Lesson 2: Be succinct and hit the high notes
At GE Capital, Craig handled corporate governance and securities work, giving him many opportunities to present to executive stakeholders. Craig
advises to be succinct and to “hit the high notes.” When he gives a presentation, he assumes that his audience has read the preparation materials
and focuses his content on the most important points and any additional
aspects that were not included in the materials. Craig also suggests leaving
plenty of time for questions and advised that you should be prepared to be
inundated with them.
Lesson 3: Run toward challenges, not away from them, and keep your cool
During Craig’s time as deputy general counsel and corporate secretary earlier in his career, activist investors presented a challenge, and suddenly he found himself
having to seek approval from the Federal Reserve on just about every decision. “I ran toward that issue,” he
said, “because I had a stake in resolving those issues and, through that work, I was able to get involved in
important conversations with the most senior leaders of the organization.”
Along the same lines, Craig noted that it is natural
— even unavoidable — to feel stressed at times. He
advised to keep a cool demeanor in front of your stakeholders. “I get stressed when I’m alone in my office,
but I will never let anyone see me stressed or angry. It
is important to be steady and calm.”
Lesson 4: Find the environment in which you thrive
When Craig was invited to interview for the role of general counsel at Lincoln Financial, the pandemic was in
full swing, and the entire hiring process took place in a remote environment. “I did not get to break bread with
anyone on the team,” he recalled. Once people began to return to the office, he was eager to get back in the
door. “For me, being in the office and around people is the thing I enjoy most. I like the informal aspect — the
things you cannot put a price on: water cooler chat, grabbing lunch, informal things that build relationships.”
Of his career path, Craig noted there was only one role
that was not a strong fit for his personality, but even that
was a good learning experience. It taught taught him
that he thrives best in an in-person workplace, where he
can interface with team members on a daily basis.
Lesson 5: Value culture
Craig noted that culture is immensely important in finding
the right career fit. When it comes to creating a positive
culture within his own team, he encourages a transparent,
communicative atmosphere and keeps his door open all
the time, encouraging people to come in and chat. He
believes it is “so important that people are what they say
they are. There are some things I obviously cannot share
with my team, but I go right up to that edge.”
Lesson 6: Build relationships and seek feedback
Regardless of whether you work onsite, remotely or in a
hybrid structure, building relationships is perhaps the most
important part of your job. “You want honest people in your
corner, to create a sounding board for making decisions.
Better to have someone in your corner, than fighting them
up the hill.”
Building your brand outside of your current company and
role is equally important. This means taking speaking
opportunities, attending industry events and, sometimes,
answering recruiter calls even when you are not actively
pursuing a new role. It is important to have a balance
between internal and external efforts: “You never know what
will happen, but life is too short not to try.”
One valuable aspect of relationship building is the development of a mentor-mentee relationship. He advised that
if you are communicative and open to giving and receiving
feedback in positive ways, mentorships often come along
naturally. “It takes two people,” Craig said, “but it starts
with the mentee. If you are not getting good mentorship, it
is time to seek out other opportunities.”
Lesson 7: You still have to build your resume
Softer skills aside, “good old-fashioned resume-building experience” is still highly valuable to any career path — particularly because the days of staying in a company or role
for decades are over. Normalcy now means taking advantage of new opportunities when
the time is right.
Craig was able to avail himself of opportunities to gain experience with M&A, IPOs, governance, employment law and litigation. He did this partly by seeking out opportunities
that would require him to learn new things. His advice to those climbing the legal ladder is to recognize when it is time to look elsewhere and pay attention to opportunities as
they come along.
Lesson 8: Find what makes you distinctive
Above all, Craig gets things done, and it is this quality that has best served him throughout
his career. “When I first got to GE,” he said, “if you did not get things done, you would not
be successful. But I figured out this was my calling. I do not need to be the world’s brightest
legal mind. I just need to get stuff done, and done well.” Craig encourages aspiring general
counsel to work out what makes them distinctive and market themselves accordingly.