Washington Lawyer - July/August 2024 - 16

FEATURE
Most recently, Grover served on the Pro
Bono, Leadership Development, and
Communities Committees at the Bar.
Through the academy, Grover says he
was able to recognize his leadership style
and learned how to approach problems
in a cohesive way. " It is still me doing
what I was doing before, but now I can
make sure that all decision-making and
all approaches are kind of in line with an
overall goal set and overall perspective. It
was really amazing just for that. "
The academy pushed participants to challenge how they view leadership.
Montani was a third-year associate at her previous firm, Vedder Price P.C.,
when she was accepted for the inaugural class of the Leadership Academy
in 2013. She forged a bond with fellow attendee Annette Kwok, then
president-elect of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the
Greater Washington, D.C. Area.
" Annette and I continue to lean on each other, " Montani says. " There is a
certain level of trust that you build [in the academy]. One of my largest
litigation clients that I have now came directly from a referral from another
cohort in the Leadership Academy. "
At Vedder Price, Montani rose through the ranks, becoming a shareholder
before moving to Crowell & Moring in 2020. Leveraging her leadership
skills, Montani chaired the D.C. Bar Nominations Committee and served
on the Leadership Development and Screening Committees between
2015 and 2019. In 2020 she was elected president of the Women's Bar Association
of the District of Columbia, and in June 2024 she became president-elect
of the D.C. Bar.
Business law attorney Hardeep Grover, who attended the academy during
the pandemic, feels that the program is best suited to being in-person.
" I think collegiality is very important - those five minutes after a
session when you get to do watercooler talk with one of your fellow participants.
[But] the academy tried its best to make it happen and make it
work [through Zoom]. I think they did a very good job at it, " says Grover,
a past president of the South Asian Bar Association of Washington, D.C.
Grover has served in various leadership roles at the Bar, including as cochair
of the Arts, Entertainment, Media, and Sports Law Community and
as member of the 2020-2025 D.C. Bar Strategic Planning Committee.
16 WASHINGTON LAWYER
* JULY/AUGUST 2024
LEADERSHIP WITH IMPACT
At this year's academy, facilitator Demaree
helped attendees pinpoint behaviors
that are blocking their growth as leaders.
For many, Demaree says, it's learning how
to delegate more.
" Their inability to delegate, very often,
has to do with some kind of belief they
have about themselves and about the
people they lead, " says Demaree, who
specializes in coaching C-level professionals
who are already in leadership positions.
" A pretty common belief is that if a
leader delegates certain tasks, the work will not be nearly as good as if
they did it themselves. They also believe that the work with get done
quicker if they just do it themselves without delegating anything. "
Demaree recalls coaching a company vice president who had a serious
problem with delegating. " It came to the point where his job was in
jeopardy, " Demaree says. " His boss was saying, 'You are ... not acting like
a vice president, [such as] doing the level of strategic work that we need
you to do. What I see is you keep jumping around, helping everyone on
your staff solve their problems. I do not see any delegation at all.' "
That lesson in delegation resonated with Joseph Shepherd Miller, one of
the 2024 Leadership Academy graduates. Coming from a public policy
background, Miller now runs his own law firm and serves as founding
chair of the Washington Center of Technology Policy Inclusion, a nonprofit
that focuses on amplifying diverse viewpoints in the technology
public policymaking sector.
At the beginning of the training program, Miller was looking forward to
learning more about the leadership tools that the D.C. Bar provides for
serving the local community. " It's great to get out there and build my
own network, but at this point in my career, I'm more interested in finding
ways to create real value in the lives of my clients, " Miller says.
" The lawyers in my cohort are absolute superstars. They are so inspiring
to work with and learn from, " he adds. " The John Payton Leadership
Academy is truly unique, and it's refreshing to see a bar association that
puts client-centered leadership at the heart of its programming. "
Reach D.C. Bar staff writer John Murph at jmurph@dcbar.org.
Washington Lawyer - July/August 2024

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