Nine Ways to Accelerate Your Career Growth and Job Search as a Chief Legal Officer or General Counsel

Many of my clients are Chief Legal Officers or General Counsel at public or private companies who want to know how to (1) expand the growth runway in their current role and/or (2) find a new role that better suits their growth trajectory. Often these two goals go hand-in-hand, especially if you can initiate further career-enhancing opportunities within your current organization while opportunistically being open to new roles externally. If you are a Chief Legal Officer or General Counsel and at a similar career juncture, here are some insights that may help you accelerate your career growth and/or job search.

In other words, often it behooves you to do both: look for internal and external opportunities rather than rigidly treating internal growth and job search as an either/or proposition.

If you are a Chief Legal Officer or General Counsel and at a similar career juncture, here are some insights that may help you accelerate your career growth and/or job search:

1. 1. Get plugged into the right networks. For example, many veteran CLOs and GCs take active steps to seek out potential successors. If you are on their radar screens as a contender, whether you are an internal or external candidate, you will be first in line when the transition occurs. Beyond that, remember that you will not only need to convince the CLO or GC who is currently in the role but also appeal to the CEO and Board of Directors.
  2. Get on the radar screen of recruiters. As an ancillary network-building activity, take the time to get to know the recruiters who are commonly involved with General Counsel searches. Recruiters work for companies, not candidates – a distinction that it serves you well to understand! – and therefore may not be actively pursuing you or overly responsive (although they should not simply ignore you) unless they have a role that fits.
    It’s your job to get in front of recruiters without becoming a pest (respect their time!), continue to be polite and responsive yourself (even if you feel desperate or entirely overwhelmed at any given moment) and make sure that you have done the work to polish and present yourself as a compelling candidate rather than expecting the recruiter to figure out what to do with you.
  3. Dust off your resume, LinkedIn profile and interviewing skills. If you do intend to conduct (or find yourself in) a job search, or you wish to target a key promotion, make sure you have put yourself together as a compelling “package.” (This echoes what I listed in #2 above.)
    At the very least, review your resume to make sure it reflects your current accomplishments and communicates them in a clear manner. Not only does this help you have a “better” resume, but it also gives you a lens to focus on the value you have brought to your organization and what you can expect to contribute in the future. Similarly, if you have not interviewed in over ten years, you should seek to sharpen your executive presence and interviewing skills, whether you are interviewing with your own board of directors (for an internal promotion) or a new one (for an external role).
  4. Know how Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel searches are conducted. If you wish to be viewed as the top candidate, it behooves you to know what your audience is looking for. Admittedly some companies do not have a good handle on their own hiring priorities, even for a role as important as CLO or GC, and you will need to fill in the gaps for them (or avoid taking those roles). Others are cognizant of best practices and conduct a highly organized and effective search.
  5. Know what Boards of Directors, CEOs and other senior management want from their Chief Legal Officers and General Counsel. Whether it is through informational interviewing, informal discussions, mentoring or your own due diligence, make sure that you understand what is expected of a CLO or GC while serving in the role.
  6. Consider adjacent roles. Within your own company or at a new one, consider how you can take on business and other roles that will expand your range of influence and subject matter domain. Examples abound and include running a business line within the organization, serving on the board of a branch or subsidiary, heading up government affairs, leading a high-profile initiative or serving as an interim in another C-Suite role, such as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief Sustainability Officer or even Chief Executive Officer. If you need more robust industry or subject matter expertise, emotional intelligence or caché to take on such a role, go out and get it!
  7. Envision yourself as a C-Suite leader, not just a lawyer. Just as you need to do the work to know your value proposition and polish your brand before speaking with a recruiter, you also need to do the work to wrap your head around the business and how you can add value as a member of senior leadership. Invariably my clients who see themselves in this light – rather than “the lawyer in the room” – are the ones who are more successful at attracting sponsors and other upward mobility and achieving marketability in their careers.
  8. Enlarge your circle of possibilities while respecting your own guiding principles. Know what your priorities are and plan your career around that. For example, if you feel that you need to stay in the Chicago or Nashville area for another five years, understand how that affects your career choices and target your decisions on where to build out your expertise to match the market. Ask yourself: how wide of a circle can I draw so that I don’t foreclose opportunities while continuing to meet my own personal commitments and values?
    For example, if you are currently in Nashville but ultimately want to return to Boston, Miami or San Francisco, can you create or strengthen ties to that target city now that will facilitate your transition when the time is appropriate? Alternatively, you may decide that a top role in Wisconsin, Indiana or Michigan is sufficiently close to the Chicago area to honor your commitment to stay local, depending on the reason that you have made this a priority. Even if you are truly open, geographically or otherwise, make sure that the role continues to meet your other priorities.
  9. Build out your reputation beyond your current company. Don’t become so focused on the “problems at hand” that you forget to build out your leadership credibility and network beyond your current organization. Set aside some time (for example, 5% to 10% of your total professional energy) to make this happen, and choose your engagements well so that they are meaningful to you and impactful on the community or other target audience.

