A rapidly growing trend in law firms is the use of coaches.Traditionally, coaches have been used by businesses either at the highest level, working with the CEO or with problem executives as a last ditch effort before termination.Law firms have followed suit with coaching being limited to new Managing Partners and underperforming partners.But, at least within law firms, the use of coaches is expanding away from what one might call the top and bottom of the organization.Several firms are routinely paying for new equity partners to undergo business coaching for six months to deal with the expanded expectations of partnership.One firm we work with uses business coaches routinely with newly appointed practice group chairs and, occasionally, with new C-level positions to speed their acclimation to the firm.
Active users of coaches and the coaches themselves have several suggestions on how to decide whether a coach makes senses.First, can the firm identify the areas in which they believe coaching would be beneficial?This may be an area of concern during the interview process or a noted deficiency.If a specific area of focus can’t be identified, the coaching assignment is too broad and probably won’t be successful.Secondly, what level and form of coaching is the firm willing to pay for?Of course, intensive, face to face coaching is probably always best but can be extraordinarily expensive, especially if you select a coach who is not local.This is a case of not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good.Consider starting with basic telephone coaching and increasing the level if the results justify a greater expenditure.Finally, identify if the issues are interpersonal (how the person deals with others), personal (personality traits such as judgment) or technical (specific management skills).It is rare that a single coach can deal with all three levels effectively so this is an important criteria in selecting a coach.
How much does coaching cost?Plan on spending at least $1000 to $2000 per month for a six month period.However, one firm we talked to that believes their use of coaching has yielded great results says that one of the indicators of success is that most participants continue to pay the coach out of their own pocket after the six month firm program has ended.
