Leader Upheaval

Reviews / Votes

"In her second
Upheaval book, Michele DeStefano continues
to tap into key issues for any business. Collaboration, innovation, and culture
change take center stage as DeStefano provides very direct and helpful tips on
how to lead, manage, and inspire teams, while emphasizing the need to really understand
and serve the client. The book also invites the leaders to take a more
introspective approach and provokes the seasoned or an emerging leader to work,
first, on self-awareness and humility in order to become an effective leader.
These teachings and practical recommendations are more relevant now than ever
considering the complexities of the world. This book stands as a very important
resource for leaders determined to not only navigate change but to lead it and
become a catalyst for positive transformation in any organization."-Marco Araujo, Chief Legal & Compliance Officer, Nubank "A
thought-provoking account of the unthinkable truth: All professional service
providers should learn how to innovate, even if their business model isn't
broken. A necessary read for anyone who wants to differentiate in the professional
services marketplace."-Augusto
Aragone, EVP, Secretary, and General Counsel, Ingram Micro "Finally! A
book by a LawLander, a member of the guild's academy no less, that directly and
persuasively makes the case for culture, service, and people. In a LawLand
obsessed with itself and convinced of its privilege and uniquetitude, to find
our way to sustainability takes a new generation unafraid to show empathy. To
learn from mistakes. To embrace servant leadership. In reality, people are our
most important asset-our most critical tech. Make no mistake, Prof. DeStefano
is no normal LawLander- her career outside law in, OMG, Corporate America, and
in Big Law, as well as her development of and dedication to LawWithoutWalls,
shines through each and every page. This is a manifesto for the bedrock
necessary to build a customer-centric service credo. When you read this book-and
you must read it if you care about a sustainable LawLand and your place in it,
I ask only that every time you read the word "client" you replace it with "customer."
In so doing you will stretch away from the narcissistic LawLand of today. Then
you'll be able to take the risk to step toward that vision. Finally, you'll
find the courage to make the leap to NextLaw-where optimization of legal
matters is the norm. Prevention of legal problems is the destination. And a
culture creating truly marvelous customer experiences is the objective. Let
Prof. DeStefano be your inspiration, your sherpa, your whisperer."-Jeff Carr, Former SVP, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, Univar Solutions and Former
SVP, General Counsel, FMC Technologies "Michele
DeStefano has done it again! Thirteen years of research and leadership on the
ground in innovation, collaboration, and culture creation shine through in her
sparkling Leader
Upheaval, all
delivered with plain speaking and leavened with common sense."-Adam O. Emmerich, Partner, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz "This book by
Professor Michele DeStefano is simply a must-read for professional service
providers who aspire to add real-life, long-term value to business partners,
stakeholders, customers, or colleagues beyond pure and technical legal
solutions. Professor DeStefano provides numerous examples, anecdotes, and case
studies that make the guide a compelling and captivating read."-Clifton Richard Harrison, Global
Market Leader, EY Law "Leader Upheaval stands alone as the most
informative, helpful, and comprehensive book available today for lawyers and
other professional service providers undertaking transformative change
initiatives in their organizations. The learnings presented by Professor
DeStefano could not be more timely, as they coincide with the advent of
democratized generative artificial intelligence and the resulting acceleration
of client demands for even more client-centric, experience-based innovation and
collaboration from their professional service providers. DeStefano methodically
and convincingly makes the case for the digital transformation imperative for
multinational companies, and then masterfully and interestingly guides the
reader through the essential success factors for leading impactful organizational
transformation. The clarity and depth of her writing is made highly practical
and relevant to the reader through an extensive presentation of meaningful
quotes from legal and other practitioners. As a general counsel continuing to
pursue the digital transformation of legal services, I will no doubt consult Leader Upheaval on a regular basis, and it is
gratifying to know that future legal leaders will have such valuable guidance
and advice available to them as they lead in their own transformation journeys."- Bill Deckelman, EVP & General Counsel, DXC Technology "Ask any
lawyer and they will tell you they consider themselves an innovator in what
they do because lawyering requires a large dose of adaptability and creativity.
