Using Empathy Interviewing Techniques to Get to the Heart of the Matter I Lisa Leong

McKinsey’s General Counsel on Organizations and Excellence I Pierre Gentin

Threading together his ideas on running a first-in-class legal department during a time of disruption, Pierre Gentin, Global General Counsel at McKinsey & Company, enlightens us through his great storytelling. Gentin covers the three elements he believes are vital to operating a well-run legal department: organizing the right structure, empowering talent to grow, and having great clarity of the function and its objectives. He also shares how he has been influenced by philosophy and music, and discusses growing up in South Africa. Gentin explains how small, precious moments in life may provide us with lessons that impact us in the largest way. Download the episode to learn more about Gentin’s insights and experiences — and to hear him play guitar! 

Continuous Creativity in Advertising, BBDO, and the Creative Geniuses I David Lubars

David Lubars is Chief Creative Officer of BBDO Worldwide and Chairman of BBDO North America, an advertising agency often called the most creative on the planet. As new forms of communication and technology continue to emerge — from TikTok to augmented reality — the opportunities to create imaginative and impactful advertising are endless. Download the episode to learn what role creativity plays in marketing and driving revenue. Lubars also discuss how BBDO helps its clients “keep on keeping on.” The agency continually produces new and standout advertising that is creative and memorable for a range of clients, including Dunkin, BMW, and Mars. For Lubars, helping companies stand out through their marketing and “mixing the cement” is the best part of his job.

Hosts: Lavinia Calvert & Deborah Farone
Co-Producer: Katelin Zweifel-Korzuchin & Brit Nowacki 
Audio Engineer: Nikki Rasmussen
Editor: Jessica Penfield

Leadership, Design Thinking, Hiring, and the Future of the Professions I Scott Westfahl

Professor Scott Westfahl, the Director of Harvard Law School’s Executive Education Program, is a nationally-recognized expert in the area of leadership. He discusses how teaching has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and how Harvard is gathering its talent to foster new and agile ways of engaging students in the classroom. Listen to the episode to hear Westfahl share a mini course in design thinking and explain how to reformulate problems and locate new solutions. Westfahl also covers the value of networks, pointing to recent studies that show how the impact of widescale networks can help locate resources, widen contacts, and solve problems on the highest level. He explains how to design an in-house training program, and details the game-changing steps that can make the difference in hiring and retaining talent.

Hosts: Lavinia Calvert & Deborah Farone
Co-Producer: Katelin Zweifel-Korzuchin & Brit Nowacki 
Audio Engineer: Nikki Rasmussen
Editor: Jessica Penfield

Finding a Company’s Purpose and Defining Personal Joy I Patrice Tanaka

As Chief Joy Officer of Joyful Planet, Patrice Tanaka helps both individuals and organizations define and leverage their purposes. Learn how purpose-driven organizations are outperforming their competition, and hear how Tanaka’s decision to take a ballroom dance class changed her life. She also recounts how she took hold of her own PR firm from the ranks of an ad agency and how the firm was later named one of the most creative PR shops in the country. Tanaka has helped unleash greater fulfillment and joy for clients throughout the world, and believes her purpose in life is to help others find their own purpose and joy.

Hosts: Lavinia Calvert & Deborah Farone
Co-Producer: Katelin Zweifel-Korzuchin & Brit Nowacki 
Audio Engineer: Nikki Rasmussen
Editor: Jessica Penfield

Innovative Leadership and Accelerating Change I Ralph Baxter

Ralph Baxter, Intapp Board Member and the former Chairman and CEO of the law firm Orrick, joins us to discuss the characteristics that are vital to becoming a true and innovative leader in the professional services arena. Learn how the COVID-19 pandemic has given firms an opportunity to accelerate necessary change and serve clients in better and more efficient ways. During the episode, Baxter also addresses the importance of diversity, a topic close to his heart. He recounts his discussions with Harvard’s David Wilkins regarding how work assignments are made within a law firm and how those decisions serve as an important inflection point for diversity and inclusion. 

Hosts: Lavinia Calvert & Deborah Farone
Co-Producer: Katelin Zweifel-Korzuchin & Brit Nowacki 
Audio Engineer: Nikki Rasmussen
Editor: Jessica Penfield