As many of you who know me, know I am a board and international certified coach for lawyers, executives, teams and career change. I recently was requested to do some research with lawyers to better understand their view of what coaching means. See below for the results--donna
Introduction
Because the profession of law, a very old field
of practice, has been viewed as a science (Grey, 1983), until more recently
there was very little research on leadership among lawyers. Thus, the study of
leadership traits in lawyers is a fairly new area of interest relative to the
profession. The profession of law is known for a communication style that may
land on the non-legal profession as being brash, non-empathic and overly
assertive—not typically akin to transformation or inspirational leadership. Research
has shown that effective leaders typically have higher scores in traits
measured by the emotional quotient (or emotional intelligence) inventory (EQ-i)
(Handley, 2008). While lawyers are probably good transactional leaders they
will need to traverse between transactional and transformational leadership---
which requires higher emotional intelligence--to effectively lead the multi-generational environment.
Often, corporate legal departments consist of
many individual contributors who want to become leaders in their organization
and struggle in creating that pathway for themselves. Coaching is one tool that
can help lawyers effectively take on leadership roles.
Coaching Benefits
Coaching is about developing and improving performance and
overcoming barriers to progression achieve agreed targets and outcomes. What
are the benefits of coaching? In his book, Coaching for Performance (4th
edition), (Whitmore, 2009), which still applies today, discusses a range of
benefits, including:
- Improved
performance and productivity;
- Improved
motivation, learning and relationships;
- Improved
quality of life;
- Enhanced
creativity;
- Better
use of people, skills and resources;
- Greater
flexibility and adaptability to change;
- Creating
Cultural change;
- Reinforce
the value active listening, prompting, challenging norms and setting
development goals;
- Help
with career change or transition to leadership;
- Promote
high standards and good practice in leadership and management; and
- Enhance
clarity, collaboration and efficiency in teams including boards and senior
management groups.
Another point to consider is that the
future generation’s brain has been conditioned by modern technology, by
over-indulging parents and by access to instant gratification. These brains are
now hard-wired for different types of stimulation. Psychological studies
applying the socialization theory and the self-discrepancy theory indicate
similar drivers of the millennial generation (Noble, Haytko and Phillips,
2009), whereas past generations were conditioned more by left-brain activities
requiring more left-brained styled leadership.
What is right brain leadership?
Right-brained leaders are relational, intuitive, and value
collaboration. They understand that people need to be motivated and
inspired to be effective. They also value different points of view and
team efforts. This is counter to how a lawyer may have been trained.
Lawyers,
Leadership and Coaching
Successful lawyers are generally cynical and good at predicting risk.
They are analytical and are trained to solve problems and find solutions. A
lawyer leader is responsible to determine how a coach may elevate the success
of lawyer leaders, in the words of the great John Wooden, "Prepare yourself to the
best of your ability to be the best that you can be, and the result will take
care of itself", hence coaching meant to get his team to prepare
themselves to the best of their ability to be the best they could be and the
result would take care of itself. A coach can help the lawyer leader elevate
their performance and elevate success from each of their associates.
The benefits of coaching for lawyers in
leadership are numerous. Coaching can help with increasing self-awareness, bringing
about better understanding of their strengths and their blind spots. It can
help them be better communicators. Many lawyers are taught a certain way to
think, process and communicate through a Socratic method of teaching in law
school. While the Socratic method embraces the expression of varying viewpoints
through probing questions and developing the ability to argue forcefully and
persuasively, it may not be the best communication style for developing other
non-lawyers. Additionally, having a coach can lead to elevating their emotional
intelligence, push them out of their comfort zone, learn and or develop
elevated strategies and flex their leadership style as needed. Ultimately,
having a coach can enable the lawyer leader to achieve goals more quickly and
responsively. Lawyers are trained to listen and then give advice. Conversely, a
leadership coach will bring awareness to the benefit of listening and asking
probing questions that are not leading; alternatively, getting others to think,
create and own their pathway.
