Dr. No #44 – Authority Isn’t Given. It’s Asked For

Hey lawyer,

Let’s be honest.

If you’ve ever left a meeting thinking,
“I don’t get why they don’t ask Legal sooner...”

The answer might be uncomfortable:

They’re not asking you because you’re not asking them.

This week’s Dr. No is a quiet masterclass in how smart questions build trust, influence and action. And yes — it’s surprisingly fun.

1. Food for Thought

What question have you been afraid to ask lately?

Not because it’s rude.
But because it’s powerful.
Because the answer might change the whole game.

Smart GCs don’t give answers first.
They shape reality with questions.

2. Book Insight – Ask: Tap into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You, Jeff Wetzler
(Co-CEO of Transcend, ex-Teach For America, Harvard Ed School)

Wetzler’s thesis is deceptively simple:
Asking isn’t just a way to gather information — it’s the behaviour that unlocks authority.

He calls it the “Ask Approach.”
You lead better when you ask well, ask often, and ask early.

Try these with your stakeholders:

• "What do you wish Legal did more like a business team?"
  Watch how the floodgates open.

• "What’s one thing Legal is doing that’s slowing us down — and doesn’t need to be?"
  Now you’re in co-creation mode.

• "If we solved this together, how would success look for you?"
  Suddenly you're a partner, not a bottleneck.

Wetzler says great leadership questions do 3 things:

• Invite truth

• Reduce fear

• Expand perspective

If influence is your currency, asking is how you mint it.

3. Mental Model – Circle of Competence (Buffett)

You don’t need to know everything.
You just need to know what you know — and stay inside it.

Buffett says: “Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.”
Great GCs draw that circle in pen, not pencil.

Want more credibility at the strategy table?
Start by being ruthless about where Legal should not lead.

That clarity? It builds power fast.

4. AI Tool – Definely AI Assistant
Originally built to help drafters find definitions fast, Definely now has an AI Assistant that does much more:

• Navigate complex documents with natural language

• Pull insights from contracts, clauses, defined terms — instantly

• Perfect for overworked in-house teams drowning in agreements

It’s like giving your contracts a built-in research analyst.

5. Quote to Reflect

“Judge a man by his questions, not his answers.”
— Voltaire

P.S.
Need a better answer to “What’s Legal doing here?”
Start by asking better questions.
And surround yourself with people who challenge your assumptions — not just follow your lead.

At Ámbar, we’ve built a curated community of elite, independent lawyers who plug in fast, think commercially, and bring real leverage to your legal department.

Use them for:

• Peaks in workflow, during periods of increased demand

• Niche projects that need fresh eyes

• Strategic work that internal teams can’t absorb

• Conflicts or investigations where neutrality matters

Ambar. Legal talent on demand. Built for strategic GCs.
Let’s talk.

Until next week,
Dr. No