by Karen Kahn

Just as elite athletes have professional coaches to help them develop their individual skills, work more effectively as a team, deliver critical feedback and motivate them to improve, elite and executive lawyers benefit from the same type of support. Attorneys have sought out top coaches to help them bring out their A game in the workplace in a number of different areas.

Elite lawyers have asked coaches to help them:

• Develop “kick ass” business teams
• Play at the top of my game
• Bust through my comp plateau
• Elevate my professional profile
• Move up the ladder to obtain leadership positions and status
• Increase cross selling opportunities
• Delegate more frequently and effectively
• Diminish “hatred” of large group “networking” events
• “Close” on business conversations
• Be a better presenter
• Possess more focus, less distractions
• Write an impressive comp memo

Lawyers in executive and leadership roles have asked coaches to help them:

• Attract and retain top talent
• Engage younger lawyers towards higher levels of success
• Effectively deal with colleagues and staff behaving badly
• Provide effective feedback and direction to colleagues, younger lawyers and staff
• Accelerate firm momentum toward business development objectives
• Create a collaborative firm culture

Top coaches come to the job with a keen understanding of the game and know what it takes to succeed. The top “players” know that a coach with a wide range of experience will help them achieve far greater success more quickly than if they try to navigate the challenges of a rising legal career on their own.