Blog Post

10 Business Rules For Great Leaders | Exigent

June 12, 2017

David By ELIZABETH ALBERY – Associate Director, Global Head of Exigent Virtual Services


Take courage: Exigent looks at what it takes to be a leader within a virtual support team.  We look at the virtues needed to deliver an exceptional experience and service.

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Aristotle called courage the first virtue, because it makes all other virtues possible; it’s also an extremely important business virtue.  Regardless of whether you’re supporting a law firm or an in-house team, other business concepts like leadership, innovation and sales wither in the absence of courage.

Successful leadership requires bold and often unpopular decisions; it takes courage. Innovation involves creating ground-breaking but tradition-defying ideas; it takes courage. Salesmanship can mean repeated rejection before closing a deal; it also takes courage. Without courage, sales, innovation and leadership lose their potency.

Here are 10 actions that leaders should instil within their organisations:

A sense of purpose: the values of an organisation must be clear; its members need to know them, exemplify and uphold them in their own actions.  For example, when lawyers walk in with confidence in their stride, this is one small attribute of a good leader.

Justice: everyone in an organisation should adhere to common standards, with rules and procedures that are clear, firm, fair and consistent.

Temperance: an inspiring leader must maintain a proper balance of emotions.  There are times for passionate advocacy and times for quiet reflection and reconsideration; balance is the key.

Respect: the dignity of each individual is the concern of any leader, and is preserved by treating all members of the organisation with respect and ensuring they treat one another similarly, regardless of differences.

Empowerment: the majority of an organization’s operations are carried out by individuals other than those in formal leadership positions.  Therefore, the more skilled they are and feel confident in their abilities, feel competent to make decisions, raise questions and see new possibilities, the stronger and more successful the organization will be.

Courage: successful leaders proactively determine strategy, without waiting for direction to emerge.  They follow their convictions, decide how a team can improve the organisation and take it new places.  Outsourcing, for example, can be a whole new ball game with many advantages to the organization, i.e. no employment issues, customer satisfaction, increased use of technology, cost-efficiency and expanding the business to the detriment of your competitors.

Deep Commitment: leaders must not be polishing their resumes, but rather commit themselves totally to their organisation, the advancement of its missions and the wellbeing of its staff.

Deliver strong results in the right way: the correct way is to achieve strong results while treating others with dignity and respect.  In all law firms, delivering the best legal service for the benefit of clients is of utmost importance, as well as profitability, innovation and expansion.  Outsourcing virtual support, for example, will not only be cost-efficient, but also contribute to client satisfaction.

Build, develop, and lead empowered and diverse teams: start by bringing together individuals to work as a team on a common problem.  Exigent Virtual Support provides legal services to law firms globally, working together as a team to provide the best solution for your client.  Combining our joint experience and expertise will lead to a more creative and robust solution.

Motivate others with a vision for the future that can be implemented: all effective leaders have a vision of the future and their position in it.  As important as the vision, is the ability to communicate that vision to your team and motivate them to be part of it.

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