Professional Development: Holding the Whistle Doesn't Make You a Coach

Coaching is the act of helping others to continuously improve their performance. It is not a collection of managerial tasks associated with a desired end result.

Law firm leaders sometimes are not born or made. They just seemingly appear out of thin air. A young associate with promise becomes a hard-working member of the team. He or she ascends to partner and creates a large book of business, mostly on his or her own. Such associates become known for both their rainmaking prowess and skills as brilliant legal practitioners. They are asked to serve on key committees and are known as rising stars. Then, one day, the managing partner needs someone to be in charge, and asks someone to step forward. The rising star does not notice that everyone else took one step backwards.

This new chair of a practice group, office or client team is now responsible for both the delivery of services and building a growing and profitable business. That requires him or her to simultaneously become a leader, a manager and a coach. Leadership inspires confidence. Management guides results. However, coaching develops people.

When someone is put in charge, that person is expected to produce new business, increased revenue and higher profits. Many leaders fall into the trap of thinking that by managing the results, they are concurrently coaching their people on how to develop and sustain business. Thus, they assume a command and control approach that emphasizes the inspecting and auditing aspects of management without the guidance of true coaching.

With regard to coaching fellow lawyers in business development, success is dependent upon the proper approach and attitude to creating better performers. Coaching is particularly hard for rising stars that must now rely on the efforts of others instead of the yoke they used to proudly wear on their own backs.

Leaders who think they are coaching, but are really only managing, fall into one of the following six false coach personas.

False Coaching Personas