Leading professional people
The podcast market is growing at such a pace that it’s not always easy to track down the best or most relevant content. But if you think of yourself as a “professional” then there is one to which you should definitely head to and hit “subscribe”.
In their acclaimed podcast series Professor Laura Empson and David Morley explore the real-life challenges of leading professional people, bring together insights from Laura’s decades of academic research into the professional sphere, and David’s own first-hand experience of leading a global law firm.
Drawing on their own vast knowledge, they are also regularly joined by people from the world’s most successful professional firms, including McKinsey, KPMG and Allen & Overy to discuss the everyday realities of leadership.
Centrum is delighted to showcase just a small selection of the fascinating content produced by David and Laura.
Partnership versus Corporate
Empson explains how the culture of partnership is created and sustained while Morley highlights the challenges of growth and scale in this context. To examine the differences and similarities between leadership in partnerships and corporations, they talk to Sir Ian Davis, former Global Managing Partner of McKinsey and now Chairman of Rolls-Royce plc.
Ambition versus Reluctance
Professional people can be notoriously reluctant to see themselves as leaders. Empson & Morley explore what can be done to support professionals making the transition from full-time fee earner to leader. They examine the myth of “authenticity” with Professor Herminia Ibarra, of London Business School, globally renowned expert in leadership identity and career transitions.
Paradoxes of Leadership
Empson gets a call at midnight from a client asking for advice as a potential leadership coup gathers momentum. Morley & Empson discuss the paradoxes of leading professional people, including the paradox of autonomy and control. When your “followers” don’t like being told what to do, how do you get them to do anything?
“Leaders of top professional firms around the world choose David for his creativity, credibility and cutting-edge advice grounded in vast, first-hand experience of leadership, strategy, innovation and leadership development.”
About David Morley
David draws on his own experience as a successful leader and 40 years in the legal profession to provide pragmatic and credible insight into leadership of professional firms. David led global law firm Allen & Overy from 2003-2016. He then started and ran a consultancy business advising on strategy and leadership as well as chairing a PE firm, Elaghmore, until earlier this year when he took on a full-time executive role as head of Europe for CDPQ, the Canadian investment manager with C$365bn under management globally.
About Laura Empson
Laura has dedicated the past 25 years to researching professionals and the professions, funded through a series of prestigious government awards. Her research encompasses diverse themes and she is committed to translating her academic research for a practitioner audience, so alongside her directorship and professorship at Cass Business School and fellowship at Harvard Law School, she acts as an advisor to many of the world’s leading professional organizations. She also acts as a non-executive director and governmental advisor. To explore more great content from Laura and David go to dhmorley.com; lauraempson.com