Page 3 - CCCA Magazine Fall 2019

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CCCA in this issue…

mAgAzine
FAll 2019 Automne | Vol 13, no. 3

is published quarterly by
FeAtures

12 How to See and Say What Really Matters
The balancing act general counsel must play as trusted advisors is a tough one. Successfully
CAnAdiAn CorporAte Counsel AssoCiAtion mediating the space between the board and management takes soft skills, such as self-
l’AssoCiAtion CAnAdienne des regulation, empathy and motivation. The good news is these skills can be developed. Begin
Conseillers(Ères) JuridiQues d’entreprises
with understanding the dynamics and move on to learning ways to build trust, credibility and
1210 – 20 Toronto Street heightened awareness. By Jim Middlemiss
Toronto, ON M5C 2B8
Tel: 416-869-0522
Email: ccca@ccca-cba.org 18 Taking the Lead on Strategy
CCCA ChAIr / PrÉSIDENT DE L’ACCJE Stop focusing on fres, and start thinking more broadly about your organization and your role in
Daniel Bourque: Chair@ccca-cba.org it. Let its strategy be your guide to more meaningful action and success. Strategic Management
EXECUTIVE EDITOr / rÉDACTrICE EN ChEf professor Mara Lederman helps you cut through the buzzwords to explain what strategy is,
Lynne Yryku: LYryku@ccca-cba.org what role it plays in an organization and why it matters to in-house counsel specifcally.
ASSOCIATE EDITOr / rÉDACTrICE ASSOCIÉE By Lynne Yryku
Bobbie Smith: BSmith@ccca-cba.org
ADVErTISING / PUBLICITÉ 22 How to be a better board Member
Bobbie Smith: BSmith@ccca-cba.org
The board of directors sits at the strategic, not operational, level, with a multitude of fduciary
DESIGN / CONCEPTION ArTISTIQUE responsibilities and liabilities. To understand and better work with it, it helps to seek out
hume Media Inc.
training and get a taste of what it is like to sit on a board. This author did just that and says
EDITOrIAL BOArD her experience was invaluable for her, both professionally and personally. By Amee Sandhu
Olumide Adetunji
Marianne Bolhuis
Graeme Deuchars
Wendy King Columns depArtments
Laurie Macfarlane
Sarah McKinnon 4 From the Editor As the role of in-house 8 Profle: Sébastien Guénette Being head of
Michael rothe counsel continues to evolve, so does the legal at a new company may be challenging
Yasmin Visram
potential impact of your guidance and but it is also exhilarating, which makes
COVEr PhOTO / PhOTO DE COUVErTUrE actions. Working collaboratively with your it a perfect ft for this sky-diving lawyer.
John Packman: www.johnpackman.com board and management teams, you can Sébastien shares what drives his priorities,
ISSN No. 1913-0562 exercise great infuence for the good of all. how he gives back and how you can too.
Publications Mail Agreement No. 42929530 By Lynne Yryku
return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 5 From the Chair As Daniel Bourque embarks
Canadian Corporate Counsel Association on his term as Chair, he looks forward 11 Legal innovation Virtual shareholder
1210 – 20 Toronto Street
Toronto, ON M5C 2B8 to meeting more members and helping meetings are becoming more popular in the
provide in-house counsel with more U.S. but failing to gain traction in Canada.
opportunities to grow as individuals and Why? What are the issues that the board
a profession. and management considering using virtual
All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted technology at meetings should know?
without permission. The opinions expressed in articles By Charles-Antoine Soulière and Lauren
are not necessarily those of the publisher. Information 6 Legal Performance What constitutes
presented is not legal advice and should not be relied corporate governance—and our role in it— Bélanger-Dibblee
upon as a substitute for review of your specifc situation is broad and complex. Though we may feel
with legal counsel. Every effort has been made to spread too thin at times, it is vital we make 29 Mental Health ensuring psychological health
provide accurate information; however, the publisher
assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. time for it and ensure our companies are and safety in the workplace is a relatively
exercising their obligations properly. new but nonetheless crucial concept, and
Tous droits réservés. Le contenu du magazine ne By Theodore Dela Avle it should be a goal for all organizations. it
peut pas être reproduit sans autorisation. Les takes a strong commitment from the top and
opinions exprimées dans les articles ne sont pas
nécessairement partagées par l’éditeur. Le contenu 7 An Expat Perspective As globalization the ability to see things how they really are.
du magazine ne constitue pas un avis juridique et By Wendy Lund
vous ne devriez pas vous en servir pour évaluer votre marches on, understanding cultural
situation particulière. Nous avons tout mis en œuvre differences can help us with our
afn de fournir des renseignements exacts. Cependant, responsibilities and relationships. This 30 inside Edge As the frst gC at a company,
l’éditeur n’assume aucune responsabilité en cas means questioning what is “normal,” being this author learned the importance of
d’erreurs ou d’omissions.
open to other ways of doing things and relationships, transferrable skills, being
remembering to laugh. By Patricia Osoko fexible and staying true to herself—and
her knowledge continues to grow with her

26 CCCA news read an interview with the new experience. By Tamiko Ohta
2019-20 Chair, and mark your calendar for
the 2020 national Conference.
CAnADiAn CorporATe CoUnSeL ASSoCiATion | CCCA-ACCJe.org 3