Professor Laura Empson

Leading Professional People

In five articles for Legal Business we examine issues raised in the first series of our podcast.

Liminality, culture, and post-pandemic professional work

In my latest HBR article I examine the impact of the pandemic on professionals and the cultures of their firms.

Keynote: Collegiality in the time of Corona

I was honoured to be invited to give the closing (virtual) keynote address at the British Academy of Management's “Conference in the Cloud”.

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Webinar: Collective leadership in time of crisis

What can organizations of professionals teach us about leadership in a crisis?

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When our individual leaders fail us – try collective leadership

In my most recent academic article I explore how collective leadership can be mobilised to resolve a crisis.

Leadership and instability

In a recent academic article I analyse the leadership dynamics of a global professional service firm over a five year period and demonstrate how power relations in any PSF are inherently unstable.

How to lead your fellow rainmakers

In my latest article for Harvard Business Review I present case studies of highly successful (and highly unsuccessful) leaders and outline five guiding principles for leading professional service firms.

Interview at Oxford Business Book Festival

Stefan Stern interviewed me about my latest book, my career, and how I do my research. Our interview was recorded as a podcast.

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Update: Will the Big Four really eat Big Law’s lunch?

Read two recent interviews with me for American Lawyer and Thomson Reuters. What can Big Law learn from the Big Four and how worried should they be?

Professions at risk

As the traditional professions face new challenges to their status and legitimacy, in this podcast I ask: is it time to rethink what it means to be a professional?

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Insecure overachievers on the record

Senior professionals speak frankly to me on my BBC Radio 4 documentary about insecurity, the ‘drug’ of achievement, the mental health costs, and the way ahead.

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Waiting for the Golden Ticket

Unrealistic expectations and misleading recruiters can lead para professionals to feel ‘trapped’ in transitional roles. Read my most recent article for Harvard Law School's The Practice.

What does it mean to be a professional?

Should professional service firms ditch their grandiose purpose statements and reconnect with a more profound commitment to what it means to be a professional?

Two podcasts from New York launch of Leading Professionals

Oxford University Press and Thomson Reuters interviewed me about my research, how I do it and why I wrote the book.

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If you’re so successful, why are you still working 70 hours a week?

In my recent Harvard Business Review article I discuss overwork, insecurity, and social control in professional organizations.

Governing the ungovernable

I discuss the key themes of my latest book, Leading Professionals: Power, Politics, and Prima donnas, in Legal Business.

Leading Professionals: Power, Politics, and Prima Donnas

My latest book was launched in the UK on 4 October 2017 at Cass Business School, London

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Myths of Management

Management writer Stefan Stern interviewed me for his recent 2017 book Myths of Management: What People Get Wrong About Being The Boss.

Leadership dyads: The ideal leader is two people

In this article for Thomson Reuters I talk about the dual-leadership model, or leadership dyad, that is common in professional service firms.

How do professionals work together to create leadership?

A video based on my presentation at the 2017 ESADE Research Day on high-performance/high-impact organizations.

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Who’s in charge? Leadership dynamics in professional service firms

This video and report introduce some of the major ideas that are developed further in Leading Professionals: Power, Politics, and Prima Donnas

Steering law firm strategy

I am interviewed for Harvard Law School's The Practice on how strategy has evolved in law firms and who is driving it.

Financial Times - Professor of the Week

I defined the term ‘Leadership Constellation’ (described in chapter two of Leading Professionals: Power, Politics, and Prima Donnas) when I was profiled as the Financial Times ‘Professor of the Week’.

Insights

Leading Professional People

Liminality, culture, and post-pandemic professional work

Keynote: Collegiality in the time of Corona

Webinar: Collective leadership in time of crisis

When our individual leaders fail us – try collective leadership

Leadership and instability

How to lead your fellow rainmakers

Interview at Oxford Business Book Festival

Update: Will the Big Four really eat Big Law’s lunch?

Professions at risk

Insecure overachievers on the record

Waiting for the Golden Ticket

What does it mean to be a professional?

Two podcasts from New York launch of Leading Professionals

If you’re so successful, why are you still working 70 hours a week?

Governing the ungovernable

Leading Professionals: Power, Politics, and Prima Donnas

Myths of Management

Leadership dyads: The ideal leader is two people

How do professionals work together to create leadership?

Who’s in charge? Leadership dynamics in professional service firms

Steering law firm strategy

Financial Times - Professor of the Week

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