Leader 2: Danielle Kidwell

Firm Administrator at Goss Fentress

Leadership Questions
1. Please give a brief but detailed introduction of yourself and the leadership position you do for a
living.
I am a law firm administrator for a small family practice in Norfolk, VA. We advocate for the poor
and disabled by helping them apply for their Social Security disability benefits. We also help
people who have been hurt in an accident by representing them for their personal injury cases. I
am in charge of making sure the office runs smoothly, with duties that include personnel
management, IT oversight, marketing, facilities maintenance, customer service, and business
administration.
2. What led you to want to do this for a living? What are some of the pros and cons?
Honestly I never knew I wanted to do this. I was a stay at home mom after a job in the corporate
world and took a job as a part time receptionist when my youngest entered full-day school. The
office manager wanted to retire, and unbeknownst to me, had pegged me as her replacement. I
worked my way up to the position over the course of a year. The pros are that I like project
management, love a challenge, and love to help shape the culture of the firm by ensuring that the
employees are healthy and happy. I tried to create the happiest work environment I could. The cons
are the long hours, the enormity of the responsibility, and the worry about the business. Work is
never far from my mind and I struggle to balance it with my life as a mother.
3. What is your definition of leadership?

A leader is someone who guided others. A good leader listens actively and is open to new ideas. An
excellent leader is not afraid to do the work that they ask of others, can take constructive criticism
and feedback, and credits their team with successes while taking responsibility for failures or
mistakes. They coach and guide rather than order and demand from their employees.
4. Please describe 1 major event in your life that made a difference in the way you lead now. What
kind of lasting changes did this event lead to?
When I was a waitress I had a manager who had a terrible temper. It was my first job in the
restaurant industry and I was not going to let her run me out of there. It got so bad that she would
throw things and once hit me with a full cup of soda. I observed as she raged and then charmed the
staff, and I vowed that I would never work for someone like that again. By having a lot of bad
bosses, I learned what I would not accept. I learned what not to do and turned that energy into
studying what I wanted to do as a leader.
5. Regarding leadership, what lessons have you learned during your career? What would you do
differently as a result?
When I worked in an international corporation I watched as employees sought protection from toxic
coworkers. Sometimes management listened and took action, but often it didn’t. I saw and
experienced people actively undermining their superiors and coworkers as they constantly jockeyed
for positions of power. I learned that some people want to lead and are truly good at it, while others
are interested in the idea of being a person in power. One thing I would do differently – and that I
am working on now – would be to set firm boundaries. In working so hard to be the opposite of
what my worst bosses were I went too far in the other direction. I was too accommodating and
conciliatory toward those who wanted to manipulate and take advantage of me for their own
benefit, in a effort to gain power and become closer to those in power. I tended to let that toxicity
fester as I struggled to find a way to manage it. Now I make the very difficult decision to terminate
employees who can’t be good team players, rather than try to rehabilitate them. I coach them, warn
them, and then after a lot of mental agony weigh the pros and cons and consult with the partners
before making my decision.