"Houston, we have a problem..."
Last week we discussed the foundational premise that jurors are hostages. Their brains are under attack due to lack of status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, and fairness (taken from David Rock’s book Your Brain at Work) and it’s up to YOU to set them free.
There’s a big problem though. YOU ARE ALSO A HOSTAGE.
Think about it…
What is your status in the courtroom as a plaintiff attorney?
Do you have certainty about which method works best?
Do you get to decide how the jury decides or must you also give up your autonomy?
How many jurors do you have a relationship with?
And let's be honest, isn't the system unfair?
Thankfully, I’ve never been in a true hostage situation, but I’ve seen enough movies to innately understand that hostages don’t free hostages. A hero has to free them.
So, how do you become the hero jurors need? First, you have to free yourself.
Okay, that sounds like a no-brainer. “But how, Sari? HOW?”
Well…this is where the true work happens. You’ve got to first show up as your most powerful and authentic self, which means doing some personal work to examine the limiting beliefs you subconsciously hold. Identify the internal saboteur and learn to squelch their voice in favor of the voice of the inner leader. This is a major mindset shift, but by digging in, you’ll begin to see the transformation that will allow you to move through your various courtroom roles with adept, agile-like moves.
It’s critical that you free yourself (I’ll help you), and then you can work to free the jury by following these four steps:
You’ll be tempted to skip the personal work and just jump to the four steps that will free the jury. THIS IS A MISTAKE. That approach will backfire on you. There’s really no skipping allowed. In fact, the “free yourself” part is arguably the MOST important. Get started by examining how your brain is under attack by writing down the answers to the questions above. Next week I’ll give you a few more tools for your own journey from hostage to hero.