Anne Marie Segal is an executive coach, resume writer and author of two well-received books on interviewing and career development. She served as a corporate attorney for 15 years, including roles at White & Case LLP and a prominent hedge and private equity fund manager, before launching her coaching practice. She is also currently serving as the Conference & Workshop Facilitator for PODER25 General Counsel pipeline initiative of the Hispanic National Bar Association and HNBA Via Fund.

Based in Connecticut not far from New York City, Anne Marie partners with clients internationally on executive presence, impactful communications, graceful transitions and other aspects of professional and personal development.

First image above: Adobe Images.

Interview with Catherine Sorbara: Modern Career Warrior Series @AnneMarieSegal.com

CATHERINE SORBARA is our Modern Career Warrior for February 2020. My interview with Catherine spans her early move from Canada to Germany to pursue a Ph.D., work for the Royal Society of Chemistry in Cambridge, move to industry as she became Chief Operating Officer of Cheeky Scientist and 80-women leadership journey to Antarctica with Homeward Bound. She then relates how that monumental trip transformed her view of our collective (human) place in the world, strengthened her commitment to working in service of the environment and illuminated the next steps of her career trajectory.

MCW INTERVIEW WITH
CATHERINE SORBARA

CATHERINE SORBARA is our Modern Career Warrior for February 2020. This article is part of a series of mid-career retrospective interviews featuring inspiring and innovative professionals at AnneMarieSegal.com.

My interview with Catherine spans her early move from Canada to Germany to pursue a Ph.D., work for the Royal Society of Chemistry in Cambridge, move to industry as she became Chief Operating Officer of Cheeky Scientist and 80-women leadership journey to Antarctica with Homeward Bound. She then relates how that monumental trip transformed her view of our collective (human) place in the world, strengthened her commitment to working in service of the environment and illuminated the next steps of her career trajectory.

AMS: When we met, you were Chief Operations Officer of an organization that helps people with Ph.D.’s build out their career options. Shortly after that, I heard about your participation in a women-led trip to Antarctica.

CS: Yes, I was at Cheeky Scientist, which helps scientists and others trained for a career in academia build their careers in industry, when I heard I was chosen for the Homeward Bound outreach.

AMS: I am tempted to jump in and ask you about Antarctica, but let’s lay the groundwork first.

CS: Starting with my Ph.D. program?

AMS: Well, it seems like that may have been the first of many big changes in your life, at least from a career perspective. You went from living in Canada and finishing an M.S. in Neuroscience at the University of Ottawa to studying Medical Life Science and Technology at the Technische Universität München. What prompted you to move to Germany?

CS: Since I was a teenager, I have always wanted to live in Europe. I grew up near Niagara Falls, and the furthest place we went on vacation was Toronto, only 90 minutes away! I never had the chance to travel internationally, despite having family roots in Italy. So when I was accepted into the Ph.D. program, I was more than ready to make the move. My last hurrah was the Boston Marathon, and off to Germany I went!

AMS: Studying in Germany satisfied your travel bug while advancing your career goals.

CS: Yes! That’s one great thing about being a scientist. It gives you the opportunity to travel and meet interesting people. The position in Germany also drew me because I could do innovative, advanced research on neurodegenerative diseases, looking at things at a cellular level.

AMS: Is that what you did in the master’s degree program as well?

CS: Before that, I was focused on Alzheimers, another neurodegenerative disease. In my Ph.D., I shifted my focus to multiple sclerosis (MS).

AMS: I saw your list of publications on LinkedIn, which is a bit intimidating for your average reader. Your titles range, for example, include “Pervasive axonal transport deficits in multiple sclerosis models” to “A reversible form of axon damage in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis.” Can you translate this for non-scientists who want to understand what you were working on?

CS: Sure. We were looking at MS from the perspective of how cells communicate with one another. We wanted to know if there was a break in communication from one cell to another that led to or exasperated the disease.

AMS: It certainly sounds easier when you explain it that way. How did you do that?

CS: We did live cell imaging of the spinal cord in animals. We could fluorescently label cells and organelles and watch the movement before and during the disease, including the breakdown of the immune system.

