As the legal landscape continues to evolve, Stefan Halter emphasizes the importance of empowering team members, fostering trust, and navigating organizational change effectively. With ABB’s shift from a country-centric to a division-centered structure, Stefan has seen firsthand how aligning legal teams closely with business operations enhances collaboration and drives results.
In this interview, he shares his approach to leadership, tips for building motivated and capable teams, and insights into how the role of in-house counsel has become more integral to business strategy and reputation management.
Merlin Beyts: You focus a lot on leadership and team management in your role. How important is it that your team members feel encouraged and motivated?
Stefan Halter: I think having encouraged and motivated team members is key to any team – particularly in a highly complex field such as in-house legal counseling. We’ve all seen LinkedIn posts around the topic that we shouldn’t hire smart people and then tell them how to do their work. The same applies here. Sure, there are some standards and expectations that we should set, but with proper onboarding and open team communication where people feel empowered, can speak up, and ask for help, they will feel encouraged and motivated to take ownership for what they do. That will automatically lead to better communication within the team and towards the business partners, and that is ultimately what will lead to success for the company.
Merlin Beyts: How do you ensure this happens in your team, are there any tips and tricks you can share?
Stefan Halter: I’ve never seen myself as being superior because I was selected to lead the teams I lead. If I was the smartest and best player on the team, I would also be the limit of my team’s capabilities. My approach is always that I assume people are capable – and if it turns out otherwise, we will see how we can upskill them, coach them, or what other measures we have to take to make them succeed. The other part is that I assume people act with good intentions until proven otherwise. I’ve always been open about what I am good at, and where my experience is limited. As an example, I’ve always been very close to the business, having started as a contract manager with one of ABB’s local factories. So large investment contracts are one of my strengths, including all the non-legal aspects that come with them. On the other hand, as in-house counsel, I’ve never been directly involved in litigation. So I’ve always been open about asking for help where I needed someone more knowledgeable, but also always offered my help and advice to anyone in a field that I know well. Showing that vulnerability has helped build up the trust that my team members can come to me with any topic.
Another aspect that I think has helped create trust in my team is that I’ve always been available as what I call “a second brain,” someone to discuss something through and brainstorm. We don’t always have all the answers, and having someone to mull things through sometimes is all that’s needed to find a good solution to a problem.
Merlin Beyts: ABB’s structure changed a fair amount recently. How did you manage the shift of your legal team who are now operating within different areas and/or geographies in this new structure?
Stefan Halter: If you went to management training 20 years ago, ABB was often used as a model for the matrix organization. In that organization, Legal was very country-centered, with each country having its own legal team and general counsel supporting the units present in their respective countries. That has changed completely in the last years, with the new “ABB Way” being centered around the Divisions as the main business drivers. Consequently, we had to align the legal structure to that organizational setup as well. While still experts in their local law, each lawyer is now assigned to a specific business and primarily supports that business. This has brought our local lawyers much closer to the business and they now have a more holistic approach to all legal topics. We also are working on establishing informal expert groups that will support across the region on certain topics they have special experience or knowledge. This will help them grow beyond the country role and give them more exposure to the global organization.
Change is a constant, and the role of in-house legal has changed over the years, with or without company reorganization. Today’s in-house lawyers are expected to know their business, have a seat at the decision table, and have become a steward of their company’s reputation – often combining Legal and Integrity in the same role, as is the case in ABB. Beyond the in-house view, we have to be adept at navigating the legal nuances of a global marketplace and also be astutely aware of external factors impacting our business. The role has become more integrated into business operations over the past decade and will continue to do so as we navigate a rapidly changing world, and that’s in the end where in-house counsels have the advantage over a law firm.
Read the full LegalTech Diaries Volume 6: https://www.legaltech-talk.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/LegalTech-Diaries-Volume-6.pdf
