First for change
Suzanne Liversidge, the first global managing partner to pick up the baton for Kennedys, talks to Richard Brent about modern leading, listening well, and leveraging firm values.
What had changed that meant your firm needed the new role of global managing partner from 2019 onwards?
We’ve seen significant international growth, in the last five years in particular. We have a great long-term senior partner in Nick Thomas, but the scale and scope of our business are such that they exceed the capability of any one person. It was agreed we would therefore bring in the managing partner role. There wasn’t an election process. I was invited, having been on the board for some time already in a wider global operations and business services role. So it made sense. I don’t undertake legal work anymore, but I have kept my key client role as it helps me stay close to the market. Standing in other people’s shoes is very much a motto of mine – it’s the way you’ll make better decisions.
What was your top priority area or two to tackle?
To stand in more shoes! Although I had touched parts of the global business, I had to do a lot of active listening. When you start any new role, I think you need to listen carefully, both internally and externally. That helps you to identify opportunities and ways of doing things differently. And we’re also very light on our feet – always very active in merger, acquisition and lateral talks – so a lot of time is spent on the strategy around that.
How would you describe your personal leadership style?
I’m not naturally a very hierarchical person. I’m passionate about modern leadership – connecting people, as opposed to ‘command and control’. We all have a job to do, varied and different roles, and the way we execute and collaborate is a critical element of a successful business. I also give a number of talks around the place about being your authentic self at work. I’m such a bad liar myself – if I try fakery, I’ll have forgotten what I’ve just told you! It’s so much easier to be the real you – and it’s easier to trust that. I’ve been talking about that for 20 years or so, as I hope it’s been a key part of my management style – authentic with a good sense of humour. I was the first female president of the Chamber of Commerce in Sheffield. There hadn’t been one for the first 242 years of its existence, so I had no choice but to be authentic.
And what about your role in the firm’s R&D-focused work such as the innovation toolkit and, most recently, Kennedys IQ?
I’m not the most highly technical individual, but I sit on the R&D board in a role focused on identifying and resolving clients’ problems. I have a marketing degree as well as a law degree, and I’m fascinated by brand and design, and so love the BD side of innovation work. It’s unusual for a law firm to say it wants you to use lawyers less, but it’s one of the most successful campaigns we’ve run. Yes, it’s a good marketing strapline, but we can also prove the concept and show the tangible financial benefits. We’re really proud of the output of our global innovation investment.
What personal tips do you have for introducing or driving change at a law firm?
You have to show people the benefits – and although some may find those easier to appreciate than others, that doesn’t make anybody wrong. They may just need more time with you. The key to that is communication and trust, and always, always sticking to your core values, whatever you do. Our values are the most important part of our business – to be approachable, straightforward, supportive and distinctive. When I was interviewed 10 years ago, Nick Thomas gave me a piece of paper with our values on it and said, ‘see if that’s you’. It resonated so much, and still does today. If you are approachable and supportive, you can help anyone to navigate through changes and challenges as your business grows.
You do a lot of presentations addressing the issues surrounding lack of diversity in business. How do you feel about your profession’s progress on that point?
It’s improving, but really nowhere near where it needs to be. I didn’t know I was the first global managing partner who was a woman until a journalist told me. They said, ‘how do you feel?’, perhaps thinking I’d be delighted. But I’m like, ‘no, I’m appalled’. How can that be the case in 2020? So I’ve accepted I may have to deliver some role modelling, but it’s also important to say that diversity and inclusion isn’t just gender. It’s about giving everyone the opportunity to be successful, whoever they are. Our apprenticeship programme has been a great example of that – extended to business services in 2019, and in demand around the business. It’s a roaring success.