AMS: Did your hypothesis bear out? Was there a breakdown in communication?

CS: Yes. There is indeed a miscommunication between cells before any symptoms of MS actually appear.

AMS: Miscommunication between cells and organelles? Or are the organelles communicating information from cell to cell?

CS: It’s cell-to-cell communication through the organelles. Here’s an easier way to think about it. Imagine train tracks. The tracks are located in the arms of each neuron cell and help pass information from one neuron cell to another. Organelles, such as mitochondria, are moved along these tracks to aid in the distribution of this information.

AMS: So MS blocks the movement of the organelles?

CS: Yes. Early in the disease, these organelles become stuck on the track and can’t bring the communication from one cell to another.

AMS: That’s scary as well as fascinating.

CS: It is! Of course, one of the next steps, of course, is to try to fix the train tracks – which are actually neural pathways – to prevent the disease.

AMS: Is this what you might be doing now if you had stayed in academia?

CS: It definitely could have been.

AMS: What changed?

Cathy Sorbara giving a presentation to other women leaders in Antarctica.

CS: I interviewed for a postdoc [postdoctoral fellowship] at University of Cambridge. I came in, gave a presentation and met everyone in the lab. Everyone seemed to like me, and I was feeling really good about my chances of landing it. Then I got a phone call from the professor the following day.

AMS: Not what you wanted to hear?

Click HERE to continue reading this article.

For the FULL INTERVIEW, please:

click here (PDF version), or

visit AnneMarieSegal.com/mcw-catherine-sorbara (online version).

Technology, the “gig economy” and globalization have irrevocably altered the modern career. Launched in January 2020, MODERN CAREER WARRIORS is a series on AnneMarieSegal.com that explores the lives of professionals leading robust, resilient and multi-dimensional careers.

DEPTH, COURAGE AND INTENSITY radiate from these Modern Career Warriors, who defy the odds and define their own paths. While they may, like the rest of us, feel side-lined or even defeated at times, their inner drive keeps driving them to their own personal best and inspires others to do the same.

Feel free to post a question or “like” this post below, and click here to explore more articles in this series. Thanks!

Anne Marie Segal, founder of Segal Coaching LLC, is an executive coach, resume writer and author of two well-received books on interviewing and career development. She served as a corporate attorney for 15 years, including roles at White & Case LLP and a prominent hedge and private equity fund manager, before launching her coaching practice.

No portion of this article may be reproduced without prior written permission from Anne Marie Segal (or the copyright holder of any image above), other than limited quotes that reference this article.

Understanding How Corporate Boards Evaluate Prospective Board Members: Corporate Board Series, Part 2

In my prior article on corporate boards, I explored how you can build out and articulate your vision for board service. This time, I will take the other perspective. What do (and should) corporate boards have in mind when they evaluate prospective board members?

Corporate Board Series, Part 2 - Evaluation Process - AnneMarieSegal.com.jpg

In my prior article on corporate boards, I explored how you can build out and articulate your vision for board service. This time, I will take the other perspective. What do (and should) corporate boards have in mind when they evaluate prospective board members?

The list of board-ready qualities is long, and in almost every case it will include:

culture fit
expertise
thoughtful engagement
integrity

A company might have different ways to express the above, and it will often add other important factors to the list, such as international experience. As a concrete example, here is the list of independent board candidate qualifications for Colgate-Palmolive.

Let’s explore each of these four core qualities in more depth:

Culture Fit. Just as a prospective employer is looking for candidates who would be a fit for the culture of the organization, so is the board of directors. At the same time, you need to be a fit for the specific culture of the board itself.

Here is an article by three leaders in board recruitment at SpencerStuart that speaks further to the importance culture fit on boards, including ways to help define this elusive concept. As a prospective board member, you will be well served to learn as much as you can about the board and company culture – including who are the heavy hitters and how they drive the board conversation – so you can both appeal to the board that you are a fit and determine (for yourself) that you actually are.

Many nominating/governance committees are (thankfully) moving away from using “fit” as a proxy for compiling a homogenous board. Diversity continues to be a priority for board refreshment among many of the surveys of board trends.

Expertise. Another key aspect boards use to evaluate candidates is their expertise across the range of areas that the board would need to span. Financial acumen is clearly one area of expertise that is in high demand, but it is not the only one. Leadership expertise is also clearly important, and this couples with an ability to appreciate (and put into practice) the role of the board as providing oversight, not “doing” the work of running the company.

