Expert Advice with Reza Torkzadeh

In CASEpeer’s most recent Expert Advice webinar, “Leadership, and How Great Company Culture Starts at the Top,” our CEO Gabriela Cubeiro sat down with Reza Torkzadeh, Founder/ CEO of TorkLaw and Co-Founder of LawWorks. The two discuss Reza’s unique leadership style and how he has built a company culture that works for his team. We learn how Reza defines great company culture, important attributes of quality leadership, and how to grow your business through innovation and embracing risk-taking. 

When Reza was first starting out with TorkLaw, he admits that he thought culture was something that just automatically happens as a result of having ideas and visions for a business. Over his fifteen years of experience practicing law, he explains that he has realized how important it is to nurture culture. 

With a lot of teams spread thin and hiring being difficult in today’s workplace, Reza shares some advice for re-energizing an overworked team. He believes that there is something totally irreplaceable and invaluable in coming together as humans to talk about what’s happening in each other’s regular lives. Being able to learn more about each other personally makes work not always feel like work in Reza’s opinion. He also addresses burnout and how valuable it is to take a moment to step back as a team, practice self care, and have a healthy work life balance.   

Reza points out some identifiable characteristics of leadership. He elaborates on the importance of leading by example through our behavior, how we take risks, and how we take care of our team. He believes that these characteristics are all crucial to the growth of a business. 

The conversation transitions into exploring how to encourage innovative ideas and embrace risk taking. Reza understands that a team is built up of several different personality types and that there should be a common goal or vision that is clear for everyone. He believes that once this is realized, the real magic happens. Innovation is something that must be initiated at the individual level, in Reza’s opinion. He practices letting his team explore an idea before he offers his opinion. 

It’s no secret that Reza is a humble leader. He touches on what it means to be truthful to yourself and kind to others. One of Reza’s core values at TorkLaw is “Radical Authenticity.” He explains that authenticity is something he practices in every aspect of his work. 

Throughout Reza’s and Gabriela’s discussion, the two touch on several key topics around effective leadership and how to create a culture that works best for your team. Watch the full webinar for more valuable insights from this conversation with Gabriela Cubeiro and Reza Torkzadeh.