Ofelia Teodorescu, General Counsel at SII Group in Romania, discusses how legal leadership changes with seniority – from knowing the answers and solving problems to asking better questions, shaping better decisions and enabling others to succeed.
One of the most impactful decisions I made was to move the legal function from being primarily focused on managing legal issues once they arose, to becoming much more embedded in the business and involved earlier in strategic and operational decisions.
Over the years, I also came to see that legal, ethics, CSR and business decisions cannot really be treated as separate areas. As GC, and through my broader management responsibilities, I have worked to create a culture where I look not only at whether something is legally possible, but also whether it is the right decision for the organisation, its people and its stakeholders.
Looking back, I think the real decision was not about a particular legal matter. It was about redefining the role of legal and ethics from functions that protect the business from the outside to functions that help the business make better decisions from the inside.
Early in my career, I thought that being a strong lawyer meant being the person who knew the answer. Today, I think it is more important to know which questions to ask.
After 20 years, I have learned that the most difficult situations are rarely solved by legal knowledge alone. You need to understand the business, the people, the context and sometimes the consequences that will only become visible much later. My role is not always to give the organisation certainty, sometimes it is to help it navigate uncertainty with good judgment.
I have also learned that, from a legal perspective, “Can we do it?” and “Should we do it?” are two very different questions.
I would actually quote my CEO, whom I greatly respect and appreciate. She recently described my role in a way that really resonated with me and, I believe, captures how I see my contribution to the business: “You are a trusted and critical enabler of our sustainable growth, by combining exceptional legal expertise with commercial judgment, which ultimately ensures we can move quickly while maintaining the right level of risk discipline and quality of our operations.”
What I particularly value in this description is the word “enabler.” It reflects what I try to bring to the organisation: helping the business move forward with confidence, while making sure we do it responsibly and sustainably.
Ultimately, I would want my value to be measured not simply by the number of issues I resolve, but by the positive impact I have on the organisation as a whole.
There is a lot of focus today on managing risk, regulation and compliance. Of course, those things matter, but I think we sometimes forget the human side of leadership.
I believe a senior in-house lawyer should also help organisations build good judgment and a strong ethical culture creating an environment where people feel comfortable raising difficult questions before they become difficult problems.
An efficient legal team solves legal problems well. An influential legal team understands the business well enough to help shape the organisation.
For me, the difference comes down to trust. When the business knows that Legal understands its goals and wants to find solutions, rather than simply point out problems, Legal becomes a true partner.
That I cannot do everything myself and I shouldn’t try. With responsibilities across different countries, cultures and areas beyond Legal, I have learned to listen more, trust people more and give them room to contribute. Leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about creating the right environment for people to find the answers together.
The biggest lesson for me has probably been this: the more senior my role becomes, the less it is about what I personally can do and the more it is about what I can enable others to do well. That has changed the way I lead and, I think, made me a better lawyer as well.
