Today’s guest, Nicholas Cheffings’, passion really shines through in the area of disadvantaged populations. Nicholas is a Senior Counsel and former Partner and global Chair of the international law firm Hogan Lovells, leading in social mobility. He is the Executive Chair of PRIME, a UK charity with over 60 law firm members committed to promoting wider access for school-age students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds; a Trustee and past Chair of the social mobility charity Making the Leap; Chair of the British Paralympic Association's Parallel Club; and a trustee of The CareTech Charitable Foundation.

Let’s get right into Nicholas’s story as he shares his insights on driving social mobility and creating equal opportunities.

In this Episode:

[00:01 - 07:16] Opening Segment

I introduce and welcome
What we will be talking about
Social mobility and driving opportunities
Nicholas shares how he came to his global chair
Early life
Figuring out what to be
University of Lester
Experience in Industrial law
Private practice in real estate
Began leading teams
Elected as global chair

[07:17 - 14:00] Leading with Diversity in Mind

Nicholas’ approach to leadership
Lead by example
Transparency
Building trust
Confidence in your ability but with humility
Consulting with diversity in mind
Looking to empower people
Empathetic but firm
Using humor to your advantage
How does leadership change based on culture
How humor is affected
Offices in 50 locations
You have to adapt
And example from experience
Ways to adapt
Picking up language differences

[09:24 - 24:32] Diversity, Inclusion, and Equality; Social Mobility

Nicholas shares about his work with diversity and inclusion
Promoting wider access to certain firms
Opportunities for work experiences
Supporting and encouraging each other
Story from his experience
Led by minorities
Nicholas talks about driving social mobility
Creating equal opportunities
We don’t all have the same choices
Raising aspirations for success
Opportunities shouldn’t be driven by your zip code
The keys to creating social mobility
Taking a look at our education system
Equipping young people for adulthood
The importance of outreach
Engaging with children

[24:33 - 30:26] The Importance of Driving Networking Among the Disadvantaged

Nicholas talks about the difficulties of networking at an underprivileged level
Limited talent pool when you exclude people
What to do remedy the issue as someone disadvantaged
Ask the right questions
Don’t be too proud
Resilience
How unconscious bias comes to play
It certainly exists
Example from a story
Superficial reasons not to hire someone
Training has to be followed up with action

[30:27 - 39:11] Closing Segment

The most impactful conversation of your life?
Nicholas’ story of his father as a young man
Experience being surrounded by successful female lawyers
One communication skill that you could have had?
Getting second opinions and being okay with alternative decisions
The best communicator that you know?
Bill Clinton
Emotional connection and storytelling
How to find Nicholas
Links below
Final Words

Tweetable Quotes:

"For me I think the guiding tenant is, ‘lead by example.’ I don’t think you can sensibly ask anybody to do anything or behave in a way that is inconsistent with the way you do or behave.” - Nicholas Cheffings

“Fundamentally it’s believing in equality of opportunity… The one thing over which not a single person in the world has any choice, is the person to whom and where we are born.” - Nicholas Cheffings

Resources Mentioned:

Making the Leap

You can connect with Nicholas on LinkedIn. Check out https://www.hoganlovells.com to learn more about this law firm.

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070: Nicholas Cheffings | Driving Social...