This week, Tim Lupinacci welcomes Lara Nichols, senior vice president, state and federal regulatory legal support for Duke Energy. Lara is responsible for advancing rate and regulatory initiatives and updating regulatory models. In addition, her team provides legal advice on state and federal public utility regulatory matters. Since joining the company in 1998, she has held several prominent positions at Duke Energy, including serving as vice president, nuclear and environmental, health and safety, legal support for Duke Energy, and the Secretary of the Operations and Nuclear Oversight Committee of the Duke Energy Board of Directors. Lara graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and holds a Juris Doctor degree, with high honors, from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Lara reflects on her leadership journey, her gravitation towards collaborative work, the value of building empowered teams, and the importance of empathy and humility in leadership. She also shares her passion for Duke Energy’s mission, supporting her team and encouraging team members to take risks, and her powerful advice to young leaders, including balancing being ambitious and focusing on the job at hand.

Other Topics Discussed Include:

• Lara’s Leadership Journey
• Early Inspirations Who Encouraged Lara’s Leadership
• How Lara Provides Her Team with the Opportunity to Grow and Take Risks
• Growing and Learning from Mistakes
• Showing Up with Empathy and Humility as a Leader
• Lara’s Daily Disciplines to Lead Effectively
• Leadership Resources
• Lara’s Actionable Advice to Young Leaders
• People Without Big Titles Who Had an Impact on Lara

Additional Resources:

Lara’s Actionable Advice to Young Leaders:

• Take ownership of your development and speak up about what you are interested in
• Seek out a mentor you connect with
• Ask people how they got to where they are
• Ask what it would take to be a viable candidate for your next role and get genuine feedback on what it will take to get there

Charity

• This episode is in support of Lara’s designated charity, the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy. We have made a donation to the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy as a thank you to Lara for joining Everybody Leads. To learn more about the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, please visit https://charlottelegaladvocacy.org/

Books:

• Smart Brevity by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz
• Start with Why by Simon Sinek
• Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler
• Feminist Fight Club by Jessica Bennett

Duke Energy

• Website: https://www.duke-energy.com/home

Contact Lara Nichols

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larasimmonsnichols/

Thank you for listening, and please join us again to hear from more exceptional leaders.

Click for more:

• https://everybodyleads.org
• https://www.bakerdonelson.com

Producer: Jason Plank
Intern: Claudia Bonney Amamoo