EP 35: Leading Legal Teams & Managing Yourself as GC with Executive Coach Dennis Adsit

In this episode, I sit down with Dennis Adsit, an executive coach with over a decade of experience helping leaders navigate transitions and build high-performing teams. Dennis holds a PhD in industrial psychology and has coached everyone from startup founders at Techstars to C-suite executives, with prior experience leading Six Sigma implementation and global call centers at Intuit.Dennis reveals why most lawyers' resumes fail: they focus on credentials and responsibilities instead of business impact. He introduces his WAS-DID-IS framework, which structures your story around the situation you faced, the actions you took, and the measurable results you delivered. We explore his four-pillar model of executive effectiveness: setting strategic context, executing efficiently, building talent, and managing yourself. Dennis explains how AI is changing leadership priorities, making the "generosity gene"—your ability to celebrate your team and create connection—more critical than ever for retaining talent and maintaining productivity.For lawyers transitioning from firms to in-house roles or moving into general counsel positions, Dennis breaks down the specific mindset shift required: from individual contributor solving legal problems to leader building platforms for others to succeed. He also offers tactical advice for early-career professionals on saying yes to diverse opportunities and becoming known as reliable problem-solvers.About Adsum Insights:  www.adsuminsights.comhttps://medium.com/@dennis_adsit/lawyers-and-the-mystery-of-the-missing-case-efffd3106814