It has been an exciting two days at this year's SuperConference, where senior level in-house counsel from Fortune 1000 and multinational companies in the U.S. come to network and learn from each other. And over the past two days, there was a lot of great discussion on topics from crisis management to being a corporate culture influencer. But I wanted to share some important takeaways from my candid, off-the record, closed-door sessions with in-house counsel. Below are five discussion topics that stood out to me.

1. The focus of a GC on department leadership and how to run a healthy, productive team. This can be challenging when you have people spread out over the world. So what to do when your departments in certain regions of the country consist of a department of one? How do you build that sense of belonging and collaboration within the team? One global GC said you take the time and visit those offices in person, make sure you get to those locations as much as possible. Another suggested that you fly them in once a quarter to be in the home office for team building. The use of video conferencing also is helpful to connect names with faces and build that rapport. They also emphasized the importance of talent management, succession planning, effective communication and the increased focus on mental health and well-being.

2. When it comes to diversity and inclusion there are definite signs of improvement with demands from in-house counsel for real action from outside counsel, but there is still a ways to go. And everyone needs to be part of that ongoing action, especially senior leadership. We all hear about the “tone from the top.” Well, it is especially true here. And the importance to take measurable steps to make sure those diverse voices are not just there but get heard and are then part of corporate initiatives. Implement real solutions that evoke real change. And the same goes for pay equity. Statistics still show that Big Law and a majority of companies struggle with this across the board. Women GCs suggested to talk with one another, share what has worked in salary negotiations, even share what you make (gasp) and ask for what you need: working from home, flexible hours, things that are important to you to help you do your job.

3. We often hear over and over the importance of the GC also being a business leader and strategist. But that comes with some innate challenges. Yes, being a part of the business and part of those strategic decisions is a critical role for the modern GC—and virtually every legal leader is doing that—the challenge comes with finding a way to balance the risk vs reward that inherently comes with the necessity of innovation. How to protect the company, shareholders and consumers while also having an open-minded willingness approach to doing business.

4. That data privacy and cybersecurity just gets more and more complicated with the new, competing and conflicting laws around the world and why the open-ended question is necessary. As our keynote speaker, CNN analyst and cybersecurity expert Adriana Sanford said to the audience, “Are you complying with GDPR?” Are you? I can tell you you're not.” Because of the minutia in local GDPR regulations and variety of enforcement levels between EU countries, and also adding other countries like Uruguay that have adapted similar laws, following all privacy regulations to the letter may actually be impossible.

5. And finally, that relationships are critical in working effectively with your CEO, CFO, board and other internal stakeholders. And according to one global GC, one key to building those relationships is to have as many “touch points” with them as possible. Travel with them, be an active part of the Board, anticipate their needs. As he said, “There is no throw-away lines a GC says.” Listen and you can anticipate what may be coming down the pike. And these touch points not only build that much-needed trust and collaboration, but it also showcases your leadership in the organization.