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Summary
Key Insights
1. The GC Skillset Extends Naturally Into People Leadership
Rachel explains that many people decisions mirror legal ones: balancing risk, fairness, cost, and long-term impact.
Negotiating benefits, structuring leave policies, or handling employee relations often relies on the same judgment GCs apply to contracts and disputes.
This overlap made the transition into a Chief People Officer role both logical and impactful.
2. Legal Training Prepares GCs for Executive Judgment, Not Operations by Default
While legal experience builds strong decision-making instincts, Rachel notes that operating a people function requires a different muscle.
HR demands measurable outcomes, KPIs, and operational discipline that legal teams don’t always rely on.
For GCs stepping into broader roles, adapting to data-driven accountability is a key learning curve.
3. Dual Roles Expose the Importance of Strong Teams
Holding both GC and CPO roles made clear that no leader can succeed alone.
Rachel emphasizes the need for trusted deputies and empowered teams one level below.
Without that support, leaders risk burnout and losing strategic altitude.
4. People Leadership Is Emotionally Different From Legal Work
Legal wins are often invisible — disasters avoided rather than celebrated.
In contrast, people leadership produces immediate, personal impact, especially during pivotal employee moments.
That emotional proximity reshaped how Rachel thought about leadership fulfillment.
5. Career Pivots Are a Strength, Not a Failure
Rachel candidly reflects on staying in litigation longer than she should have due to fear of change.
Her advice to GCs is to listen early to what isn’t working.
Choosing a new path is not quitting — it’s clarity.
6. The Modern GC Is a Culture Shaper
Whether formally owning HR or not, Rachel believes GCs inevitably influence culture.
How decisions are made, communicated, and enforced sets behavioral norms.
GCs who embrace this responsibility amplify their impact across the organization.
7. Closing Insight
Rachel Olchowka’s story shows that the GC role is no longer confined to legal risk.
For today’s General Counsels, leadership, culture, and judgment are now core parts of the job — whether the title reflects it or not.
In this podcast, we cover
0:00 Introduction
2:30 Taking on the chief people officer role while serving as general counsel at Fetch
5:30 The difference between CPOs and CHROs
9:10 Encountering pushback from the executive team on HR policies
12:54 Crafting culture within an executive team
15:16 Establishing a comprehensive parental leave plan
20:05 Approaching the hiring process as a CPO
25:16 Comparing in-office policies against remote work
31:45 Dealing with emotionally charged issues in the CPO/CHRO role
37:36 Recommendations to GCs who want to take on multiple executive roles
43:48 Considering the right candidate for dual GC and CPO roles
47:53 Book recommendations
51:39 What you wish you’d known as a young lawyer
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