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The GC Relationship Gap That Costs Boards
Key Points
- Directors who create protected, informal touchpoints beyond scheduled meetings, where candor and trust can develop, build the strongest relationships with their general counsel.
- Boards that move beyond binary compliance questions and welcome the general counsel's business judgment transform the GC from a responder to a strategic contributor.
- When directors bring their concerns to the general counsel before they become agenda items, the GC can consider problems rather than react to them, leading to better decisions under pressure.
This AI-generated summary, based on content on this page, was reviewed by NACD editors for accuracy.
Directors who build a genuine partnership with their general counsel gain a strategic advantage that outside advisors cannot match.
A board I worked with made what felt like a flawless general counsel (GC) hire. The candidate had an exceptional pedigree, graduating from a top law school and making partner at a premier law firm in less than a decade. On paper, it was an unassailable decision.
Eighteen months later, the board was frustrated. The GC answered every board question with precision. But directors felt as though they were getting legal opinions, not counsel. Meanwhile, the GC felt that he was performing for a panel rather than advising a team. No one had taken the time to build the relationship that makes ...
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Chaka Patterson is the founder and CEO of ChakaStrategy, an advisory firm that helps organizations develop enterprise leaders who can think strategically, communicate with clarity, and lead through complexity. He is a former public company general counsel.
