“Remember – it’s all about your people!”

Top Leadership Tips from Peter Jackson , CEO of the Hill Dickinson LLP

As I prepare to stand down next year as CEO of the Hill Dickinson Group, I have been asked on several occasions what my top tips for my successor and other potential CEOs are in “people businesses”. There are many but these might be the most significant.

“You’ve really got to want to do this job!”

These were the words which my predecessor said to me when he advised me that the Partners wanted me to take over as Managing Partner. He had just asked me whether I wanted the role and I had advised him that I thought so. “Not good enough”, he said, “you’ve really got to want to do this job!” And he was right. He explained to me that in most partnership, promotions come from within and in the early noughties when I took over, the criterion for being promoted to leadership and management was being good at your job – advising clients on the law! So, you’re probably not going to get any more reward; you will almost certainly lose your client base and never work as an adviser again; the job will be all-consuming and if you do the job well, there’s a good chance you’ll upset and possibly alienate colleagues you have been in business and friendships with for some time.

Giving it a go and seeing what happens just isn’t an option. Get your head round it, work out what it means for you and your family and go all-in. If going all-in isn’t an option then don’t do the job.

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“It isn’t lonely unless you let it be.”

It is often said that the Leader’s job is the loneliest job. When the hard decisions must be made, only you can make them. I do not accept the premise of this observation. Always remember, you are leading a team, your team. The trick in my experience is to surround yourself with people who are better at what they do than you are; to trust those people to do their jobs; motivate, encourage and empower them to do their jobs; and listen to them. Ultimately, yes, it is your decision, and you may choose to ignore the views of others. But your decision will be better informed and rationalised and the decision you take will be more collective and shared in nature.

Further, your Chair, NEDs and Board members are there to help you. They will likely have experience in some areas that you might not have and, in some cases, may have done your job either elsewhere or in your Firm. Listen to them; let them challenge you; persuade them to your way of thinking if necessary. A good working relationship with your Chair and the Board will make your life significantly easier.

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“We’re going out to meet some people.”

Paddy Gaul is a good pal of mine. We were at school together; played football against each other at university and both came back to Liverpool to run our respective law firms. Not long after I took over at HD, Paddy rang to invite me out to lunch. “We’re going to meet some people”, he told me. The people turned out to be a group of other Managing Partners from local law firms, brought together by what was then the Winmark Managing Partner network.

At first, I was sceptical. I have enough problems running our law firm, why do I want to hear about other people’s problems. But then it dawned on me that this was a way in which a problem shared really did assist. The true value of networking with your peers became obvious to me. Clearly, there are proprietorial lines which nobody crosses, and everyone understands confidentiality. Yet I was quickly able to build and then maintain a network of like-minded professionals who have proved most generous with their time and advice. Hopefully, I have reciprocated.

What I also learned early on was to also build a network of advisers and consultants who can give you impartial, external, objective advice, counselling and mentorship. It is easy to become over-focussed on our own business and blinkered as to what is going on outside in the marketplace. Don’t rely on the trade press; speak to people who really know what’s going on.

“Always expect the unexpected!”

As I approach the end of my tenure, people all around me are talking of “handovers”.? I’m not sure that a “handover” in the traditional sense is possible. Of course, responsibility passes automatically to one’s successor and there are certain tasks, functions and “jobs” that the successor will take on. But what cannot be passed on is advance knowledge of what problem or issue the next phone call or email is going to bring.

With over 950 people in 10 cities worldwide, quite frankly anything can happen, and Sod’s law dictates that quite often several issues all happen at once just when you’re right in the middle of a complex business as usual issue. Planning becomes a thing of the past I’m afraid.

There is nothing you can do to avoid this, and flexibility becomes a way of life. Embrace that challenge; this cannot be a 9 to 5 job but the sheer diversity of the challenges you will face will be fascinating.

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“Remember – it’s all about your people.”

This sounds obvious and trite, but it really sums up everything a CEO/MP will be involved with. We say frequently that we are “people businesses” but then sometimes lose sight of the fact that without our people, we are nothing. Every issue you will have as CEO in a professional services firm is driven by your people. Client issues are largely driven by a failure of your people to manage expectations. Property issues largely boil down to whether you can provide the right facilities to your people at the right time, in the right place. Whether you make profit or not depends on the skills and productivity of your people and the manner in which people manage the business.

And if it is all about people then the culture and values by which the business operates are absolutely crucial. If you get that right for your business – there is no good or bad culture, you have to build and drive what you believe is right for your people – then the rest will follow. But as CEO/MP, you have to live the values to the letter and be the ultimate role model, the epitome of what your values stand for. Do that, and you’ve cracked it.

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And finally, remember yourself

The top job in any organisation is all-encompassing and time consuming. You will work long hours and inevitably find yourself sacrificing even more of your life than you might have done previously. Amongst all this, please, please, please, remember yourself and your family. Work out a period of time, a number of activities that become absolutely non-negotiables. Whether it is dinner with the family on a Saturday night or participating in or watching your favourite sport, make it something you do without fail.

And look after your own health. In a people business, you are the CEO because your people want you to be. They rely on you; trust you; look to you for leadership and guidance. You are no use to them permanently jaded and tired. In that state you won’t function to the full extent of your ability and your body language will demonstrate that; and that’s fatal and breeds uncertainty.

Take care of your self and taking care of the business will be that much easier.