But lawyers are notoriously resistant to change when it comes to how they
deliver their services. This book makes a needed and extraordinary contribution
to the topic of innovation and collaboration in the delivery of professional
services, starting with a review of the factors that compel change today,
before delving into the leadership, cultural and procedural levers, and as well
as practical tools that leaders can use to make change happen. I expect it will
be required reading in many law firms and in-house legal departments around the
world."-Horacio Gutierrez, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Legal &
Compliance Officer, The Walt Disney Company "Michele
provides many useful tools for supporting collaboration and innovation. But her
most powerful idea is a simple one-focus on your client's experience-and let
that drive innovation. Clients who are delighted with how you deliver the
service will drive the mindset shift that will create a sustainable innovation
culture within your firm."-Michael Hertz, Chief Marketing Officer, White & Case "In a time of
rapid change, Michele's latest work provides the practical guidance needed for
leaders to rise to and meet the challenges that professions have not had to
meet before. It builds on her earlier works and clearly drives home why there
is a need to do things differently now in professions that have to date only
known slow incremental change. A must-read for those looking to lead diverse
people across generations in digital times when the only constant is change."-Alan Keep, Managing Partner, Bowmans "Michele
DeStefano has written a thorough and extremely practical book on managing
collaboration, innovation, and culture change in professional services firms
and corporate units. If you are a team manager or project leader in
professional services, then read it before you embark on your next assignment
in the area. You will profit tremendously and improve your performance in the
role right away."-Peter Kurer,
Former Chairman, UBS; Chairman, Sunrise
Communications; and author of Legal and Compliance Risk "Michele takes
the reader from macro trends impacting professional services firms to adaptive
leadership skills to redefine how we think about service delivery. She examines
the important role digital mindsets and culture play in enabling real
innovation to thrive. As well as bringing to life innovation tools and
techniques which seek to unlock breakthrough client-centric experiences and provide
a roadmap for business leaders to follow to build their adaptive leadership
capabilities and drive growth."-Michelle Mahoney, Executive Director, Innovation, King & Wood Mallesons "Professional
service providers (including lawyers in corporations and in law firms) are, by
nature, change resistant. Professor DeStefano offers a practical approach to
breaking through this change-aversion by laying out a planned approach to
leading organizations through the unprecedented changes the professional
service providers industry will continue to see at an ever-accelerating rate."-Joe Otterstetter, Former Associate General Counsel, 3M "In Leader Upheaval, Professor DeStefano utilizes
interviews, critical analysis, and conversational writing to convince all of us
that honing the mindset, skillset, and behaviors of innovators is the key to
sharpening our skills, opening our minds, and changing the way we work to
delight our clients."-Yvette
Ostolaza, Chair, Sidley Austin Management Committee "In the
ever-evolving legal landscape, the traditional lawyer archetype of technical
expertise and unwavering adherence to established practices is no longer
sufficient for success. Tomorrow's lawyers must embrace a client-centric
approach, prioritizing innovation, and service excellence to truly thrive.
Michele DeStefano's Leader
Upheaval serves as an
indispensable guide for legal leaders seeking to navigate this transformation. DeStefano
masterfully outlines the fundamental shift required for lawyers to excel in the
21st century. She challenges the notion that technical proficiency alone can
guarantee success, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach that
encompasses collaboration, creativity, and a deep understanding of client
needs. With a conversational and anecdote-rich style, DeStefano provides
actionable insights and practical strategies for legal leaders to cultivate a
culture of innovation within their teams. Leader Upheaval is not merely a theoretical treatise; it is a practical
handbook brimming with concrete examples and real-world applications."-Stacey Quaye, Global Head of IP, Innovation & Design "Michele
DeStefano's Leader
Upheaval is a
high-octane book of hard truths for successful organizations to thrive in the
complex global economy today. Just as Michele pleads for leaders to have
courage to trust in collaborative problem-solving, have courage to read this
book with an "open mind" and you will be reaping rewards in both your
professional and personal growth. From the pairing of humility and curiosity to
create safety nets in enabling risk taking, to the consequences of disruptive
technology in new workplace environments and markets, this book has been distilled
from hundreds of interviews, case studies, and years of highly acclaimed
training and consultancy work undertaken by Michele globally. Her incisive
3-4-5 Method (TM) is another invaluable tool for professional organizations
attempting to drive collaborative innovation and the iterative steps within
gives structure to her novel concept, helping leaders to drive toward certainty
of positive outcomes for their organizations. This book is not simply another
manual on what good leadership is supposed to look like to everyone else.
Michele's "Three Rules of Engagement" guides leaders to be self-aware, to be
focused as individual contributors and vested owners of team wins, while not
being egotistical or selfish. Providing a blueprint for leadership to cultivate
an environment for multidisciplinary teams to thrive, the book gives deep
insights to help organizations concoct winning formulas toward self-determined
success. This book is a worthy adversary to anyone serious about leading teams
and driving change, as well as to hone and sharpen adaptive leadership skills.
Candid, refreshing, and pragmatic, I would recommend it as essential reading
for leaders in professional services firms to contemplate Michele's hard truths
within."-Jerry K. C.