As Betsy Atkins illuminated in her interview with Alexander Lowry on Boardroom Bound (see episode #30), board candidates should think about where they can add the most value in differentiated expertise. For example, she notes that you may have functional skills (like financial, marketing or product expertise), specific industry knowledge (such as deep domain expertise in steel or financial services) and/or stage-of-company expertise (such as with taking early-stage companies public, turnarounds or large-cap global multinationals).

It also pays to do some research into how your functional role can add to the board composition. For example, if you happen to be a General Counsel (GC) and seeking a board role, as many of my clients are, you will want to be able to articulate what General Counsel can add to boards (even if the company already has a GC, as they likely will). Since often the value a GC brings to the company cannot be easily expressed without an understanding of the big picture – which is harder than saying you brought revenues from $X to $Y – finding another way to get your message out there can help boost your candidacy while adding to your cache (#4 below).

For example, here’s an article in Modern Counsel about Audrey Boone Tillman, EVP and GC of Aflac, that highlights both her work on corporate governance and regulatory compliance and her appreciation of cultural differences in a very readable manner. It would be tough to communicate the same breath, depth and range of compatible skills in a few bullet points or sentences on a resume or board biography.

Articles such as this one demonstrate not only individual skill sets but also what a candidate brings to the table as a “full package.” (Note: I am not commenting on Ms. Tillman or anyone else’s motivation for the article, simply speaking to its effectiveness.) For executives who have access to company-generated or external media coverage that can help tie together the threads of their careers, it is worthwhile to invest the time to create a compelling and cohesive career narrative.

Thoughtful Engagement. Boards consistently state that they want members who will be actively engaged in meetings and are not afraid to ask the tough questions. One way to demonstrate your potential for engagement as a board candidate is to be apprised of the top issues facing boards today. (Note: For public companies, the NACD public company governance survey offers key insights, and many of these translate for private companies as well.) Another is to have and make known a genuine passion for the company itself and its customers. Further, as most board recruitment is through connections, being known as someone who is actively engaged in your current role(s) will position you as an attractive candidate for a board.

Integrity. With the increased scrutiny on boards, it also goes without stating (but should be included for completeness) that boards are placing greater value than ever on a board candidate’s integrity. In most cases, in fact, this is the most important quality a board member can have.

For a preview of future articles in the Corporate Board Series, click here.

For links to more corporate board resources, click here.

Anne Marie Segal is an executive coach, resume writer and author of two well-received books on interviewing and career development. She served as a corporate attorney for 15 years, including roles at White & Case LLP and a prominent hedge and private equity fund manager, before launching her coaching practice.

To join her mailing list, click here.

Yoga Mantra: Take a Comfortable Seat (In Your Career)

Welcome to a new decade and my first article in a monthly series, Off the Mat: Yoga Mantras for the Modern Career.

Through this new series, I am creating a space in which I can support clients and readers who are interested in and receptive to furthering their yogic wisdom by providing a means to translate yoga principles to their careers.

This month’s mantra is fitting for the New Year and often incorporated into yoga classes during the first few days of the year (and other times): set an intention.

Yoga Mantras for the Modern Career

If you have ever been to a yoga class, you know that you are often invited to “take a comfortable seat.” You can sit on the floor or on a yoga block, bolster or zafu meditation cushion, and you are encouraged to choose the position that is most comfortable for you.

Relatively comfortable, that is. Not “cozy all tucked in your bed” comfortable, but the seat that feels most relaxed but allows you to stay alert at the same time.

Many of us, at least in the West, are not as accustomed to sitting without a chair or couch that has a back to rest on. We have do not have our core muscles sufficiently developed to keep our spine straight and pelvis stabilized. As we learn how to engage those muscles, we might be encouraged to imagine the pelvis like a bowl that can be tilted forward or back. Your goal is to find the right angle for proper alignment – keep the pelvic bowl level so you don’t (by analogy) spill the soup!

Yoga teachers, for example, may remind us to extend our spine from our sacrum to the base of our skull and relax our neck so our heads feel like they are simply floating. The image helps you internalize the ease and space you can create for yourself. A key takeaway is that we create much less stress in our bodies if we are in optimum alignment and can relax whatever muscles are not needed to maintain the pose.

That’s what you’ll learn in a yoga class – if you have the right teacher – and you can also learn similar concepts from a physical therapist, chiropractor or other health professional. The point of the comfortable seat in yoga, of course, is to help you free yourself (mind, body and spirit) for the work that you’ll do while seated in the class and be able to take that with you as you move off the mat.

THE “COMFORTABLE SEAT” OF YOUR CAREER

As I mentioned in my first article in this series, Yoga Mantras for the Modern Career is focused on translating yoga wisdom to our professional lives.

