Women Leaders in the Law Discuss Power, Success, and Empathy
Are leaders born or made? How do they articulate a vision? How do they build a team? These were some of the questions addressed at a recent panel, “Women Leaders in the Law,” at Columbia Law School’s fifth Private Sector Career Symposium. Held on February 16, it was organized by the Office of Career Services and Professional Development.
Gillian Lester, Dean and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law, moderated an enlightening discussion among three high-powered attorneys: Ellen Kaden ’77, former chief legal and public affairs officers of Campbell Soup Company and one-time member of the Law School’s faculty; Kim Koopersmith, chairperson of the firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, which has 20 offices around the globe; and Kathy Surace-Smith ’84, general counsel of NanoString Technologies, a publicly traded biotech company based in Seattle.
Surace-Smith described her approach as a form of “servant leadership,” which she describes as encouraging her team members to strive to do their best. “This may strike you as surprising, but the most successful leaders tend to be empathetic people,” she said. “I try to put myself in other people’s shoes. You need to bridge different perspectives to get everyone on the same page.”
Kaden said she strives to give people “a sense of direction and a sense of enthusiasm. You need to inspire people to want to be part of a project, and then they can have the wonderful experience of success.”
Still, they said gender sometimes played a role in how they expressed leadership. Kaden explained that she had to develop a tough approach when she became general counsel at CBS 25 years ago. “There were very few women executives in entertainment—in those days, one was truly a Martian!” she said. But being tough did not mean she wasn’t concerned with her staff’s well-being. “The big surprise for people was that I wanted them to succeed. That is the empathy part. I’ve gotten enormous gratification from all the people’s careers I’ve helped advance over the years," she said.
Koopersmith heeded their advice and won the election. She admits she was initially uncomfortable in being the chair. Now, after five years at the helm of the firm, Koopersmith said that she relishes her power. “I like setting the tone that you get to set as a leader. I like that the organization can reflect my values,” she said.
The fifth biennial Private Sector Career Symposium brought together alumni, faculty and prominent lawyers from firms and corporations to speak with students about the opportunities in the ever-changing private practice landscape.The panel exemplified the Law School’s deep focus on leadership training, which includes a new spring course, Lawyer Leadership: Leading Self, Leading Others, Leading Change.
At the end of the program. Dean Lester asked each woman to offer one sentence of advice on being a leader for the scores of law students in the audience.
“Leadership, in my opinion, is about driving enlistment and earning trust, and if you can learn those skills and practice them you will be an effective leader,” said Kaden as the other panelists nodded in agreement.
“Enjoy the ride,” said Koopersmith.
“Embrace change,” said Surace-Smith.
And then Kaden turned to Dean Lester, who leads more than 1,500 students and 88 full-time faculty members, and asked her to answer the same question. “Believe in yourself, trust yourself,” said Dean Lester.
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Posted on March 14, 2018