“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” (Chinese Proverb)
What is coaching? “Coaching is a method of directing, instructing and training a person or group of people, with the aim to achieve some goal or develop specific skills.” (Wikipedia)
What is a consultant? “A consultant is an experienced individual that is trained to analyze and advise a client in order to help the client make the best possible choices. A strategic consultant may evaluate a business plan and help the client develop a plan to meet those strategic goals.” (The Free Dictionary)
What is a mentor? “A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.” (The Free Dictionary)
A good coach/consultant or mentor teaches you how to fish for a lifetime. But the best of these can’t help you to learn how to fish if you don’t want to succeed at feeding yourself. You have to want to succeed by actively learning; you can’t fear the success you may achieve with your own sweat equity. You must be absolutely committed to investing time to create your future, and then be willing to accept success once it is achieved. No one can do this for you. These ingredients—commitment to and enthusiasm for success—are what make a solo practitioner succeed. With this mindset, you can surmount hurdles and resolve problems; without this mindset, you cannot.
When you hire a legal coach/consultant, you are hiring someone with practical experience whose job it is to provide support and the accountability you need in order to take the journey. This partnership’s primary purpose is to achieve goals, which you’ve defined as essential to personal and professional success.
Lawyers Need To Overcome Their Need To Know It All
Unfortunately, legal coaches/consultants can sometimes face an uphill battle when working with lawyers. Because lawyers are trained to solve problems, most believe they can solve their own, even if the problems aren’t legal. Lawyers have a hard time asking for help. And trying to figure everything out yourself isn’t necessarily the wisest or most cost-effective solution. All aspects of business are becoming more and more complex, far too complex for one person to multi-task capably and with great results. Being determined to do everything yourself is false economy.
Lawyers also don’t like relying on others for help because they wrongly perceive this as an admission of inadequacy. The belief that lawyers are supposed to be able to figure out anything and everything pervades the profession. It shouldn’t. Hiring a coach/consultant isn’t acknowledgment of inadequacy, but a recognition that it’s wise to get help from someone who may know more. And isn’t this the same advice a lawyer might give to a prospective client who was considering going pro se? Sure, you might be able to find your way out of your dilemma, but doing it yourself will probably prove more expensive than hiring someone to help you, and the results may not be as desirable as you had hoped.
Many lawyers don’t hire a coach or consultant because they harbor misconceptions about cost or the amount of time such a relationship requires. What they fail to take into account is the amount of time they spend trying to solve their own problem—which often adds up to more time than they’d invest in hiring a coach. In today’s fast-paced and competitive marketplace, time is money. You must use this currency wisely.
Coaching Can Be Life-Changing
Many qualified coach/consultants can save lawyers thousands of dollars just by guiding them to the right tools, vendors and practice management systems. And these are just the tangible savings. The intangible benefits coaches provide can prove life-changing and priceless. By establishing a true partnership, and by analyzing your long- and short-term goals, a coach can help you select a practice area, decide where to practice, figure out whether to practice alone or with others, and much more.
A successful coach/consultant relationship is also based upon trust and comfort. A coach is your confidant. You become accountable to him or her, and share intimate details of what it means for you to succeed. The rapport you develop will inspire and motivate you.
If you are struggling in your practice or need help, take charge by recognizing how your time is best spent. There are many qualified and experienced people who can guide you. Explore creating a positive and rewarding relationship with someone who only wants to encourage you towards success.
This article was written by Susan Cartier Liebel, the founder & CEO of Solo Practice University which is the #1 online educational and professional networking community for solo lawyers and law students.