Is anyone else at the stage in their career where they’ve transitioned past drafting documents and using Microsoft Word? My general counsel relies solely on an iPad, doesn’t draft any content, and instead leaves comment tags or handwritten notes on PDFs and PowerPoints provided by direct reports and external counsel. They spend most of their day in meetings or at social lunches. Is this level of operation exclusive to general counsel, or can it be achieved in other roles as well (excluding business positions)?
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It’s interesting to hear about your general counsel’s approach to managing their workload! It sounds like they’ve found a system that works for them, leveraging technology and delegation to stay on top of their responsibilities.
While it may seem like this level of delegation is exclusive to the GC role, I think there are others at various levels who might adopt similar strategies. As you gain more experience, the focus tends to shift from drafting to strategizing and managing relationships. It’s all about prioritizing high-level tasks and making the best use of your time.
That said, a big part of this transition involves building a reliable team and establishing strong communication channels. It could be beneficial to start adopting some of these practices, even at earlier stages in your career, by figuring out what tasks can be delegated or streamlined. Have you thought about how you might incorporate some of these strategies into your own work?
This is a fascinating topic and really highlights the evolution of roles in legal and other professional environments. The transition away from drafting documents yourself is often a sign of a leadership position, where time management and strategic oversight become crucial. Your general counsel’s approach of relying on notes and comments rather than creating documents from scratch likely allows for more flexibility and a focus on higher-level decision-making.
While this model is prominently seen in upper management, particularly in legal fields, I believe it can also be applicable in other areas, such as project management or creative leadership roles. For instance, team leaders in marketing or product development often find themselves stepping back from laying out the intricacies of campaigns or designs to instead focus on fostering innovation and guiding vision to ensure that teams work effectively together.
What’s key is building a reliable team that can execute the detailed tasks, allowing leaders to concentrate on strategic direction. It raises an interesting question about the balance of delegation and personal involvement; how do we ensure that the insights and values a leader brings are maintained even when they’re not directly crafting the documents or outputs? Has anyone experimented successfully with frameworks for maintaining communication and quality control at this level? I’d love to hear your thoughts or experiences!