To Lead

Business leaders are fortunate to have a chance to leave a lasting impact through their organizations. Legacy can take many forms, but one way for any business leader to leave a lasting impact is to create an environment where our people grow, thrive and stay for the long haul. Where our people believe their impact is more than simply improving the bottom line. How does a leader start (or sustain) that process? I believe it starts with having an achievable vision for your organization— one that is aspirational, but achievable— that helps explain how the organization’s work impacts the community (however defined) for the better. This vision is most likely to resonate when backed by consistent core principles—a set of rules that is used to help make decisions and is lived by leadership each day. The goal should be that everything a leader does is consistent with those principles and moves the organization closer to achieving that vision. I suspect most of us hope to leave the world a little better than we found it. That can feel unrealistic when we are overwhelmed with billable hours, navigating regulatory changes or aspiring to be more present at home. But given how many hours we work, the office should be a place where we have a chance to have a positive impact beyond crossing items off a to-do list.

At Major, Lindsey & Africa, our vision is that we change lives in the legal industry. One of our core principles in fulfilling that vision is maintaining a spirit of constant improvement. Research consistently demonstrates that the most successful people seek to constantly grow and improve and refuse to rest on the past. Our leadership team is consistently looking for ways to drive our company forward to make sure we do everything we can to be the best in legal and executive search, which

requires innovation and growth. And our leaders expect their teams to do the same.

Consistently looking for ways to improve is a key attribute for teams and individuals that thrive. David Djaha, managing partner of Ropes & Gray, speaks to this in his cover interview. Ropes has core values by which everyone lives and operates. These values affect hiring, impact partnering choices and guide daily decisions.

Of course, realizing your vision also depends on the people you hire, the systems you create and the tools you give your team to succeed. But if your people do not believe in the value of the work your organization does, and if the culture is not consistent with the spirit of that work, your people will not be committed for the long term—and the organization will not have a legacy beyond mere survival. David believes that, and MLA does, too.

Leading authentically and consistent with your vision is not easy. It requires acknowledging your own deficiencies and celebrating your people’s accomplishments, challenges and opportunities, individually and collectively. Only through seeing you model the vision will people make your organization’s aspirational legacy real. Put differently, only when we are transparent, authentic and accessible as leaders will our people feel free to be the same. We believe the difference between good and great organizations is this ability to give meaning and purpose to what our people do every day and to live that purpose at every level of the company.

By John Cashman President, Major, Lindsey & Africa

WWW.MLAGLOBAL.COM

Thank you to our consultants for connecting us with our outstanding interviewees!

Gigi Birchfield Nick Carrad Summer Eberhard Heather Fine Amir Khan Elizabeth Long Janet Markoff Brian McMahon Suzy O’Keefe Deborah Thompson

AMSTERDAM ATLANTA BALTIMORE

HONG KONG HOUSTON

PALO ALTO PHILADELPHIA LAS VEGAS

SAN DIEGO BASKING RIDGE BEIJING**

LONDON LOS ANGELES

SAN FRANCISCO SEATTLE BOSTON CHARLOTTE CHICAGO DALLAS

MIAMI MINNEAPOLIS - SAINT PAUL NEW YORK

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