Power Players are geniuses in leak strategy. They understand by intuition or experience that managing their grapevines can increase morale within their own organizations, send misleading or wrong information to opponents, competitors, enemies, and create positive public relations for their own brand, their message, and their pet projects. Much of Inside the Beltway operates on a carefully orchestrated leak strategy as do shrewd companies. The illusion of loose lips can sink everyone else's boat but your own.
Law firms, being the rather staid, risk-averse organizational cultures they are, likely haven't adopted this strategic approach. WilmerHale, for example, David Lat and Elie Mystal report in Abovethelaw.com, has warned associates that talking to aka leaking with ATL will result in firing. To begin with, this presents WilmerHale as having reason to fear transparency. Not a good space to be in. But there is much more wrong with this edict, which, of course, would be leaked to ATL.
What law firms such as WilmerHale need to understand and leverage is the enormous power bundled in underground or unofficial information. Call it Grapevine Cred. Everyone, including shrewd competitors, clients and prospects, are likely to pay more attention to it that than what is published about the enterprise in THE NATIONAL LAW JOURNAL, tabloid ATL or the one-time bible of business THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
How to establish and nurture Grapevine Cred? Here are some recommendations:
- Identify the biggest gossipers and malcontents in the organization. Through staff such as the managing partner's administrative assistant, feed them the information and perspectives that need to be out there, both internally and externally. The results will include your being contacted by the media to clarify. You got the platform you need to fine-tune whatever.
- Create internal communications with an eye to their being leaked. They will be. This is in your favor if they contain the exact tone and content you want out there. That will entail not having the document appear to be polished or reflect organizational self-consciousness.
- Silence can enhance the momentum of gossip. Wait until commenting, officially or unofficially.
- Assign third parties to fill the external grapevine at conferences, dinners, and watering holes. This is a classic tactic of reputation-builders. They designate brand ambassadors to speak well of them in the right circles at the right time.
The grapevine is a survival mechanism for mankind. An excited caveman would return from the hunt telling his mate about a great food find in the forest. She would or would not tell her best friend. That decision would ensure who ate and who didn't. You bet, that mate obtained great power in the group. More than even source of information and insight.
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