We can take the suggestion to “take a comfortable seat” literally, creating an ergonomic workplace and striving for good posture that allows us to relax and our energy to flow freely up and down our spines. That would be a great extension of the yogic wisdom of the phrase.

Yet the concept of the comfortable seat can also be imagined as moving beyond the literal and into the higher plane of how you align yourself professionally. The idea of relaxing while maintaining alertness – holding both of these goals in your mind simultaneously – is the aspect of the comfortable seat that gives us the richest metaphor applicable to our careers.

If you are getting hung up on the words pelvic bowl and spinal alignment, just imagine a cat. They are the masters of relaxed alertness, as they are able to sink comfortably and entirely into a space – as if they have not an ounce of tension in their bodies – yet be on the ready should their environment change on a moment’s notice.

Rather than arriving at a comfortable posture, many of us tilt (our career, if not our pelvis) too far forward or too far back. On the one end, we push too far into the future or in one direction or another, hurried and dissatisfied with ourselves, our choices, responses from others or the progress we have made in our careers. On the other end, we may fail to be sufficiently forward-looking, resting on our laurels or even feeling overwhelmed defeated and therefore falling back in our (again metaphorical) seats. In either case, we are not using our core strength to keep us balanced, centered and at ease.

When we are not setting ourselves up for ease, we need to devote more of our energies to maintaining our current position and have less energy available to access the opportunities that would present themselves if we were in an optimum state. When we are not alert, we can become complacent and miss those opportunities. The wisdom is to find the balance that brings both of these states together.

How can you achieve the optimum state of relaxed alertness in your career?
What would be different if you did?

Anne Marie Segal is an executive coach, resume writer and author of two well-received books on interviewing and career development. She served as a corporate attorney for 15 years, including roles at White & Case LLP and a prominent hedge and private equity fund manager, before launching her coaching practice. In addition to her career coach and resume writer certifications, she is a certified yoga teacher.

This article is not medical advice. It is career advice!

The Year of Leveling Up: January 2020 Redux

It’s (still kind of, sort of) the New Year. Only 339 days until year end.

It would be 338, but it’s a leap year in 2020.

I’m not trying to be ironic, but that is the ironic thing about years. They feel all bright, shiny and new when we start them. Then the days pass one by one. Today, it’s January 27. Has your new year glow worn off already, or is each day a new day and a new opportunity?

Soon it will be March, July and even October. Shortly after that, we are back to the end (of the year) again.

Then it’s another New Year’s celebration, a ride on the crest of the New Year wave, through another stretch of calm, a long haul up through mid-December and a detox break over the holidays.

Or however the cycle works for you.

Does it work for you or are you a slave to the cycle?

FOR MORE JANUARY 2020 REDUX, MY MONTHLY MAILING IS HERE.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Articulating Your Vision for a Corporate Board Role

Corporate Board Resources

Sandy Baggett: Our First Modern Career Warrior

Cathy Sorbara: Upcoming MCW

About the Modern Career Warriors Series

Job Search Success in Your 40s, 50s and Beyond

Yoga Mantras for the Modern Career

Befriend Your Inner Naysayer

Accelerating Your Job Search as a Junior Associate Targeting In-House Roles

What Can You Learn Before Year End?

Guest Teaching at Lehman College and Why Buy Low, Sell High Also Works for Recruiting

The Library @ AnneMarieSegal.com

Join the 28-Day Career Mindset Journey (small-group coaching)

To read our three prior issues, click on the links below:

Down with excuses. Time for a change.

My best advice for 2020. It’s not what you think.

Today is Launch Day! Segal Online 24/7. What a great day!

Interview with Sandy Baggett: Modern Career Warrior Series @AnneMarieSegal.com

SANDY WORKMAN BAGGETT is our Modern Career Warrior for January 2020. This article is the first in a series of mid-career retrospective interviews featuring inspiring and innovative professionals at AnneMarieSegal.com.

Holding a highly prolific career, Sandy has been a federal prosecutor in three countries, led at least ten “once in a lifetime” cases and was recognized as one of the top 100 women in criminal investigations by Global Investigations Review.

MCW INTERVIEW WITH
SANDY BAGGETT

SANDY WORKMAN BAGGETT is our MODERN CAREER WARRIOR for January 2020.

Sandy is the first in a series of mid-career retrospective interviews featuring inspiring and innovative professionals at AnneMarieSegal.com.

