ALLUNY – Association of Law Libraries of Upstate New York

Robert Duncan

Five Questions

1. Morning ritual? If it’s a weekday, I often rise before my wife and two young daughters, Celia and Lucy, to let our dog Lucky outside and feed him, and then I enjoy a quiet cup of coffee before the morning madness begins. If it’s the weekend, I often get up before sunrise to join my friends for a long bike ride, which is my favorite hobby. And because I rarely sleep past 6 AM, I’m often falling asleep by 9 PM regardless of the day of the week!

2. What makes a great leader? It took me way too long to come to the realization that great leaders come in all shapes and sizes and that certain leadership qualities often considered requisite, such as decisiveness and comfort in the spotlight, aren’t required at all. I recently read a book called Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, which argues that our society’s overvaluation of extroversion (what the author calls the “extrovert ideal”) has created a culture that devalues the natural gifts of introverts (e.g., reflective, creative, deliberate, productive, etc.) and how they can often be highly effective leaders even if, for example, it pains them to speak publicly. This book served to solidify my thinking on effective leadership, which is that each leader must find their own unique style, one that accentuates their natural strengths while limiting inherent weaknesses, and to always be careful not to try to be someone you’re not. This ties into a few qualities I do think are required for great leaders, such as authenticity, empathy, diligence, good-humor and honesty. Put simply, if people respect you and believe that you in turn value them not just as workers, but as people, I believe you’re well on your way to having them join you on the path you want to take.

3. Last photo you took with your phone? The accompanying photo above is a picture of our dog Lucky, who is seen here celebrating his 1-year birthday last week. My daughters constructed a throne of sorts, fitted him with a tiara, and then gave him a bowl of carrots (he LOVES carrots). I often explain to them that he’s not a toy, but sometimes they convince themselves he’s enjoying their game as much as they are.

4. Favorite travel destination? As a native Upstate New Yorker (I hope I didn’t upset anyone with this distinction, but having lived outside New York for twenty years I’ve learned to make it!), I continue to love any opportunity I get to visit the Adirondacks. It’s such an amazing place and still a bit of an unknown gem, or at least it seems to be from afar.

5. Favorite film adaptation of a book? I read the entire Harry Potter series to my oldest daughter at bedtime, an exercise that took us years to complete. Our reward at the end of each book was to watch the movie and while there were, of course, notable omissions with each, I was impressed at how true to the books the films remained and how amazing their recreation of J.K. Rowling’s words and world.