Too often in law firms a coach is only ever engaged for remedial purposes. The message sent to the lawyer is: you have a problem, you are not up to scratch, a poor performer; you can have a coach to ‘fix’ the problem.
Rather than seeing a coach as a positive thing, as a vote of confidence, a perk, an opportunity to maximise potential – which is much more in keeping with how executive coaching is viewed outside the law – the remedial coaching focus can create a stigma that makes lawyers more reluctant to engage a coach.
The use of executive coaching to enhance leadership, interpersonal skills and business strategy has proliferated in recent years. No longer is it a sign of trouble but rather a sign of the continual pursuit of improvement. In a recent blogpost, Marshall Goldsmith - recognized as one of the top ten Most-Influential Business Thinkers in the World - observed: “I have seen the perception of coaching shift over the last three decades: Instead of a punishment, it’s now a mark of prestige to have a coach. It means you’re probably going places in your career.”
Disruption is the word de jour, and law firms are not immune.
There is talk of new non-pyramid structures, more fixed price agreements, shifting away from billable hours, the rise of general counsel and in-house teams, the encroachment of the big accountancy firms, artificial intelligence, out-sourcing, and the list goes on.
