As my first blog as a coach for lawyers, it seems only fitting to consider the question: why hire a coach?
If you raise the topic of coaching with lawyers, you often get quizzical, not to say dubious, looks. This reaction makes perfect sense. Lawyers are skeptical by nature – it is an occupational requirement, after all- and they place tremendous value on their own autonomy. As such, many doubt that a coach would be helpful. Even if they thought a coach might be useful for others, they are reluctant to consider outside help for themselves.
Their reaction may also be fueled by the misconception that coaching is remedial and only for low performers. That may have been true in the past. Now, coaching is recognized as something to make high achievers even better at work and in life. GE Capital’s Jack Welch, Google’s Eric Schmidt and Barack Obama have all seen the wisdom of hiring a coach.
Why Coaching Works
Coaching is very effective for lawyers because it:
- Helps lawyers plan for change
- Holds lawyers accountable to make change
- Supports lawyers through change
Coaching Helps Lawyers Plan for Change
Great lawyers can achieve even greater things through coaching. While skilled in many areas, lawyers often have difficulty making change. This is part of the lawyer personality but it is also a function of how busy their lives are. Coaching requires lawyers to make time to plan for their practices and their lives. It makes them take the opportunity to think about what they could do differently or stop doing to make their practices and lives better. It makes them consider, for example, how they can better manage their practice or build their business or how they can be better prepared for the next stage, be it retirement or a second career.
Once they are required to take that time, lawyers quickly grasp what change they need to make and how they will bring it about. If they are stuck, discussing the issue with a coach often brings the clarity necessary to move forward.
Coaching Holds Lawyer Accountable to Make Change
Insight into what change to make and how to make it is only the first step. Any plan is only as good as its execution. Having a coach hold them accountable is tremendously helpful for lawyers as they respond much better to deadlines imposed by others (again, an occupational requirement!).
As part of my coaching, I assign steps in the plan as homework to be completed between coaching sessions. Assigning homework brings about change first because lawyers are loathe to report that they have not done their homework. More importantly, when they put their plan into action through the homework, lawyers see the benefits and that reinforces their commitment to continue with the plan.
Coaching Supports Lawyer Through Change
Last, coaching provides support for the lawyer through change. We are all more effective in making change, if we have help. However, lawyers benefit in particular. This is so because lawyers often lack resilience – the ability to bounce back from setbacks. As such, they can get discouraged by the inevitable bumps in the process. Lawyers also have a strong sense of urgency and so get impatient and unhappy if the change takes longer than they think it should. A coach instills confidence in the lawyer’s ability to bring about change and provides important perspective on progress.
Lawyers also flourish with support because they don’t get a lot of it. Practising law tends to be more of an individual sport.
ROI of Coaching
Are you a lawyer looking to make a positive change in your professional or personal life? Consider a coach and make it happen.
If you are thinking about coaching, give it a try with a complimentary half hour session from Potentia. Please contact us at info@potentiacoaching.ca.