Listen "From Skeptic to Strategist: Danielle Sheer on Trust, AI, and the Future of Legal Leadership"
Episode Synopsis
In this episode, Cecilia Ziniti talks with Danielle Sheer, Chief Trust Officer and Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at Commvault, about how legal leadership is evolving inside modern companies. Danielle explains why she adopted the title Chief Trust Officer, how it expands the reach and impact of the legal function, and why trust is often the deciding factor in whether teams succeed during moments of uncertainty.Cecilia and Danielle discuss how executives can prepare for crises before they arrive, how to communicate difficult news in a way that preserves credibility, and how leaders can build resilience throughout an organization. Danielle also shares her progression from AI skeptic to thoughtful, consistent user, and why she believes AI should free leaders to strengthen relationships, broaden perspective, and improve decision-making rather than replace human judgment.Throughout the conversation, Danielle offers a clear view into the mindset of the modern in-house leader: choosing to be effective rather than simply correct, developing teams through ownership and initiative, and creating psychological safety by setting expectations with intention and honesty.If you lead legal, compliance, security, or trust programs, or if you want a grounded and human approach to leadership during rapid technological change, this episode offers practical insight you can act on immediately.SHOW NOTESBooks, Authors & Thinkers Mentioned:•Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom (leadership, forgiveness, change)•Naval Ravikant (long-term thinking and playing long-term games)•Jeff Bezos (high-quality decision-making for senior leaders)Other References:•Commvault (enterprise data protection and cyber resilience)•Manhattan Associates (public supply chain technology company and Danielle’s board role)•Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (trustee advisory board)•Cloudflare outage example (resilience and dependency management)•GC AI and ChatGPT (tools for research, drafting, and strengthening relationships)•TechGC and L Suite (communities where Cecilia and Danielle first connected)•“Be effective, not right” (guidance from Danielle’s executive coach)•Crisis leadership through transparency and communication•Spare tire analogy for cybersecurity and enterprise risk•Psychological safety and expectations-setting for teamsFollow us on all social platforms to get each new episode when it drops. @Cecilia Ziniti on LinkedIn @CeciliaZin on Twitter/X @GC AI on LinkedIn gc.ai website
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