The Benefits of Coaching for Lawyers: 7 Keys to Unlocking Peak Performance
The professional training we get in law can make us think that we already know how to reach peak performance. Yet one of the most frequent conversations I have with lawyers is about them often experiencing a big gap between their ideas of how to reach their next goal and acting on those ideas.
With the constant career demands in law, from high-stakes client work to daily competitive pressures, an executive coach can bring multiple resources and help bring ease, resilience and fulfillment to factors in your work that you doubt could ever change. Since lawyers so often work in isolation, or with sporadic, the support of a coach can be a game changer and accelerate your progress towards your goals. Your career trajectory with a coach can be vastly different than without one, and this can often create personal benefits too.
The factors listed below often come up in my discussions with lawyers, but usually aren’t addressed in law school or typical continuing professional development. Since they’re not often discussed, lawyers say these factors are unexpected keys to peak performance!
Resilience Instead of Overwhelm
One of the words I hear most often from clients is “overwhelm”. The stress load of lawyers is often both chronically high and increasing due to the expectations to constantly build skills or “do more with less” as the professional journey progresses. The risk of burnout affects almost every lawyer given the long hours, client demands and hidden emotional toll of legal work.
Through coaching, resilience skills can help us meet overwhelm and the challenges that go with it in new ways so that you find a growth path that helps you navigate past the constant stress. Through resilience strategies tailored for lawyers, your busy seasons don’t need to be an obstacle to your professional or personal growth. The main challenge lawyers are taught to handle stress largely with our minds (a form of “cognitive resilience”). However, the weighty reality of stress we face is better dealt with through behavioral, biological and social strategies including communication.
Direction Instead of Decision Fatigue
You may feel stuck in a rut, or questioning your career path, or be at a career crossroads. I often hear clients say they don’t know what step to take, or that they’re too tired, with little time to either think about or act on their next step. As a lawyer, we’re asked to make decisions all day. By the time we land on the couch at home after work, there’s little gas left in our tank to decide anything important for ourselves. This can be called “decision fatigue”.
Career decisions and the steps that go with them may not be straightforward or linear. Coaching provides structure for seemingly unstructured choices, so you have a method to help clarify both your intended direction and the steps to get you there. Coaching can also motivate you and provide practical help with defining your objectives, seeing where your values may not align with your current work and harness your unique strengths at work. Having a sense of direction empowers lawyers to make informed decisions about their career path based on deeper information that likely did not arise in law school.
You may be surprised at the type of career change steps that can help get you closer to your goals – it may include “how” you work, not just what you’re doing. So coaching can help both lawyers seeking fulfillment and lawyers seeking a larger change, such as changing your practice area, specializing in a new area, making a lateral move or preparing for partnership.
Courage Instead of Fear of “What Other People Think”
Even when lawyers have enough time and mental energy to take a next step in their career, I often hear them anxiously question “what will other people think”? As lawyers, we value our reputation and want others to perceive us as intelligent and grounded, with good judgement. Ruminating about what colleagues and bosses might think is a major obstacle that holds many lawyers back. This is called “FOPO” (Fear Of People’s Opinions). \
Many lawyers share that they hold themselves back based on trying to guess what others think first. Imagine if an athlete didn’t try a new technique in their sport because they weren’t sure what the other athletes or coaches would think? They might rob themselves of a medal. Or if a musician didn’t explore a new way of playing because they feared the response?
The uniqueness and value of these talented people’s skills might be masked by fear or anxiety. Coaching can help you harness your courage to change, and navigate imposter syndrome and fear of what other people think. Also, through coaching you get insights in a low-risk way into how another person (your coach) might respond to your proposed changes.
Energy Management Instead of Lack of Work-Life Balance
Law is famous for lacking work-life balance. Yet it’s possible to reclaim balance with strategies for wellness in the aspects of life that can get left behind in the rush of work. Lawyers often think they’re sacrificing billable time by prioritizing well-being. However, lawyers who prioritize their well-being are often both happier and have more energy to take new or different professional steps.
The skill of “energy management” is an underestimated key for success for lawyers. Coaching can help you with time management for both work and well-being activities to boost your wellness and your productivity. This is similar to an athlete who schedules their recovery activities as well as their workouts. You wouldn’t expect an athlete or performing artist who doesn’t do recovery activities to perform well, and neither should lawyers.
Accountable Skill Development Instead of Discomfort
If it isn’t billable or we’re not highly motivated to do it, for lawyers it often doesn’t get done. When we’re developing new skills, we may not be perfect at them at first (gasp!). Lawyers often don’t enjoy not being perfect and can avoid developing skills, doing tasks or having conversations that are uncomfortable. A coach for lawyers is not just a sounding board; they can also be a resource for skill development. Whether it’s improving negotiation techniques, enhancing communication skills, or boosting your public speaking, coaching can provide targeted training to elevate a lawyer’s effectiveness. Preparing and practicing your skills with a coach also builds confidence. Coaches create a safe environment for lawyers to practice and refine their skills, which builds both confidence and competence.
In the rush of legal practice, it’s far too easy to let personal goals linger on the back burner of your life. Coaching can give the motivation to achieve goals and the accountability to stay committed to new behaviors. Most lawyers I speak with who build new skills through coaching say it gave them significant personal and professional growth. They often remark “I wish I did this earlier”.
Building Emotional Intelligence Instead of Lawyer Biases
As lawyers we’re often taught to avoid or devalue emotions. We’re rewarded for our intelligence, speaking skills and confidence and can feel penalized for showing emotion. Yet emotional intelligence (EI) is a critical skill for lawyers, since we need to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics with clients, colleagues, and opposing counsel. A coach for lawyers can help enhance EI by providing tools and strategies to improve self-awareness, empathy, relationship management and even tools to support emotional regulation. Often emotional factors come up the first time I speak with lawyers, and they respond that they’re “surprised” or that the emotional factors are “unexpected”.
One of the key obstacles to lawyer success, both personally and professionally, is emotions that haven’t been addressed. We aren’t taught or encouraged to learn about navigating emotions at any point in our careers. Yet, in practice, emotions can often stand between you and your goal, whether for making a high-stakes presentation or dealing with a “difficult” client or boss.
Even dealing with the risk of change involves emotions. I’m sure you’ve heard that your goals and your growth don’t come from staying in your comfort zone. Working with a coach for lawyers can help you safely move outside your comfort zone in order to grow. For example, dealing with uncomfortable emotions can help improve decision-making and conflict resolution skills.
Motivation and Support for Transitions Despite Anxiety
Legal careers can be full of unexpected changes. Whether it’s working with a new client, having a new boss, a shift in practice areas, moving to a new firm, or preparing for a promotion, transitions can be daunting. This is understandable, as lawyers we’re taught to avoid or minimize risk. A coach for lawyers offers valuable support during these times, helping lawyers navigate change with confidence. Coaching can transform potentially overwhelming transitions into opportunities for growth and expansion by providing tools to manage fear and uncertainty.
Conclusion
The benefits of coaching for lawyers are profound and far-reaching. From enhancing resilience and clarity to improving work-life balance and emotional intelligence, a coach for lawyers acts as a guide on the journey to peak performance. In a profession often marked by stress and demands, investing in coaching can lead not only to personal fulfillment but also to professional excellence.
If you want to unlock your potential and thrive in your career, consider connecting with me, Helgi Maki. What’s different about me is that I bring both wellness strategies and psychologically-informed approaches to the table, in addition to traditional coaching tools. Embrace the journey of transformation and discover the powerful impact that coaching can have on your life and career.