Broad-Scope Trust: The Trust Problem Many Business Leaders Ignore, LinkedIn, April 27, 2017.

[40] See generally: 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer: Global Report, Edelman.com, 2019; 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer: Executive Summary, Edelman.com, 2019.

[41] David Horsager, You Can’t Be a Great Leader Without Trust – Here’s How You Build It, Forbes, October 24, 2012; David Horsager, The Trust Edge: How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom Line, Free Press, 2009. Also see, Jason Wingard, Do You Trust Facebook? Zuckerberg’s Leadership Dilemma, Forbes, March 20, 2019.

[42] Jim Harrison and Gary Furlong, Building Trust in Business Partnerships, Queen’s University Industrial Relations Centre, December 2012.

[43] Jenna Goudreau, A Harvard psychologist says people judge you based on 2 criteria when they first meet you, Business Insider, January 16, 2016; Jeff Haden, A Harvard Psychologist Says This Trait Matters Most: 10 Ways to Make a Great First Impression, Inc., June 13, 2016; Amy Cuddy, Presence: Bringing your Boldest Self to your Biggest Challenges, 2016.

[44] Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, The 3 Elements of Trust, Harvard Business Review, February 5, 2019.

[45] Jan Hills, Warmth and competence: How we are judged and how we judge others, HeadHeartBrain.com, April 16, 2018. Also see, Jenna Goudreau, A Harvard psychologist says people judge you based on 2 criteria when they first meet you, Business Insider, January 16, 2016; Jeff Haden, A Harvard Psychologist Says This Trait Matters Most: 10 Ways to Make a Great First Impression, Inc., June 13, 2016; Amy Cuddy, Presence: Bringing your Boldest Self to your Biggest Challenges, 2016.

[46] Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton, Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (2^nd ed.), 1981.

[47] Merge Gupta-Sunderji, Want to be more persuasive? Become more likeable, Globe and Mail, October 19, 2020.

[48] Carmine Gallo, The Art of Persuasion Hasn’t Changed in 2,000 Years, Harvard Business Review, July 15, 2019.

[49] Merge Gupta-Sunderji, Want to be more persuasive? Become more likeable, Globe and Mail, October 19, 2020.

[50] David Gergen, The single most important quality a president must have, CNN, November 2, 2020.

[51] Soulaima Gourani, The 30/70 Rule To Gaining Someone’s Trust, Forbes, August 12, 2020.

[52] Richard Feloni, 11 ways smart people sabotage their success, World Economic Forum, June 10, 2015. Also see, Alice Boyes, 5 Ways Smart People Sabotage Their Success, Harvard Business Review, November 13, 2018; Christine Dobby, From surf lessons to virtual chocolate making, law firms get creative to woo clients, Globe and Mail, October 23, 2020.

[53] Merge Gupta-Sunderji, Want to be more persuasive? Become more likeable, Globe and Mail, October 19, 2020.

[54] Merge Gupta-Sunderji, Want to be more persuasive? Become more likeable, Globe and Mail, October 19, 2020.

[55] Steven Goldstein, The Turn-On: How the Powerful Make Us Like Them – from Washington to Wall Street to Hollywood, Harper Business, 2019. Also see, Molly Schwartz and Sam Van Pykeren, A Likeability Expert Explains Why If You Want to be Liked, You Need to Have These 8 Traits, Mother Jones, January 29, 2020.

[56] David Horsager, You Can’t Be a Great Leader Without Trust – Here’s How You Build It, Forbes, October 24, 2012; David Horsager, The Trust Edge: How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom Line, Free Press, 2009. Also see, Jason Wingard, Do You Trust Facebook? Zuckerberg’s Leadership Dilemma, Forbes, March 20, 2019.

[57] Matthew Prinn and Katie Reagan, What makes lawyers more likeable?, The Daily Record, February 10, 2014.

[58] Merge Gupta-Sunderji, Want to be more persuasive? Become more likeable, Globe and Mail, October 19, 2020; Deep Patel, 10 Ways to Become a Super-Likeable Person, Entrepreneur, April 28, 2017; Anita Sands, In Times of Uncertainty, These Are the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders, Forbes, August 12, 2020.

[59] Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones, Managing Authenticity: The Paradox of Great Leadership, Harvard Business Review, December 2005:

“Leaders and followers both associate authenticity with sincerity, honesty, and integrity. It’s the real thing—the attribute that uniquely defines great leaders.

But while the expression of an authentic self is necessary for great leadership, the concept of authenticity is often misunderstood, not least by leaders themselves. They often assume that authenticity is an innate quality—that a person is either authentic or not. In fact, authenticity is a quality that others must attribute to you. No leader can look into a mirror and say, “I am authentic.” A person cannot be authentic on his or her own. Authenticity is largely defined by what other people see in you and, as such, can to a great extent be controlled by you. If authenticity were purely an innate quality, there would be little you could do to manage it and, therefore, little you could do to make yourself more effective as a leader. …

[D]ifficult … for leaders to find a balance between expressing their personalities and managing those of the people they aspire to lead or at least influence. Yet the ability to strike that balance—and to preserve one’s authenticity in the process—is precisely what distinguishes great leaders from other executives. The challenge of great leadership is exactly that of managing one’s authenticity, paradoxical though it undoubtedly sounds.

