John Poulson on Being Happy, Energetic Leadership and Creating Mentally Healthy Workplaces

If you don’t love what you do and are struggling to figure out your next step, today’s guest on Beyond Billables may be exactly the right person to listen to. John Poulson is a seasoned attorney, an ex-managing partner and is currently the principal of People Passion Performance. He has deep, hands-on experience in creating and developing workplaces where people have a shared vision and purpose, are fully motivated, engaged and empowered. In our conversation, we talked about how to create the kind of cultures and workplace structures that make people happy and productive. We also agreed on a call to action of sorts for those who are unhappy in the law profession: find something else. John’s energy and philosophy are infectious - this conversation isn’t to be missed. Listen to the full episode to hear all of the above, plus all of this too: How to build mentally healthy workplaces The key to career longevity The value of building a non-hierarchical office Why you should prioritise people before clients What most professional service firms get wrong John’s advice to unhappy lawyers The difficulty of instilling change in institutional law firms Why firms need to refocus on people in the age of automation and AI What to do about high attrition rates How John dealt with pressure and intensity during his career How the expectations of the current generation of lawyers are playing out Ways in which technology is making solicitors’ jobs more difficult Links: LinkedIn People Passion Performance Masterchef