“When you have relied on the expertise of others and sought out differing perspectives, leaders should be able to stand by their decision when facing opposition.”
Olivia Betterton
University of Tennessee College of Law Class of 2025 and UT Pro Bono Chair
I came to law school with an interest in pursuing a career in public policy. During law school (or during my time here etc.), I have had the privilege of interning with the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU) and the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) in their respective policy departments. I quickly learned important lessons about leadership. I found that policy work highlights some of the most challenging aspects of being a leader. Introducing and executing change comes with an array of difficulties, pushback, and resistance.
Through my experiences, I learned the importance of relying on your team, being open to criticism, and making difficult decisions with confidence. Below I share a few of the lessons I learned in the public policy world and how to implement them as a law student.
Rely on your team.
Policy implementation requires leadership that emphasizes teamwork and respects individual perspectives. There is no successful implementation without the expertise, knowledge, and support of others. While working with the ACLU of Tennessee, the policy department looked not only to experts, but to citizens personally impacted, to understand the issues and identify appropriate policy solutions. Policy decisions cannot, and should not, be made in a vacuum.
A successful leader recognizes when their knowledge or insight fall short. They seek out those in the field who know more, and they rely on the contributions of those experts to inform their decisions. Leadership requires admitting when you do not know the answer and deferring to those who do.
Tennessee has an incredibly large network of experts looking to reform and improve our state’s policies. Similarly, you have a network to rely on and learn from. Law school is a great place to practice admitting when you don’t know and need more information to make a decision or take a position. Embrace not knowing and lean on your peers and professors who do. As they say, “if you’re the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.”
Be open to criticism.
When implementing change, pushback and criticism are inevitable. Leadership must be able to listen, hear, and respond to concerns. While working on an overhaul of Tennessee’s education budget in 2023, the TDOE welcomed feedback from the entire state. One of my jobs was to comb through every public comment and identify where questions were answered in the new policy or if a gap existed and required more research.
A good leader will not look to those who will reaffirm their current beliefs but seek out those with the information to challenge what they thought to be true. Criticism allows leaders to engage with their work from a new perspective and make the most informed decisions.
Policy work demonstrates this on a very large scale, but you can work on this by allowing peers to review your work. Seek out as many opportunities as you can to collect red marks on your assignments. It can be difficult to receive criticism, but it is the best and quickest way to improve.
Make difficult decisions with confidence.
It is not possible for one policy to satisfy everyone. At the ACLU and the TDOE, there were often passionate and difficult discussions about sensitive topics. Leadership was required to give tough answers and decline suggestions. Whether leaders were explaining budget allocations or defending a right to healthcare, they responded with respect for opposing viewpoints and knowledge about the subject.
It is one of the roles of a leader to make difficult decisions. What makes a great leader is the ability to make these decisions with confidence. To do so, leaders must put in the work to gather information, understand the impact of their choices, and consider multiple solutions. When you have relied on the expertise of others and sought out differing perspectives, leaders should be able to stand by their decision when facing opposition.
Law school will provide unlimited opportunities to defend your position. Be sure you are doing the work necessary to fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of your argument. Being knowledgeable about the opposition’s perspective will help you to be the best advocate for your position, client, or policy.
