Business lawyers are not often liked. They are hired to control risk and that slows things down and makes business difficult.
I have never met a lawyer with business incentives, and it makes sense that they don't have any. Giving a lawyer a business goal would be risky business.
Which is why lawyers keep presenting IPR demands that make research cooperation impossible, stop sales cases because they can’t agree on indemnity clauses, and refuse partnership agreements because of liabilities.
It is a negative job.
It is similar with communications managers responsible for partnership communications in a large company. When you close a deal, they are not at the negotiation table. A press release will be discussed later in good faith, it then says on the contract. The discussion is short. The communications manager (who does not have a business incentive) will tell you in good faith: No.
When your position is about brand protection and controlling media visibility, you end up saying no a lot. It is always easier to decline a request. It is a negative job.
There are many similar control jobs we could study, but since I am not a negative person and this blog should have a warm, sympathetic and life embracing spin, we need something more positive to end this post with.
Most lawyers and communications managers are very nice people. Given that we can’t give them a bonus for closing quick deals or incentives for issuing more partner press releases, we need something else.
The answer is strong business ownership. We need business owners who are not afraid of responsibility. If nobody from the business side owns the business risk, lawyers will have to. That would be negative for innovation and growth.
Collective blurred accountability will not do. There has to be an upright, clearly defined, sole business owner for every business case, agreement and press release.
So next time your lawyers or communications managers say no, you should reply that you understand their point of view and acknowledge the risks. Then tell them you take the responsibility. If that is not enough, hug them and promise it is going to be OK.
You might want to hug them anyway. It can be tough to be negative in your work. And they just have to be.
Comments