The traditional advice still applies: excel, build relationships, demonstrate leadership, produce results.
Executives don’t put people on the shortlist simply because they are technically strong or highly reliable.
They do it because they trust how that person thinks when the answer isn’t obvious.
At the GC/CLO level, technical excellence is table stakes.
The real shift is this:
At the GC/CLO level, advancement is no longer the differentiator.
The differentiator is whether you are positioned to be included when consequential decisions are still taking shape.
That requires something more specific:
- Anticipating decisions before they surface
- Engaging in business trade-offs, not just legal analysis
- Helping define risk tolerance, not simply interpret it
- Building relationships that extend beyond moments of need
A More Honest Self-Test
If you want to assess your real influence, don’t look at your calendar.
Ask yourself:
- Which strategic decisions surprised me after the fact?
- Where was legal brought in, late, and why?
- Who gets called when the CEO is still forming a view?
- Am I part of the conversation before the options are defined?
- Which meetings are happening without me?
Being on the shortlist and being in the room reflect the same thing: trust at the highest levels of the organization. They signal whether you are viewed as someone who shapes outcomes, not simply advises on them.
Real influence is not measured by attendance. It is measured by whether your judgment is trusted, valued, and sought in the decisions that shape the enterprise.
