The Complete Lawyer

“Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and they will show themselves great.”

When nineteenth century American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote these stirring words, he could not have anticipated that recent events would make such sentiment seem almost embarrassingly naive.

These days, trust is an increasingly scarce commodity. As I write this, investors reel from revelations concerning Bernard Madoff and his alleged Ponzi scheme. Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was impeached and removed from office for allegedly trying to sell Obama’s vacated Senate seat. Legislators in my home state, Massachusetts, received a generous salary increase while a budget shortfall forced cutbacks in essential state services, provoking public outcry. Meanwhile, communities demand answers after utility companies failed to restore power quickly when a recent ice storm left several towns in the dark for two long, cold weeks. Local and national events like these erode our trust—in public officials, institutions, our fellow men and women.

In my own work as a mediator who shepherds negotiations, I bear witness to the fragility of trust. I see people struggling in the aftermath of failed business or personal relationships when trust lies shattered or hangs by a fraying thread. Trust is always the first and greatest casualty. And when you’re the one left standing in the aftermath, it can be hard indeed to heed Emerson’s advice.

Robert Bruner, Dean of the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, considered trust in a recent blog post. He reminded faculty and students that the most important legacy they can create is a reputation for integrity. “To incorporate ethics into our workplace mindset,” he wrote, “is to think about the kind of world that we would like to live in, and that succeeding generations will inherit.”

Against the backdrop of the headlines today, I consider Bruner’s and Emerson’s words together. What both these men invoke, writing centuries apart, is the duty that each of us has to inspire and lead others to greatness through our own conduct—to mentor others to honor a higher good. They lead me to think back on my own mentors, those people who lit the way ahead. The lessons they taught me by their own example are rooted in the ethos of trust that mattered to Emerson and matters still today. Among these lessons, three in particular stand out.

Lead By Example

The best mentors are those whose own example motivates those they lead. The CEO of Japan Airlines, Haruka Nishimatsu, takes public transportation, eats in the company cafeteria with his co-workers, and earned only $90,000 in 2007. When Japan Airlines had to make deep cuts and asked long-time employees to take early retirement, he cut every one of his corporate perks and slashed his salary because to do otherwise would have shown disrespect to JAL employees, many of whom were his age. Meanwhile, American auto executives nickel and dime workers while earning millions in salaries and bonuses despite their industry’s woeful performance. The actions of these executives and of Nishimatsu send potent but very different messages. As a mentor, what kind of message do you want to convey to those you lead?

Confront, Don’t Conceal Mistakes

In a job I took shortly after college, one of my early mentors discovered that she had missed a crucial deadline. Stunned and horrified, I asked her what she would do. Her answer: “The only thing: let’s get help.” She overcame her initial shock and embarrassment to notify her own boss and ask him for advice. By the following day, all had been set right thanks to her quick response. I have never forgotten her forthrightness and honesty in owning up to her mistake, asking for help, and then taking swift steps to fix it. In doing so, she gave me a great gift: an ethical template for handling the mistakes we all inevitably make.

Trust People To Be Great

I’ve heard some argue that trust must first be earned. Emerson, however, invites us to look at trust more magnanimously: giving trust inspires others to be great. In my first job after law school, I was fortunate to have a mentor who let me spread my wings. As I gained experience and confidence, she trusted me with matters of increasing complexity and importance, pushing me each time to reach further and higher. When I won a motion for summary judgment on a case for one of the firm’s biggest clients, she told me she was not surprised: she knew I could do it. Her belief in me let me believe in myself.

Despite the current headlines, I believe in the spirit of Emerson’s words: “Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and they will show themselves great.” Anyone who leads, who mentors others, has the ability to influence the future for the good whether we are business leaders, teachers, parents, or simply human beings. What we do today can alter for the better the headlines in tomorrow’s paper. We must trust ourselves that we can do it. As Emerson wrote also, “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.”