My interview with Sandy covers her journey from Judge Advocate (JAG) and Captain in the U.S. Army to federal criminal defense attorney based in Spokane, Washington. She is eagerly awaiting Spokane’s “real winter” – with an average of eight to ten inches of snow – and loving every minute of it!

We also take a world tour of Sandy’s roles as a prosecutor on three continents, including with the Bronx District Attorney’s Office (New York City), Serious Fraud Office (London) and Attorney General’s Chambers (Singapore), and as a criminal defense attorney at a top U.K. firm, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (Singapore and New York City).

Holding a highly prolific career, Sandy has led at least ten “once in a lifetime” cases and was recognized as one of the top 100 women in criminal investigations by Global Investigations Review. Her global expertise has given her a remarkable level of flexibility to create her own career trajectory. Finally, I couldn’t resist getting the scoop on her house renovations, including a chicken coop in the backyard, as a single mom of three boys.

AMS: When I met you around 20 years ago, you were a JAG Corps lawyer, married and living in a cozy house in New Jersey with a quaint front porch.

SWB: Don’t put that in! About the 20 years, I mean.

AMS: Do you remember your push-up challenge? One time you had at least eight friends over one evening, and you could do more push-ups than the rest of us combined.

SWB: That does sound like me. Always up for a challenge.

AMS: Fitness hasn’t changed about your life, but it seems like just about everything else has.

SWB: I’m the same person I’ve always been, just more confident of myself and closer to my core. And yes, I am all about keeping healthy and exercising.

AMS: Speaking of challenges (and physical fitness), how did your early work in the Army set you up for the rest of your career?

SWB: Military training is truly unparalleled. One of the most important things you learn is how to be an integral part of a well-functioning team. It translates to everything else in your career.

AMS: Your next stop was an apartment in Queens, and you moved from JAG to the Bronx D.A.

SWB: Yep. We lived in an up-and-coming neighborhood in Long Island City, with a great view of Manhattan from our rooftop!

The D.A. was where I learned to prep, lead and win important cases. I specialized in violent crimes, like murder and armed robbery by drug gangs. I also worked on the Cold Case Squad.

AMS: Like the show Cold Case with Kathryn Morris?

SWB: [Laughs.] Not exactly like that, but some of the cases were pretty compelling. And it’s important work.

AMS: Then you moved to Singapore. Literally on the other side of the planet.

SWB: Yes, it was quite a change. I loved it there. We moved after my ex-husband was offered an expat role with a U.S. firm. Neither of us spoke Chinese, but that didn’t stop us. I didn’t have a work visa at first but soon joined the law faculty at the National University of Singapore.

AMS: And you started a family in Singapore.

SWB: That’s right. As you know, when I was younger, I was never really focused on having children. But I ended up having three, all boys, and never looked back.

AMS: Career-wise, what was your next move?

SWB: I became a Prosecutor with the Attorney General’s Chambers focused on Financial and Securities Offenses, which are looming issues in Singapore (just like everywhere else), especially because of its strategic location in Asia.

AMS: What was that like?

SWB: It took everything I learned in the D.A.’s office and brought it to a much larger scale. I was prosecuting all of the major crimes under international law: corruption, wire fraud, money laundering, sanctions, you name it…. I also became a global expert on U.S. and U.N. sanctions on North Korea and continue to get calls about that here in Spokane.

AMS: You told me that you’re fortunate to have had at least ten “once in a lifetime” cases in your career as a federal prosecutor. Can you tell us about a few of them?

SWB: Two were especially interesting. In one case, I prosecuted Chinpo Shipping after they financed a shipment of nuclear weapons on route from Cuba to North Korea. It was the first criminal prosecution for violations of U.N. sanctions of financial assistance to North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs. It was covered in the Washington Post and other publications.

AMS: Like your earlier cold cases, this sounds like it could be the plot of a movie.

SWB: So true! The other is the Rolls Royce global corruption case. I collaborated on that prosecution during my secondment to the Serious Fraud Office in London. We generally think of Rolls Royce for cars, but these were multi million-dollar bribes for government contracts in their aircraft and energy divisions. The Department of Justice ((DOJ) coordinated a $170M global settlement agreement.

And last year I was recognized as one of the top 100 women in criminal investigations by Global Investigations Review. That was rewarding. I was honored to be among such good company.

AMS: How did you decide to leave government service in Singapore to join a top international law firm? Was that something you have always wanted to do?

For the FULL INTERVIEW, please:

click here (PDF version), or

visit AnneMarieSegal.com/mcw-sandy-baggett (online version).

Feel free to post a question or “like” this post below, and click here to explore more articles in this series. Thanks!