Lawyers in leadership roles and
those who aspire to lead will benefit from the value of coaching. As well as
engaging in organization objectives, they will recognize and learn to create a
trusting coaching culture in their team(s) and get to see its impact on
performance and personal development.
To better understand what is needed
for elevating lawyer leadership a survey of questions was sent out to both
lawyer leaders and the associates that are led by lawyer leaders.
Survey
We
had a total of 39 responses to the following survey questions:
Questions:
Lawyer Leaders
1.
How
do you define coaching? (3 choices)
a. It is a mentor that advises others
for personal development 36.36%
b. It is a person that guides others
with open ended questions to discover self-aware outcomes 54.55%
c. It is a share of knowledge 9.09%
2.
Have
you ever worked with a coach for personal development?
a. Yes 81.82%
b. No 18.18%
3.
Do
you currently have a coach that you work with?
a. Yes 77.27%
b. No 27.73%
4.
Do
you think coaching is effective for those in a leadership position?
a. Yes 95.45%
b. No 4.55%
5.
How
would you rate your listening skills? (scale)
a. Above average 54.55%
b. Average 36.36%
c. Below average 9.09%
6.
Be—honest,
do you generally lean towards giving others advice or ask open ended
(non-leading) questions that lead others to the answers to their problems?
(advice/open ended questions)
a. Giving advice 68.18%
b. Open ended (non-leading questions)
31.82%
7.
How
effective are you at coaching others? (scale)
a. Very high quality 9.09%
b. High quality 50%
c. Neither high nor ow quality 40.91%
d. Low quality0%
e. Very low quality 0%
Questions:
Lawyers Reporting to Lawyer Leaders
1.
What
is your expectation of a coach? (3 choices)
a. It is mentor with advanced
experience in your field that advises on how to professional develop 68.75%
b. It is a person that helps me be more
self-aware and think outside of the box to find my own solutions 31.25%
c. It is someone that tells me what I
need to do better 0%
2.
Have
you ever worked with a coach for personal development?
a. Yes 56.25%
b. No 43.75%
3.
Do
you currently have a coach that you work with?
a. Yes 31.25%
b. No 68.75%
4.
Do
you think coaching is effective for those in a leadership position?
a. Yes 100%
5.
How
would you rate your Lawyer Leader’s listening skills? (scale)
a. Above average 68.75%
b. Average 25%
c. Below average 6.25%
6.
Be—honest,
does your Lawyer Leader generally lean towards giving advice or ask open ended
(non-leading) questions that lead you to come up with your own outcome?
(advice/open ended questions)
a. Advise 37.5%
b. Open ended non-leading questions
62.5%
7.
How
effective is your Lawyer Leader at coaching? (scale)
a. Very high quality 43.75%
b. High quality 31.25%
c. Neither high nor low quality 18.75%
d. Low quality 6.25%
e. Very low quality 0%
Summary
of Data
Nearly
37% of lawyer leaders do not know what coaching actually means even though 82%
have worked with a coach for personal development and 77% still have a coach.
Just over 95% say that coaching is an effective tool for leaders. While
slightly more than 50% rate their listening skills above average and rate their
coaching as highly effective, almost 70% say that their version of coaching is
giving advice.
Comparatively,
when those reporting to lawyer leaders were asked related questions nearly 70%
said that their idea of a coach was a mentor who advised on how to
develop. Over 56% have worked with a coach and 100% said that coaching would be
effective for those in leadership positions. Just over 68% said their lawyer
leaders had above good listening skills and that over 62% did ask open ended
questions. Nearly 80% said their lawyer leader was effective at a high or very
high level.
In summary, the majority of lawyer
leaders likely act as mentors rather than a leadership coach and they are more
likely to give advice. Similarly, nearly three quarters of those
reporting to the lawyer leader view leadership coaching as a mentor who advises
on how to develop and is very effective.
