What makes a great legalops hire? Ford’s Whitney Stefko Dover talks curiosity, credentials, and finding your “genius zone”

In his latest fireside chat, Josef Co-founder & COO Sam Flynn sits down with Whitney Stefko Dover, Director and Senior Counsel, Policy and LegalOps+ at Ford Motor Company.

From hiring the best talent, to breaking free of fixed mindsets, to creating your own “genius zone,” Whitney shares practical tips for lawyers and legal ops teams navigating legal AI today.

Watch the conversation above, listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, or read our recap below.

Curiosity trumps pedigree

The legal industry has long valued pedigree: where you studied, what you’ve done, who you’ve worked for. But according to Whitney, times have changed.

“We’re moving into a curiosity-based industry,” she says. 

In a world where lawyers are now advising on robotics and generative AI, your ability to adapt matters more than your CV.

“Curiosity beats pedigree now,” she says. Resilience, flexibility, agility. These are the traits that make up the best kind of legalops team from where she’s standing. 

Your growth mindset is your superpower

Whitney points to Carol S. Dweck’s theory of growth mindsets.

“The business of law trains people to be fixed,” she says. You’re expected to know the answer, be right, and deliver it quickly.

In contrast, a growth mindset requires vulnerability, questioning, and the willingness to get things wrong. “And that’s uncomfortable for a lot of lawyers.”

So how do you tap into it?

Find your genius zone

Whitney’s advice? First up: create white space in your day.

It’s in those quiet moments, off Teams or Slack, away from your inbox, that creativity and learning have room to flourish. It could be as simple as being in the shower! 

“We just don’t give ourselves enough space to think,” Whitney says.

By carving out white space, then you can find your “genius zone.” 

For some, that might involve fun and human connection. For others, it might involve calm spaces, challenging spaces, or collaboration. Whatever it is, it’s unlikely to be during back-to-back meetings.

Take it slow (but learn fast)

As one of the first legal departments to get access to GPT-4.0 back in 2022, Ford got a head start implementing AI. But Whitney’s biggest lesson?

“I would’ve slowed down.”

She notes that while AI advancements unfold fast, how we adopt it needs to remain considered and human-centred. 

AI brings with it concerns around job security, the value of your skills, and the risk being left behind. And amid all this, Whitney says, “we forget that psychological safety is essential.” 

For teams either getting started, or in need of a rain-check, Whitney says: 

• Speed up the learning: The safest teams are those leaning into the change.
• But slow down on rollout: Create space for upskilling, for conversations, for context.
• And bring people on the journey: Change doesn’t stick unless your people come with you.

Kill your inner perfectionist!

For Whitney, a mistake many teams make with new tech is that they start at the very top.

“There’s a temptation to tackle your most complex workflow,” Whitney says. “But that’s not where the real gains are, especially early on.”

Instead, start at the productivity layer. Summarization, Q&As, simple drafting. The low-risk use cases are the ones to single out to deliver quick wins and build confidence.

“Don’t try to boil the ocean. Start with what’s useful today.”

“We bond over our mistakes”

Near tail end of their chat, Whitney encourages teams to not lose sight of their team’s humanity and fallibility.  

“We bond over our mistakes,” she says. “That’s what makes us human.”

In a world of quick outputs and machine-perfect results, connection, empathy, and soft skills matter more than ever.

“How we show up, how we communicate, how we build trust. That’s our value,” she says.