THE PROBLEM
Most new GCs get the role the same way. A promotion. A recruiter call. A founder saying, “We need someone like you.” The offer comes fast. The training does not.
WHY THIS MATTERS NOW
The GC role has changed more in the last five years than in the 20 before it. Per the 2025 ACC Chief Legal Officers Survey, 70% of CLOs now manage at least two additional functions beyond legal (risk, compliance, privacy, ethics), and 44% say advising the CEO and shaping business strategy are where they have the biggest impact. Thomson Reuters reports that GCs are three times more concerned about delivering measurable value than they were the year before.
New GCs inherit that expanded job description on day one. The learning curve isn’t optional. The grace period is shrinking.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The patterns are knowable, and that’s the good news. The GCs we’ve interviewed who feel most grounded in the role all did a handful of specific things in their first year. They built trust before they needed it, got intimate with how the business actually made money, and stopped just providing legal advice and then walking away. They no longer consider decision-making a business call they don’t have to make.
We’ve assembled this toolkit to help you find success as a GC, whether it’s day one or day 100.
Inside, you’ll learn:
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