Published on January 23, 2020.

No portion of this article may be reproduced without prior written permission from Anne Marie Segal (or the copyright holder of any image above), other than limited quotes that reference this article.

Articulating Your Vision for Corporate Board Service: Corporate Board Series, Part 1

Corporate Board Series, Part 1 - Vision - AnneMarieSegal.com.jpg

Is corporate board service a top goal for 2020?

What about 2022?

As the average search for a corporate board role takes one to two years – barring the occasional “right place at right time” serendipitous match – if corporate board service is in your sights within the next 18 to 24 months, you may want to start taking overt steps to prepare yourself now. In addition, learning to “think like a board member” can help you take a top-down view of your current employer and the greater playing field.

To be clear, corporate board membership is not the goal of every senior or mid-level executive, even if there were enough boards to accommodate everyone looking for a role. (Clearly there are not!) Nonetheless, the competition is quite high, so if board membership is one of your priorities, there are many aspects of your candidacy you will want to shore up as you pave a path to the boardroom.

Is board membership right for you? Is it worth the effort?

And what can you offer in return?

You will need understand your goals and direction for board service and get a handle on what board service actually entails.

As you create your vision for corporate board service, here’s where you can start:

Understand your motivation.

Why do you want to serve on a corporate board?

You may have a range of goals, such as:

Making a difference
Engaging in intellectual rigor
Being part of a high-impact team
Increasing your earnings
Diversifying your income
Expanding your expertise
Leveling-up your network
Learning more about an adjacent industry
Growing your leadership capacity
Moving up within your current firm

Being part of a board is a singular experience that cannot easily be replicated elsewhere. If you understand your goals and priorities, it will help you craft your vision for the types of boards you should target. At the same time, consider whether a board role is the best means to achieve your objectives and be aware you will need to craft a pitch about your board interest (that does not sound self-serving) as and when you are actually vetted for the role.

(I will cover board pitches later in this series.)

Identify the types of companies that could be a fit.

To state the obvious, taking on a board role in a direct competitor to your current employer is generally not a good idea. Yet beyond that, do you know what you are looking for in a target company? If you want some prompts, try browsing a list of open director positions, such as this one.

Think about “fit” as you contemplate which board roles you want to pursue. Fit implies a match on both ends and is based both on what you want and which boards will be best for (and want) you.

What is the profile of an ideal company for you?

What size, markets, domestic or global reach, mission, prevailing view and corporate direction would fit your interests and expertise?

With which companies do feel an aligned sense of mission and shared values?

Think about all the ways you can define for yourself what fit might mean, including the stage of the company, size and composition of the board, geographic location and other factors.

Is a tech-driven company the right fit?

Do you have experience in a heavily regulated industry and an interest in translating that experience a board?

Is there an adjacent industry to yours that would be a natural fit?

Finally (and for some of you this may be obvious), boards can differ greatly based on the stage and size of the company, current board composition (including whether private equity or other investors hold roles on or control the board) and many other factors.

Consider where you may have an “in” or find support.

As you think further about your vision and target company parameters, also consider (1) where you may have or could make connections or an edge and (2) those roles your current employer would most likely support (because what you gain from the experience will be helpful to your current company, among other reasons).

On a similar note, if you are thinking seriously about landing your first board role, you should start talking to your current company’s board, CEO and/or direct manager as applicable to secure their blessing (avoiding potential conflicts or misunderstandings later) and garner support. They may even be asked to serve on a board that is not a match and put up your name instead, but they can only do that if they know you are looking.

On the other hand, if you happen to work for an organization that does not support outside board membership, consider whether a job change may be in order depending on your priorities and other factors that could play into a decision.

Explore what value you can offer to boards.

As we will explore further later articles, it is never too early to start thinking about the value you offer to a corporate board. Not only will knowing your value boost your board candidacy, but it will also build your confidence (as you come to own that value) and help you discern the best board(s) for you to join.

Vision and Leadership Skills

Think about the vision, leadership and other soft skills you can offer a board.

Boards value members who can both work collaboratively as a team and challenge the status quo when needed.
Directors should exhibit high integrity, exude executive presence and hold sufficient caché, as they are the face of the organization to its customers, vendors, suppliers, competitors, regulators and the public.
Boards also want members who can build key relationships and are excellent communicators.

