In this section we have collated all the previously published articles and blogs written by Paul Gilbert, Jonathan Smith and guests.
This is a resource for you to browse and is free to view. The first articles were published in the early 2000’s, but retain a relevance that is still valid and informative today. The later pieces reflect the changing face of the legal profession and the threat/opportunity for the role of lawyers in business and in our society.
We hope you will find that their opinions add to the debates of the day and inform, challenge and occasionally provoke. Please also join them in that debate on Twitter and follow Jonathan @jdsofislip and Paul @LBCWiseCounsel.
Where does leadership begin?
I believe it begins in the moment. To notice the moment requires us to be present. To be present needs a conscious mindset and leadership is then the willingness to accept that we have the power to choose our response to the moment. This is where leadership begins. It is tiny, almost unnoticed, but it… More
Be more kind
A good friend of mine, and someone who is also a great leader and a rare talent, recently introduced me to the music of Frank Turner and a song entitled “Be More Kind”. The friend is Ben Watts the General Counsel at Kent County Council (@benwatts2) I believe that kindness and care make the biggest… More
Ay-Aye, it’s innovation
Innovation is one of those loaded words, capable of suggesting a magical competency (see cliched interview question “Can you give me an example of when you have been innovative?”) or a small sharp stick to poke people with (see cliched appraisal interview feedback “I would like you to be more innovative.”) However, if we unload… More
Don’t be a dick…
Ahead of International Women’s Day, I have written a few thoughts about what men might consider doing to make a positive contribution to the ambition of the movement. In 800 words I am not promising nuanced insightfulness, more the bleeding obvious, and I am sorry if my brevity looks patronising. This is what I think… More
It is always about the moment…
It is the moment that scares me the most. It is not the endless hours, months, even years of confidently talking-the-talk that undermines me; droning on and on, and on, about the planning, the strategy, the big idea, the role, the status, the concept, the skills, the competency, the will or the passion and the… More