A forcefield analysis of what supports and hinders the successful use of coaching in firms – based on participant responses at a recent Sherwood coaching workshop.
What factors can provide a positive influence on introducing a coaching culture?
- Younger lawyers having a more positive attitude to coaching
- Partners being more open to coaching when appointed as partners or when given a management role (i.e. role transition) and asking for support
- Competitive market pressures (from clients and competitors) requiring work to be passed down to more junior people
- The ‘war for talent’ in the labour market, encouraging firms to offer better opportunities for learning and development
- The costs arising from high turnover of staff:
- Recruitment fees
- Investment of time to bring new recruits up the ‘learning curve’
- Greater clarity on the criteria used in appraisals that can help highlight areas for development and which, in turn, can be addressed through coaching
- The introduction of 360 and 180 degree feedback which can help highlight areas for development that can then be addressed through coaching
- A coaching style being adopted by senior partners
- Senior support staff demonstrating a coaching style in the way they support partners
- Lateral hires joining and bringing their coaches with them
What forces hinder coaching being successfully introduced in law firms?
- Coaching activity not being measured or rewarded
- A ‘macho’ culture which implies that people should be left to sink or swim
- Formal, traditional teaching being the expected vehicle for learning
- Lawyers (not being naturally reflective) finding it difficult to come up with the answers themselves
- Coaching is seen as remedial
- Coaching might not have a link to a desired business outcome
- It can be difficult to measure the ROI of an investment in coaching
- There is little availability of good coaches
- Partners are not clear what is expected of them when they are asked to coach
- Partners do not have the skills to be effective coaches
How these hindering forces can be tackled – participants’ recommendations:
- Amending what is measured and rewarded so that effective coaching is seen to be appreciated
- Setting up a culture and values programme to help partners and staff see the benefits of coaching and similar activities
- Linking coaching to formal teaching, either with pre-programme or post-programme discussions with line managers
- Stopping any remedial coaching
- Setting up coaching arrangements which are linked to a business outcome that is measurable
- If ‘coaching’ has a bad name, calling it something else, such as ‘action planning’ or ‘review meetings’
- Train people (or should that be ‘coach’ people) in coaching skills and perhaps starting this at the top!
Contact: Tony Reiss, Simon McCall, Des O’Connell or Sally Woodward