Koh, Managing Partner Allen & Gledhill LLP "Michele
DeStefano's great talent is seamlessly blending practice and theory. Leader Upheaval is an invaluable book in this
spirit, drawing on her experience of managing a successful global change
program and on her evident mastery of the academic literature on innovation and
collaboration. All thoughtful leaders should buy this book and follow its guidance."- Professor Richard Susskind OBE, co-author of The Future of
the Professions "This powerful
and practical book provides lawyers and service professionals of all kinds with
the tools they need to forge a culture of innovation, collaboration, and
creativity within their teams."-Bjarne Tellmann, Founding General Counsel and Member of Executive
Committee, Haleon "Leader Upheaval is a must read for anyone in
professional services. It captures the essence of great client service and how
we need to continue to hone those skills in a fast-changing world."-Lisa Sawicki "Michele is a
driving force in the legal industry. She makes a compelling case in her new
book that being a trusted legal advisor is not good enough in today's world.
Clients want to hire lawyers who can innovate, who know how to collaborate
internally and externally, and who are strategic. Most importantly, lawyers
need to understand a client's wants, needs, and desires and to develop strong
teams. Michele has done the research- she has interviewed well over 200 lawyers
and clients for her new book. The insights from these interviews provide
real-world examples of how the legal services industry needs to adapt and do
better."-Craig Seebald, Co-Chair of the Global Litigation Department, Vinson
& Elkins "Again,
Professor Michele DeStefano focuses her attention on innovation in the
professional services space and provides us with a well-researched, executable
method for innovation that weaves marketplace needs into the creative process."-Paul Silverglate, Partner, Vice
Chair-US Technology Sector Leader, Deloitte
& Touche LLP "In law firms,
change is hard. Even rudimentary change can easily fail, and when it comes to
driving change as profound as innovation in a law firm, something special is
needed. And that's what Michele DeStefano provides in this book. It's the
method, techniques, and insights she has developed leading change initiatives
in law firms, and few if any have more experience of it. She acknowledges that
her 3-4-5 Method (TM) may not work for everyone, but in grappling with difficulties
that any law firm leader seeking real change must confront, she offers a useful
blueprint to help them on their own journey."-Hugh Verrier, Former Chair, White & Case "Michele
DeStefano is the extraordinarily rare visionary who also has a great gift for
making things happen and getting things done-the right way. Leader Upheaval brilliantly provides professional
services firm leaders with years of her research-based insights and expertise
and most importantly is a book-and workbook-that they can pick up and quickly
apply to drive change. Whatever other changes may be coming, generative AI will
supercharge competition in the markets for professional services and there will
be clear winners and losers, with complacency no longer an option. My best advice:
use Leader
Upheaval across your
firm as your playbook for winning."-Scott Westfahl, Professor of Practice and Faculty Director Harvard Law School Executive Education "Michele
DeStefano's last book, Legal Upheaval, established her as a master alchemist in turning theory
into practice for law firm leaders trying to cope with growing disruption in
the market for corporate legal services. In this book, DeStefano urges leaders
to take the next step by confronting the single biggest obstacle for achieving
collaboration, innovation, and culture change: themselves. In simple and direct
prose backed by years of interdisciplinary research and unparalleled experience
teaching and practicing innovation, DeStefano guides readers through a step-by-step
process for leading and managing change. The result is an eminently readable
and immediately useful guide that belongs on the shelf of every professional service
provider who understands that the first step in overcoming any challenge is to
acknowledge, to paraphrase the great cartoonist Walt Kelly's philosophizing
opossum Pogo, that when we meet the enemy, they is us!"-David B. Wilkins, Lester Kissel
Professor of Law and Director of the Center on the Legal
Profession, Harvard Law School "Backed by her
experience leading over 230 multidisciplinary teams on a four-month journey and
creating an inclusive culture, Professor DeStefano provides concrete strategies
and tactics on how to enhance your leadership style and transform the culture
of your team, department or firm."-Petra Zijp, Partner, NautaDutilh N.V. "This book is
different! As DeStefano says in her introduction, there are many books that
talk about innovation, collaboration, and culture creation. What DeStefano does
in this book is walk the walk. She explores the nitty gritty of leading and
managing and explains how to do it. All of this is done in a very readable
style with plenty of real examples. My favorite statistic in the book is that "75%
of change efforts fail due to poor management or execution." Leaders need to
radically improve! This book will help. The overall distinction of this book is
practical advice. Every firm leader should read it!-Stephen Revell, Consultant, Former
Partner, Freshfields