In Session: Leading the Judiciary

Author Dr. Dolly Chugh discusses how striving for good keeps leaders and organizations from being better. Author of The Person You Mean to Be, How Good People Fight Bias, Dolly says being “good” suggests an obtained goal, while striving to be “good-ish” allows room for continuous learning and improvement. Nurturing a growth mindset to be “good-ish” also helps us avoid the “self-threat” often felt when our “good identity” is challenged, and ensures organizations become what we want them to be.

David Robson, author of the The Expectation Effect, How Your Mindset Can Change Your World, explains the science behind how what we think will happen changes what does happen. Leaders who understand and leverage the mind-body connection can enhance their own and others’ focus and increase engagement and workplace performance. David Robson graduated from Cambridge University and is a science writer featured in publications like the Atlantic and the Washington Post. In 2021 he received awards from the Association of British Science Writers and the UK Medical Journalists' Association for his writing on misinformation and risk communication during the COVID pandemic. Robson edited for New Scientist and was a senior writer for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). He is also the author of The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Make Dumb Mistakes, released in 2019.

Henna Inam, author of Wired for Disruption: The Five Shifts in Agility to Lead in the Future of Work, identifies five innate agilities we can develop to help us lead during times of disruption and prepare organizations for success in the new workplace.

Heather Younger, author of The Art of Caring Leadership: How Leading with Heart Uplifts Teams and Organizations, describes nine aspects of caring leadership and why they are essential to organizational success.

Marilyn Gist, author of The Extraordinary Power of Leader Humility: Thriving Organizations and Great Results, discusses the six key leader qualities that demonstrate humility, and the positive impact they have on organizations and the people in them.

Stefanie K. Johnson, author of Inclusify: The Power of Uniqueness and Belonging to Build Innovative Teams, discusses how diversity without inclusion fails to capitalize on the value of diverse teams. According to Dr. Johnson’s research, leaders must ensure individuals feel a sense of belonging, which includes encouraging all staff to use what makes them unique for the benefit of the organization.

Meredith Persily Lamel, coauthor of The Six Paths to Leadership: Lessons from Successful Executives, Politicians, Entrepreneurs, and More, discusses the different paths leaders take to arrive at their formal positions of authority, why those paths matter, and the opportunities and challenges inherent in each path so leaders can create more personal satisfaction and greater organizational success.

Adam Grant, author of Think Again discusses the value of making the time to rethink and unlearn to achieve personal and organizational success. He encourages leaders to replace “best practices” with a continual search for better practices, and to be humble, curious and receptive, leading to positive change and growth.

Michael Siegel, retiring FJC Sr. Education Specialist and author of The President as Leader, applies a four-part leadership framework to modern presidencies to analyze what makes a successful leader, whether in the White House or the courthouse. He also has observations and advice for court leaders gained over thirty-three years at the FJC.

Ron Carucci, coauthor of the best-selling book Rising to Power: The Journey of Exceptional Executives, asserts that research shows that power is more likely to be abandoned out of fear than abused for self interest. He discusses how proper preparation leading to accurate expectation setting is instrumental to both personal and organizational success.

Dr. Michael Siegel, Senior Education Specialist, Federal Judicial Center, created the Leadership Development Program for U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Officers (LDP) in the mid-1990s. Since that time over 1,000 officers have graduated from the program, many of whom have gone on to lead their districts as chiefs, deputies, and supervisory officers. Through LDP and other programs, Dr. Siegel is, in large part, responsible for creating a culture of leadership in U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services. Over his more than thirty-year career at the Federal Judicial Center, he has conducted leadership seminars with virtually every part of the court family: judges of all kinds, clerks of court, court executives, and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. His portfolio of programs and projects includes many other topics as well. In this episode of Off Paper, Dr. Siegel discusses LDP’s origins, the characteristics of good leaders, and his perspective on leadership generally and within the federal courts.

Michael Lewis, author of New York Times best-selling books The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds, and Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life, explores how what we think we know about rational decision making is wrong, and the positive impact coaches can have on performance. Lewis is also the author of other best-selling books, including The Fifth Risk, The Blind Side, Moneyball, and The Big Short, and is host of the podcast Against the Rules with Michael Lewis.

Julie Zhuo, former Vice President of Product Design at Facebook and author of The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You, shares her experiences transitioning to management and asserts that managers are made, not born. Julie describes a path that includes approaching management with a growth mindset, acknowledging what you don’t know, and seeking input and feedback from those that do.

Angela Duckworth, Professor of Psychology and author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance debunks the myth of genius to assert that consistent practice and dedication are the real determinants of individual success. Dr. Duckworth’s research demonstrates that behaviors, rather than innate talent, are what lead to the marked success we want for ourselves, and hope for our employees to achieve.

This special episode discusses actionable strategies for improving mental health, increasing personal and professional productivity and fostering happiness in yourself, and those around you. Judge Jeremy Fogel, former director of the Federal Judicial Center and current Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute, and Dr. Dacher Keltner, founding Director of the Greater Good Science Center, host of the Center's award-winning podcast, "The Science of Happiness," and professor of psychology at the University of California Berkeley, share their personal strategies for managing challenges and suggest manageable steps anyone can take to achieve a better sense of balance during unbalanced times.