Are you constantly under pressure to respond immediately, meet endless deadlines, and deliver quick results? If so, you’re not alone. Many in-house legal teams find themselves stuck in reactive mode—fighting fires, pushing deals forward, and struggling to find time for strategic thinking. But what if one of the most powerful tools in your legal leadership toolkit is actually… waiting? Welcome to the concept of strategic delay for in-house counsel.
This isn’t about procrastination or inefficiency. It’s about deliberately choosing when not to act so you can create space to observe, listen, and align. That’s the approach taken by Laurie David-Henric, Director of Legal Operations at Manulife, whose thoughtful leadership style is reshaping how in-house counsel can drive long-term value. With experience spanning private practice in France to leading global teams in Canada, Laurie’s story proves that strategy and timing go hand in hand.
Watch the full conversation with Laurie David-Henric here:
Why Strategic Delay for In-House Counsel Matters
When Laurie stepped into her legal operations role at Manulife, she resisted the temptation to prove her value through immediate deliverables. Instead, she spent her first three months on a discovery tour—meeting individually with her team, key stakeholders, and cross-functional partners in finance, IT, procurement, and beyond.
This early listening phase allowed her to build trust and uncover inefficiencies that weren’t visible on the surface. Her approach sent a powerful message: I’m here to understand first, not to dictate. That emotional intelligence became the foundation for real, lasting change.
Strategic Delay for In-House Counsel During Discovery and Listening Phases
One of Laurie’s most valuable insights came from recognizing how siloed teams were duplicating work without realizing it. For example, multiple departments used different systems to manage identical tasks. But rather than pushing for immediate standardization, she leveraged strategic delay to show stakeholders the value of consolidation.
She mapped out the inefficiencies, presented the data, and facilitated conversations that allowed teams to feel ownership over the solution. The outcome? A more unified system with higher adoption and stronger buy-in. Her restraint in pushing for instant change actually made transformation faster and more durable.
Long-Term Vision Over Short-Term Wins
Strategic delay for in-house counsel also means resisting the urge to chase quick wins. Laurie prioritized initiatives based on long-term impact and feasibility, not speed. She took the time to rank projects by their strategic importance, then aligned those priorities with stakeholder expectations.
Her clear and transparent communication style kept everyone aligned, even when timelines were extended for the sake of better results. In an environment that often equates action with effectiveness, Laurie showed that thoughtful planning can lead to smarter, more impactful decisions.
Building Trust Through Timing
What makes strategic delay powerful is that it builds trust. By choosing when to act—and when not to—Laurie earned credibility with her team and her internal clients. Her ability to hold back, gather context, and only then deliver solutions created a leadership style grounded in integrity and clarity.
She wasn’t avoiding action; she was maximizing its effectiveness. And that made all the difference.
Rethinking What Leadership Looks Like
Laurie’s experience is a powerful reminder that legal leadership doesn’t always mean fast answers or rapid delivery. Sometimes, it means slowing down to create a more meaningful, aligned, and scalable outcome. Strategic delay for in-house counsel is not about hesitation—it’s about intentionality.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to deliver immediately, take a cue from Laurie. Step back. Listen longer. Ask more questions. In doing so, you might uncover the smartest path forward—and build something far more sustainable.
Watch the full conversation here: Notes to My (Legal) Self: Season 5, Episode 18 (ft. Laurie David-Henric)
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