The Intersection of Human-Centered Design, Innovation and Resilience

Presented by PDC Trusted Advisor, Paula Davis-Laack and Guest Tom Heffner

Monday, June 10th, 2019 • 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET

What is innovation and why is everyone talking about it? Clients are demanding added value from legal teams in ways that go above and beyond just giving sound technical legal advice. However, many professional development professionals have been left behind in this discussion, yet need to be conversant in this new language. Paula and Tom are here to help! We will explain what innovation is, along with a key innovation methodology called "Design Thinking" or “Human Centered Design.” We’ll talk about the ways this methodology is being used in the legal profession, and as a bonus, we’ll discuss why resilience is such an important side skill to have as part of this process (hint - failure, uncertainty, and ambiguity are inherent components of innovation and need to be managed so progress does not stop). 

About Paula Davis-Laack:

Paula Davis-Laack, JD, MAPP, of Lawyer Strong LLC, is a former practicing lawyer, speaker, consultant, media contributor, and a stress and resilience expert who has designed and taught resilience workshops to thousands of professionals around the world.

Paula left her law practice after seven years and earned a master’s degree in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. As part of her post-graduate training, Paula was selected to be part of the University of Pennsylvania faculty teaching and training resilience skills to soldiers as part of the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness program. The Penn team trained resilience skills to more than 30,000 soldiers and their family members.

Her articles on stress, burnout prevention, resilience, and thriving at work are prominently featured on her blogs in The Huffington Post, Forbes, Fast Company and Psychology Today. She is the author of several e-books, including, Addicted to Busy: Your Blueprint for Burnout Prevention and STRONG: Stress Relief Strategies When You Have 10 Minutes or Less.

About Tom Heffner:

Tom Heffner, MAPP, is a speaker, author, podcaster and innovation expert. He is a leader in Design Thinking and works at the intersection of design, technology, and business. He uses Design Thinking to create transformative solutions for the complex and challenging problems facing our nation’s security (e.g., TANG Design Thinking). In addition, he teaches human centered design methods in academia (at the University of Maryland Academy of Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Johns Hopkins University), government (US Navy & Howard County Public Schools), and non-profit settings (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory).

His work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review and the UK’s New Scientist. He is a contributing author to several books, including, “Infusing Innovation into Organizations: A Systems Engineering Approach” and “Character Strengths Matter: How to Live a Full Life.” He also writes online articles for Positive Psychology News Daily, helping people use the principles of design to live a better life. Tom shares his professional insights, and the insights of the most successful people around the world, via his weekly podcast called The Next Year Now.