Let us be absolutely clear: Authenticity is not the product of pure manipulation. It accurately reflects aspects of the leader’s inner self, so it can’t be an act. But great leaders seem to know which personality traits they should reveal to whom and when. They are like chameleons, capable of adapting to the demands of the situations they face and the people they lead, yet they do not lose their identities in the process. Authentic leaders remain focused on where they are going but never lose sight of where they came from. Highly attuned to their environments, they rely on an intuition born of formative, sometimes harsh experiences to understand the expectations and concerns of the people they seek to influence. They retain their distinctiveness as individuals, yet they know how to win acceptance in strong corporate and social cultures and how to use elements of those cultures as a basis for radical change. …

Leaders who know how to manage their authenticity will be all the more effective for it, better able to both energize and retain loyal followers.

Establishing your authenticity as a leader is a two-part challenge. First, you have to ensure that your words are consistent with your deeds; otherwise, followers will never accept you as authentic. …

But it is not enough just to practice what you preach. To get people to follow you, you also have to get them to relate to you. So the second challenge of authentic leadership is finding common ground with the people you seek to recruit as followers. This means you will have to present different faces to different audiences, a requirement that many people find hard to square with authenticity. But, as Shakespeare recognized long ago, “All the world’s a stage…and one man in his time plays many parts.” Such role playing doesn’t have to be fake or insincere. That’s not to say it’s easy—far from it. …

It goes almost without saying that the exercise of leadership is complex and requires both skills and practice. Over time, and through various life experiences, a leader develops an extensive repertoire of roles, which can make her seem very different to different people in different situations. Indeed, if a leader doesn’t acquire this complexity, she will be able to recruit as followers only those people with whom she already shares some common ground.

But it is one thing to develop this complexity and another thing entirely to wield it effectively. Using your complex self (or, rather, selves) requires a degree of self-knowledge and the willingness and ability to share that self-knowledge with others, what we call self-disclosure. …

Besides possessing self-knowledge and skills in self-disclosure, great leaders have to be able to recognize which aspects of their authentic selves particular groups of followers are looking for. Most great leaders have highly developed social antennae: They use a complex mix of cognitive and observational skills to recognize what followers are consciously—and unconsciously—signaling to them.

The good news is that while some people seem to be born with these discernment skills, others can, in fact, learn them.”

[60] Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones, Managing Authenticity: The Paradox of Great Leadership, Harvard Business Review, December 2005.

[61] Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton, Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (2^nd ed.), 1981.

[62] Steven Lubet (Canadian Adaption by Sheila Block and Cynthia Tape), Modern Trial Advocacy Canada (second edition), National Institute for Trial Advocacy, 2000.

[63] Kim Page, Likeability in Business: Why We Need It More Than Ever, Entrepreneur, November 20, 2019.

[64] Psychological tips to win over your clients, juries, and judges, AvoidAClaim.com, December 19, 2016.

[65] John H. Munkman, The Technique of Advocacy, Stevens & Sons Limited (London), 1951.

[66] Merge Gupta-Sunderji, Want to be more persuasive? Become more likeable, Globe and Mail, October 19, 2020.

[67] Susan Smith Blakely, The power of decency in the legal profession, ABA Journal, November 19, 2020. Also see, Lea Berman and Jeremy Bernard, Treating People Well: The Extraordinary Power of Civility at Work and in Life, Scribner, 2018.

[68] Merge Gupta-Sunderji, Want to be more persuasive? Become more likeable, Globe and Mail, October 19, 2020; Deep Patel, 10 Ways to Become a Super-Likeable Person, Entrepreneur, April 28, 2017; Anita Sands, In Times of Uncertainty, These Are the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders, Forbes, August 12, 2020.

[69] Kit Troyer, Put Respect On Her Name: She may not be the hero we were expecting, but she feels like the hero we need, Thrive Global, November 19, 2020.

[70] Jan Hills, Warmth and competence: How we are judged and how we judge others, HeadHeartBrain.com, April 16, 2018. Also see, Jenna Goudreau, A Harvard psychologist says people judge you based on 2 criteria when they first meet you, Business Insider, January 16, 2016; Amy Cuddy, Presence: Bringing your Boldest Self to your Biggest Challenges, 2016.

[71] See generally, Randy Olson, Trust and likeability: The twin pillars of effective science communication, Policy Options, December 1, 2012.

[72] Eric Sigurdson, The Evolving Legal Service Delivery Model: A 2018 Survival Guide for BigLaw and Traditional Law Firms – building a new business model, Sigurdson Post, January 14, 2018. . Also see, Sandee Magliozzi, How Moving from ‘Best’ to ‘Next’ Practices Can Fuel Innovation, Santa Clara Law Faculty Publications, November 2015.