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Tailor Your Legal Communications To Become A More Effective GC – Above the Law


“Why?”


“And
what
if
XYZ
happens?”


When
I
was
a
general
counsel,
that’s
all
I’d
hear
when
I
explained
new
legal
requirements
for
the
IT
team
to
Lois,
the
department
head.
She’d
immediately
ask
questions
and
examine
what-if
situations
after
every
policy
change,
needing
to
talk
it
all
through
in
person.


Kay,
the
HR
director,
was
different.
She
would
nod
and
agree
as
I
told
her
of
an
upcoming
change.
Later,
she’d
email
me
insightful
questions
that
showed
she’d
heard
every
detail.
Kay
just
needed
time
to
process
verbal
information
and
preferred
written
explanations.


It
was
my
first
GC
role,
and
I
was
learning
how
to
handle
companywide
communications
and
diverse
personalities.
Here’s
what
I
discovered:  


Everyone
Has
A
Preferred
Communication
Style


I
quickly
found
that
just
as
there
are
individual
learning
styles
(e.g.,
visual,
auditory,
read/write,
and
kinesthetic),
each
person
has
a
preferred
way
of
receiving
information.
My
job
was
to
communicate
with
each
in
the
most
effective
style.


This
requires
flexibility,
first
in
recognizing
the
diverse
preferences
of
those
I
worked
with
and
then
adjusting
my
communication
approaches
accordingly.
As
a
GC,
you
may
hear
from
the
CEO,
COO,
HR
director,
IT
leader,
worried
employees,
frustrated
managers,
board
members,
and
department
heads
across
the
company

all
in
a
single
day. 


Each
one
must
understand
your
legal
guidance
and
follow
your
advice.
That
result
is
so
critical
that
we
can’t
let
our
egos
get
in
the
way
of
our
effectiveness.
We
may
wish
for
everyone
to
form
an
orderly
queue
and
ask
nicely
for
our
time
and
advice.
But
executives
often
call
for
legal
counsel
during
a
crisis.
Cooler
heads
don’t
always
prevail
at
these
times.
And
unfortunately,
it
can
reflect
poorly
on
you
when
legal
issues
compound
and
escalate.  


In-house
lawyers
and
GCs
need
highly
versatile
communication
skills
to
explain
critical
information
clearly
and
efficiently
to
stakeholders
at
every
level.
These
skills
take
time
to
develop
and
practice
to
hone.
But
the
effort
is
well
worth
ensuring
your
advice
is
understood
in
various
interactions.



Flexibility
Means
Many
Things


You
may
discover
preferences
such
as
emails
versus
phone
calls,
early
morning
chats
versus
late
evening
conversations,
and
in-person
meetings
versus
conference
calls. 


Then,
there
are
situational
preferences.
C-suite
executives
may
prefer
concise
updates
on
only
the
most
pressing
legal
issues.
Employees
may
need
to
know
about
only
the
workplace
changes
that
affect
them
directly.
At
the
same
time,
managers
may
want
a
broader
perspective
on
the
organization’s
legal
issues. 


Ask
them
directly
or
observe
their
behavior
and
communication
patterns
to
determine
each
person’s
preferences.
If
an
executive
typically
responds
promptly
to
emails
but
rarely
takes
your
calls,
you
can
assume
they
prefer
email
communication. 


Another
approach
is
to
provide
the
same
information
in
multiple
forms
to
ensure
you
reach
each
person
in
the
ways
they
prefer.
However,
this
can
quickly
become
time-consuming,
and
the
repetition
can
cause
people
to
start
tuning
out
altogether.


By
tailoring
your
communications,
you
help
ensure
stakeholders
receive
valuable
legal
guidance
without
feeling
micromanaged,
overwhelmed,
or
lost
at
sea.
The
awareness
and
accommodation
of
individual
preferences
can
make
a
significant
difference
in
building
strong,
trusting
relationships. 


Embrace
flexible
communications
as
a
core
skill
to
become
a
more
effective
GC
and
forge
a
successful
career
path
in
today’s
competitive
legal
field,
where
remote
working,
flexible
work
hours,
and
online
collaboration
require
significantly
enhanced
skills.


How
do
you
deliver
legal
updates
in
your
organization?


What
are
some
of
the
communications
challenges
involved?


Do
you
have
any
tips
for
improving
one-on-one
and
companywide
communications?




Olga MackOlga
V.
Mack
is
the
VP
at




LexisNexis
 and CEO
of 
Parley
Pro
,
a
next-generation
contract
management
company
that
has
pioneered
online
negotiation
technology.
Olga
embraces
legal
innovation
and
had
dedicated
her
career
to
improving
and
shaping
the
future
of
law.
She
is
convinced
that
the
legal
profession
will
emerge
even
stronger,
more
resilient,
and
more
inclusive
than
before
by
embracing
technology.
Olga
is
also
an
award-winning
general
counsel,
operations
professional,
startup
advisor,
public
speaker,
adjunct
professor,
and
entrepreneur.
She
founded
the 
Women
Serve
on
Boards
 movement
that
advocates
for
women
to
participate
on
corporate
boards
of
Fortune
500
companies.
She
authored 
Get
on
Board:
Earning
Your
Ticket
to
a
Corporate
Board
Seat
Fundamentals
of
Smart
Contract
Security
,
and 




Blockchain
Value:
Transforming
Business
Models,
Society,
and
Communities
She
is
working
on



Visual
IQ
for
Lawyers
,
her
next
book
(ABA
2023).



You
can
follow
Olga
on
Twitter
@olgavmack.