Your search firm as a source of feedback for a new general counsel

Sometimes it is difficult for a general counsel to get objective feedback about personal performance. One source, tipped by an article in the ACC Docket, March 2012 at 69, could be the search firm that placed you. The source may strike you as strange, but if that firm has good connections with the CEO and Human Resources, not to mention other senior executives, it should be able to tell you how you are perceived. You can ask them after a few months to inquire discretely and summarize the early returns. The firm’s partner who inquires on your behalf will probably welcome the opportunity to reach out to executives and to help guide you.