Further, over 25% of those that the
lawyer leaders coach say they are not effective and over 40% of lawyer leaders
say they do not believe they are effective as a coach. This leaves an area for
lawyer leadership coaching that should be further explored whereas lawyer
leadership coaching can make a marked difference in both the lawyer leader as a
coach and the elevation of those that they lead.
Coaching
Plan for Lawyer Leaders
1.
Initial Assessment
- Objective: Discuss the difference between
mentoring and coaching and the need for each. Explore the benefit a Lawyer
Leader would get from coaching and explore what the Lawyer Leader would
like to accomplish through coaching.
- Methods:
- 360-Degree Feedback: Collect feedback from peers,
subordinates, and superiors.
- Self-Assessment: Use standardized leadership
self-assessment tools (Eq-I, MBTI and Working Genius).
- Interviews: Conduct one-on-one interviews
to gain insights into personal and professional goals that are needed.
2. Commitment and Understanding of
Coaching:
· Differentiating Coaching vs.
Mentoring: Provide training
on the differences between coaching (focusing on specific skills and
development) and mentoring (providing broader career guidance and support).
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· Establish end in mind: What are the goals that the lawyer leader
wants to achieve from coaching?
3.
Evaluation and Adjustment
- Objective: Measure progress and make
necessary adjustments to the coaching plan.
- Methods:
- Periodic Assessments: Reassess leadership
capabilities and progress towards goals.
- Feedback Review: do a 360 to determine areas
of strengths and areas that can be improved in order to achieve the goal
set out in the objective.
- Adjust Goals and Strategies: Based on evaluations, adjust
strategies (and perhaps goals) to better meet the needs and aspirations
of the lawyer leader.
4.
Goal Setting
- Objective: Establish clear, measurable,
and achievable goals and a commitment to get there.
- Methods:
- Responsibility: Emphasize the importance of
being responsible for everyone within the team or firm.
- Active Listening: Develop skills to effectively
listen to associates and be open to innovative ideas.
- Trust-Building: Engage in exercises that
promote trust and transparency within the team.
- Empowering vs Leading: Lean into asking open ended questions
that inspire the associate to finding solutions (teaching them how to
fish) without leading them.
5.
Regular Coaching Sessions
- Objective: Provide ongoing support and
feedback.
- Methods:
- Bi-Weekly Coaching Sessions: Regularly scheduled sessions
to discuss progress, challenges, and next steps.
- Action Plan Adjustments: Adjust action plans for
achieving specific goals as needed.
- Feedback Loops: Continuous feedback to adjust
and improve strategies until the objective is met.
Conclusion
Change
can be hard and for lawyers who are trained Socratically. It may require the
Lawyer Leader to embrace a level of openness about leadership that may not seem
apparent. It may be challenging for them to listen to others, even when they
believe they know the answer. A comprehensive coaching plan for lawyer leaders
involves continuous assessment, targeted training, practical application, and
regular feedback. By focusing on responsibility, active listening, openness to innovative
ideas, building trust, and differentiating between coaching and mentoring,
lawyer leaders can enhance their leadership capabilities and make a significant
impact within their organizations and even in the broader legal community.
“A good leader
remembers the details of their failures and forgets their successes” Peter
Cuneo
References
1. Grey,
T.C.(1983). Langdell’s Orthodoxy. 45 U Pitt. L. Rev. I,17.
2. Handley,
R. (2009). Presence: the leadership X
factor. Austin, TX: EQ University.
3. Noble, S.M., Haytko, D.L. and
Phillips, J. (2009). What Drives College-age Generation Y Consumers? Vol.
62, I 6, 617-628.
4. Whitmore, J. (2017), Coaching for
Performance: The Principles and Practice of Coaching and Leadership (4th
edition). Great Britain, CPI Group (UK).
5. Wooden, J (2005). Wooden on
Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organization. NY, NY: McGraw-Hill.
