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“ The hardest part of the role is when you have to have difficult conversations. Those are not conversations you can delegate, and you must handle them directly.”
Following challenging conversations or decisions, his focus shifts to the broader team.“ You must bring the team together and be clear about what happened. People need to understand the situation and the reasons for the decisions. They need to feel they can trust what you are telling them,” Matt observes.
Trust, he adds, builds over time through consistency in behavior and communication.“ You can only have those conversations if you have been genuine the whole time. Otherwise, people do not believe you when it matters most,” he points out.
Balancing priorities
In the past year, Matt managed litigation and acquisitions. That required coordination across teams, regions, and stakeholders. His role extends beyond legal advice into active coordination across teams.“ You are working with external counsel, internal teams, and leadership to keep everything moving forward,” he says.“ You are making sure the right people are involved, and that information gets where it needs to go.”
During litigation, that coordinating role shifts to a more focused approach. Managing impact becomes just as important as managing the issue.“ I tried to handle as much as possible within a smaller group so others could stay focused on their work. That way the business continues to operate without distraction,” he shares.
Acquisitions needed a similar approach.“ You are bringing together different functions and making sure issues are addressed by the right people. It is about coordination and making sure nothing falls through the cracks,” he says. 62