Substantive Expertise

They are also searching for candidates with substantive expertise in their industry and areas of business (technology, manufacturing, healthcare, consumer products, pharmaceuticals, supply chain management, etc.) as well as most or all of the following, in varying orders:

leadership
global business
financial strategy
P&L
investor engagement
organizational planning
diversification
CEO succession planning
talent acquisition/HR
entrepreneurship
M&A and/or IPOs
regulatory compliance
product launch
marketing
operations
intellectual property
enterprise risk management
litigation and disputes
change management
crisis management
corporate reorganization
investment oversight
corporate governance and/or ESG
QFE and/or audit committee
sustainability
data privacy
cybersecurity
insurance and regulatory matters
executive compensation
government affairs
health and safety

Interests (such as a love of news, fashion, the environment, sports or technology), specialized training and language skills can also give you an edge with (1) companies that are seeking that skill, passion or input and (2) board members who share similar interests and skills.

Diversity

Diversity is also playing a greater role in board recruitment among some companies, from diversity of gender, race and ethnicity to diversity of thought and approach (based on life experience, education, interests, background, age and other factors). Yet not all companies are considering board composition as a criteria for new board member recruitment, and not all categories of diverse candidates are making significant strides.

If you are a diverse candidate, you can raise your candidacy by being able to clearly articulate how your perspective adds value to the team. For example, it may help the company understand and connect with its target audience’ needs, values and demographics or provide a different perspective to problem-solving. All things being equal, you may also wish to target those companies that value your diversity rather than making the hard sell to those that don’t, at least for your first board role.

(I will further discuss the value of diversity and how diverse candidates can market themselves to boards in a later article.)

Build board-ready attributes.

A track record of taking risks, initiating solutions, raising new ideas and taking the lead on multiple projects are key attributes that will accelerate your path to board of directors positions.

While CEOs and CFOs of established corporations are clearly in demand, they are not the only sought-after candidates.

Having experience on or frequent involvement with a corporate board, board committee (e.g., enterprise risk, acquisitions, nominating, compliance or audit) or executive committee will provide you exposure that increases your board readiness.
Starting your own business (or nonprofit) and chairing or serving on its board is another path to serving on a corporate board.
Non-profit boards and advisory board roles can also provide great experience and help you understand how boards and organizations function well (and when they don’t).

If you take a volunteer board position for a non-profit organization and wish to build on that experience to land a corporate board role, make sure that you are (1) aligned with the mission of the non-profit and not merely using it as a springboard, (2) gaining experience that rounds you out as a candidate (e.g., working with financial statements, if that’s a gap in your current expertise) and (3) joining a governing board, not a working board with cross-over executive responsibilities, so you can greater appreciate the distinction between board oversight and senior management’s hands-on involvement with an organization.

Further, you can increase board-readiness by keeping apprised of the issues currently facing boards.

Know what you are signing up for.

The major responsibilities of a corporate board of directors span the following:

CEO: Select, evaluate, oversee, retain (or not) and approve appropriate compensation for the company’s chief executive officer.
Strategic Direction: In many cases in collaboration with the CEO, (1) provide the mission, goals and strategy for the organization, (2) determine whether to approve major corporate decisions, such as mergers and acquisitions, (3) address enterprise-level major issues that arise.
Governance: Determine enterprise resource allocation, risk tolerances and rules that govern the organization, in accordance with law and best practices.
Financial Management: Oversee and collaborate with the auditors and approve the company’s financials.

In all cases, the board also is accountable to protect shareholder value, which comes with a formal set of fiduciary duties. It also can require a serious time commitment, both in terms of hours and (failing any change in your own or company circumstances) expected years of service.

Boards of directors can also (and in some cases are required to) have committees that consist of a portion of the larger board with special responsibilities, most often the Nominating & Governance Committee, Compensation Committee and Audit Committee and sometimes additional specialized committees (see, e.g., page 10 of the Stanford Business Corporate Governance Research Initiative). For more about the Board’s role in a corporation, take a further look at the Stanford presentation from the previous link or the Principles of Corporate Governance posted by the Business Roundtable on the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance site.

Conclusion

Take a range of approaches to craft your board vision, so that you are prepared for the experience, more likely to be chosen for a board role that is right for you and can get the most out of your board service.

Keep an eye out for future articles on corporate board service in the following months that will help you further understand corporate board membership, craft your message and boost your candidacy.

If you have comments on something covered here or that you would like to see in future articles, feel free to send them to me or add them below. Thanks!

For a preview of future articles in the Corporate Board Series, click here.

For links to more corporate board resources, click here.

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MCW INTERVIEW WITH CATHERINE SORBARA

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MCW INTERVIEW WITH SANDY BAGGETT

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MCW INTERVIEW WITH
CATHERINE SORBARA

MCW INTERVIEW WITH
SANDY BAGGETT