Chiquisha Robinson is a career public defender with nearly two decades as a top attorney at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. As a Deputy Chief for the Prisoner and Reentry Legal Services Program in the Community Defender Division, she manages a team of attorneys to support and advance the rights of incarcerated adults and those living with a criminal record. To further help her most important stakeholders, Chiquisha authored the DC Reentry Navigator, a 900-page comprehensive compilation of expert knowledge and reentry resources for people arrested, charged, tried, and/or convicted under District of Columbia law. She is also an Adjunct Professor at The George Washington University. Chiquisha joined Host Anthony Shop in her personal capacity to discuss how leaders and communicators can learn to utilize their platforms for positive change, engage stakeholders early on, and navigate the delicate balance between promoting a cause and self-promotion.
Takeaways:
- Leaders should bring stakeholders on board at the inception of a project. Making them part of the creation process boosts ownership and ensures its successful distribution.
- True leadership involves empowering others to reach their potential, whether a service provider, family member, or client. Leaders should inspire and encourage others to develop and put their talents to use.
- If you have information that can help others, you should be willing to share it, not withhold it. You have the responsibility to make sure the right information reaches the people who need it.
- Leaders should reexamine their relationship with ambition and consider scaling the impact of their work as an ambitious goal. Leaders should not view ambition as a way to boost their ego but as a means to scale their impact.
- Leaders have a significant opportunity to use their personal and professional brands to share important messages.
- Be mindful to recognize and respect the individual journeys and experiences of others. Everyone deals with their unique struggles and challenges. Compassion and empathy will make a leader more approachable and trustworthy.
Quote of the Show:
- “When you don't go from potential to producing, you are imprisoned by your idea” - Chiquisha Robinson
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