Episode 259-Tim Lupinacci on His Leadership Journey with Lois Sonstegard,PHD

Tim Lupinacci is a self-professed “leadership junkie.” As the CEO of Baker Donelson, one of the 100 largest law firms in the country, he leads more than 1,300 individuals in 22 offices across the Southeastern U.S. In this podcast, Tim talks about his own leadership journey, which began 30 years ago when a significant error brought a forceful reprimand from his boss. Tim’s experience has much to teach us about hard work, being curious, learning from mistakes and trying novel ideas. A student of leadership, Tim understands that everyone leads regardless of their title or position. He also recognizes that people like to talk about themselves, and he uses this knowledge to listen to his employees’ advice to learn how he can get better.

So if you want to know:

• The secret to working effectively with big egos
• How “table diplomacy” can help you get to know individuals and what is driving their passion
• Why it’s so important to listen to your employees and, when they provide good ideas, acting on their advice
• The importance of building confidence in your team
• The difference between mentorship and sponsorship — and why it makes sense to invest in people from diverse backgrounds

About Tim Lupinacci

As a young lawyer starting out in commercial restructuring and bankruptcy, Tim Lupinacci made a serious error that resulted in a loud, public reprimand from his boss. Fortunately, soon after that, the boss explained that his reaction resulted because he saw something in Tim that led him to believe Tim could become a leader. This encouraged Tim to step up to own his work, career and ambitions. Now Tim is the CEO and chair of Baker Donelson, one of the 100 largest law firms in the country. He has led the firm through significant organizational change, growth and the global pandemic as well as its five-year BakerVision 2028 strategy and the execution of its Diversity & Inclusion Compact. Tim also recently launched Eve