A few weeks ago, I found myself in a familiar place for any parent: standing in the corner of a noisy high school gym, watching my daughter play volleyball with that specific mix of pride andA few weeks ago, I found myself in a familiar place for any parent: standing in the corner of a noisy high school gym, watching my daughter play volleyball with that specific mix of pride and nerves. As I watched the match unfold, I couldn’t help but see a metaphor for what makes a focused legal strategy so powerful—especially in moments of pressure, speed, and distraction.
It was a fast-paced match, the energy was high, and everything seemed to blur into motion. Then—whack. A serve came straight down and hit her on the head. The point was lost.
Her coach didn’t flinch. She smiled, gently put a hand on my daughter’s shoulder, and said:
“Keep your eyes on the ball, Katie.”
It was such a simple correction, but it landed. Because in that moment, my daughter had done what we all do: she followed the player instead of the ball.
And I couldn’t help but think—how often does that happen in our work as legal leaders?
Following the Movement Instead of the Mission
In legal, especially in-house, it’s easy to get swept up in momentum. The charismatic CEO launching a bold AI initiative. The product team racing to ship a new feature. The investor demanding faster cycles and leaner policies.
All of these players are compelling. But if we aren’t watching what really matters—compliance implications, policy gaps, accountability blind spots—we’re not playing the game. We’re watching it.
This is especially true in the AI era, where the pressure to move fast can easily outpace our ability to spot emerging risks.
The real job of legal today? It’s not to slow things down. It’s to keep things aimed in the right direction.
Many assume a focused legal strategy is about willpower…
We often talk about focus like it’s just a matter of willpower. But in practice, it’s something you build—with habits, structure, and shared clarity.
When I spoke recently on AI Contracts Explained, we looked at how contracts for AI products are evolving—fast. Indemnities, warranties, audit rights—they’re all shifting in response to uncertainty. And in that uncertainty, distractions multiply.
The only way to stay on track is to define what the “ball” actually is in every deal:
- Is it model drift risk?
- Is it clarity around training data usage?
- Is it trust between departments?
Without that clarity, even well-intentioned teams start following the loudest voice in the room—or the most ambitious roadmap. And that’s how risk creeps in, unnoticed.
Building Systems to Support Focused Legal Strategy
One of the best ways to stay focused amid motion is to hire and empower legal professionals who know how to track what matters.
That’s why I recently collaborated with some of the most thoughtful legal leaders in tech to create a Product Counsel Job Description Template—one that reflects the evolving role of in-house counsel as proactive advisors, not just risk flaggers. It’s designed to help you build teams that don’t just respond to product innovation—they anticipate it.
Because the difference between a fire drill and a win? Usually, it’s preparation.
Discipline Is the Difference Between Luck and Leadership
The moment in that gym wasn’t about the ball to the head. It was about what came next.
The coach didn’t criticize. She corrected. She didn’t ask Katie to ignore the game’s intensity—she asked her to refocus on the thing that mattered most. That’s what discipline looks like. And in legal, it often shows up as repeatable systems:
- Governance policies that scale
- Contract review processes that flex with innovation
- Risk assessments that are tied to impact, not just form
Discipline isn’t about rigidity—it’s about resilience.
It’s what allows legal to keep pace with the business without being pulled off course by every new idea, headline, or product announcement. This disciplined clarity is at the core of Focus as a Legal Advantage—it’s how legal teams stay grounded and strategic.
The Quiet Power of Focus in Legal Leadership
The best legal professionals I’ve worked with aren’t the ones constantly in the center of the action. They’re the ones quietly keeping things aligned. Reading the court. Anticipating the next play. Not distracted by motion—but tuned into trajectory.
I call it the “Legal Dinner Party Test”—but this time, in gym terms:
You don’t have to be the star player. You just need to know where the ball is going.
And legal leaders who can do that? They become indispensable—not because they block change, but because they make it smarter.
A Playbook for Focused Legal Strategy
So how do you stay focused in a world that’s obsessed with speed? Try this:
- Define what matters. For every deal, product, or policy decision—what’s the core outcome that legal needs to protect or enable?
- Resist the swirl. Momentum is not a substitute for clarity. Stay curious about new ideas, but grounded in your role as a translator between risk and value.
- Design your discipline. Build systems, templates, and check-ins that reinforce focus. Make it easier for your team to block distractions early.
- Recognize quiet impact. Not every win comes with applause. Celebrate the lawyers who prevent chaos before it starts.
Because sometimes the best legal contribution is knowing exactly where to look—even when no one else is watching.
Join the Conversation
At OlgaMack.com, shares bold insights, hard-earned lessons, and forward-thinking strategies to help in-house legal professionals thrive. As a visionary in-house legal technology leader, strategist, innovator, and coach, Olga is redefining what it means to lead with purpose, and how Focus as a Legal Advantage can shape the future of the profession.
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Join the dialogue—share your story and help us explore how clarity, discipline, and focus fuel legal innovation and leadership.
