Why some General Counsel quietly become irrelevant (and don’t notice until it’s too late)

An observation that doesn’t usually make it into board minutes: influence at the GC level can drift over time. Timo Spitzer, Advisory Board Member at GC Elite and GC Elite Leaders Germany, explores how and why it happens.

Let’s start with a claim that won’t make everyone comfortable:

Not every General Counsel is as influential as their title suggests.

In fact, some of the most senior GCs operate with less real-time insight, less informal access, and less unfiltered feedback than mid-level managers three layers below them.

And the reason is rarely competence.

It’s structure. And behaviour.

1. The higher you go, the less truth you hear

By the time information reaches the GC, it’s been curated, softened, and aligned.

No one wants to escalate noise.

No one wants to look unprepared.

No one wants to create friction.

So, what you get is… a version of reality.

Not the raw one.

2. Formal authority creates informal distance

The title opens doors – but it also changes how people behave around you.

Conversations become careful.

Questions become rehearsed.

Silences become longer.

You think you’re getting access.

What you’re actually getting is performance.

3. The “trusted advisor” myth

Every GC is told they are a trusted advisor.

Fewer ask: trusted by whom – and for what?

Because being trusted in formal settings (boards, executives) is not the same as being trusted across the organisation.

And without that broader trust, you’re operating on partial data.

4. The people who know the most rarely speak up in meetings

The sharpest observations, the early warnings, the uncomfortable truths – they almost never show up in structured environments.

They surface in side conversations.

In informal exchanges.

In moments where hierarchy temporarily disappears.

If you’re not present there, you’re late.

“Every GC is told they are a trusted advisor…trusted by whom – and for what?”

5. Visibility is not the same as relevance

You attend the right meetings.

You’re copied on the right emails.

You’re involved at the right moments.

And still – you may not be where the real thinking happens.

Because relevance is not about being included.

It’s about being sought out early.

6. Younger professionals notice more than you think

They’re not just observing leadership – they’re mapping influence.

They quickly identify:

* who is approachable vs. distant;

* who listens vs. performs listening;

* who engages vs. manages perception.

And they gravitate accordingly.

Not towards titles – towards accessibility and authenticity.

7. The quiet divergence

Over time, two types of GCs emerge:

* Those who remain connected – who cultivate informal networks, invite unfiltered input, and are pulled into conversations early.

* And those who become… ceremonial. Present, respected, but increasingly downstream.

The difference is subtle at first. Then it compounds.

The uncomfortable conclusion

If the only interactions you have are formal, structured, and agenda-driven – you are not at the centre of influence.

You are at the end of the information chain.

So, what’s the correction?

Deliberately create space for conversations that:

* have no immediate objective;

* involve people outside your usual circle;

* allow for candour without consequence.

Not occasionally. Systematically.

Because influence at that level is no longer about expertise.

It’s about proximity to unfiltered reality.

And that proximity is never granted by title.

It’s earned in the margins.

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