Chapter 30
Trust in Internal Staff Functions
In the world of professional services, the term trusted advisor conjures up images of subject matter experts working with external clients. But there is another group for whom the term is equally relevant: those in internal roles who provide the same kind of specialized expertise within their organization. This chapter is specifically written for people in internal staff functions such as Legal, Human Resources (HR), Information Technology (IT), and Finance. It examines the external misconceptions that impede building trust, and identifies specific ways for specialists on the inside to increase the levels of trust and influence with internal clients.
“Trust me, I’m from HR/IT/Legal/Finance.” Does this phrase make you want to take a bow of deep respect, or to chuckle? For many organizations, it depends. Stereotypes, cross-cultural clashes, and internal tensions abound when it comes to shared services organizations. The great challenge for you if you serve in one of these internal staff functions is to maintain objectivity and collegiality at the same time, while rising above any negative labels that exist.
In one sense, internal staff face exactly the same uphill battle as their colleagues on the outside—to successfully influence others over whom they have no direct authority. But internal staff have unique additional challenges:
The great challenge of these internal staff functions is to maintain objectivity and collegiality at the ...
