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Soft Skills 101: Are You Naturally a Nice Person?

By Lynne DeVenny

In May of this year, I attended and presented at the North Carolina Bar Association Paralegal Division's annual meeting and conference, where Marisa Campbell, the director of the ABA-approved Paralegal Program at Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina, gave a presentation about the "Soft Skills" that paralegals need to be successful. Campbell described soft skills as those things that our mothers always told us to do, like be on time, send written thank-you notes, and use good table manners. I was reminded of her presentation when I read the following in Law.com's August 6, 2010 article, "10 Ways to Improve Law Firm Client Service":

6. Hire great people.

I know this goes without saying, but many firms do not specifically look to employ people-liking, people-pleasing employees. It is really, really hard to teach people to be nice and service-focused when they are just not like that by nature. Therefore, as part of your recruiting efforts for both staff and lawyers, make sure each employee is the kind of person that likes to smile, that is solicitous and likes to help people. In addition, make sure all new hires know that going the extra mile is part of the job. You want to hire people interested in the success of your firm. Take a lesson from Zappos, the online shoe company known and applauded for its outstanding service. The company has a rigorous and energetic customer service training program for new employees. At the end of the training period, if the customer service rep thinks he cannot live up to the company's expectations and service creed, he is paid $1,000 not to accept the job. Zappos is that serious about hiring the right people who will be exemplary representatives of the company.

The ability to be nice, even when the people you interact with aren't nice to you, is an invaluable soft skill, and a character trait that most of our moms try to teach us, starting when we are self-absorbed toddlers. I don't think that being nice means being cloyingly sweet or a passive doormat, but I do think that being nice, especially in the tough situations we typically face in the practice of law, is a basic soft skill that legal staffers need to use every day.

Yes, it's necessary for successful paralegals to be naturally nice, helpful people, since a large component of our jobs is customer service. It's essential to be genuinely interested in other people's problems, as well as the solutions. Personally, on rough days when I find it more challenging to be nice, it helps me to remember to treat our clients - and my colleagues - like I would want to be treated. (Mom said that, too.)

"10 Ways to Improve Law Firm Client Service" is a valuable read for everyone who works in a law firm, from the front desk clerk to the senior partner. The ability to be genuinely nice and truly helpful is one of those soft skills that isn't taught in paralegal programs, but is absolutely essential for success in the paralegal field - and something that employers should look for during the interview process.

Source: Law.com

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on August 08, 2010 (boomark / email).