Examples of Results Achieved Through Coaching

Coaching is about results.  Here are some examples of results clients have achieved through coaching.  (Names and identifying details have been changed).

Metin is a 45 year old partner at a medium sized firm.  He is very knowledgeable and highly respected within his firm and the local legal community.  Any time another partner wants to talk through a legal question, he is the one they go to. Last year, however, he did not receive the customary end of year bonus.  Despite billing more hours than any other partner in the firm, he was being penalized for not bringing in clients.  He had been told many times that he should put more effort into business development, but he was always busy with work so it didn’t seem like a huge priority.  Metin used coaching to help him create a business development plan and market himself within his industry.  After working together for one year he went from being virtually unknown to being identified on lists of the top lawyers in his field.  More importantly he was bringing in more clients than he could handle, so that he had to pass some over to other partners.

Kyoko is 30 years old and a fifth year associate at a large international law firm.  Her mentor has been encouraging her to do more networking, publish articles and proactively go out and find new clients.  Although she knew that she was an excellent lawyer, she felt too young and inexperienced to be taken seriously by decision makers in the business world. As a result, she was having trouble attracting potential clients to the firm.  Partners at her firm, friends and family all tried to convince her that she had enough knowledge and experience to attract clients; but no matter what they said, it didn’t make a difference. Through coaching, she was able to shift her perspective and increase her confidence. Within three months she was bringing new clients into the firm.

Larry is 52 year old lawyer at a government agency.  He often felt stuck between the demands and policies of management and the needs of his staff.  He sought coaching in order to improve his management skills and improve his relationship with his ten staff members.  Although these goals are very abstract, through coaching he defined concrete ways to measure them and created a project plan to make it happen.  His way of measuring success was that within a one month period two staff members would confide something personal to him.

Sometimes I work with clients for years, but a lot can be achieved in a single one-hour coaching session. Here are some examples:

Nicole is a 39 year-old attorney at a large firm and a Baptist minister. She believed one of her colleagues at the law firm was self-centered and arrogant, and came to a coaching session furious at the way he behaved towards her in a meeting. During the coaching session Nicole was able to shift her perspective and get back in touch with her spiritual side, which is loving, generous and forgiving of others. When she approached the colleague again they were able to resolve their disagreement and move forward with the project quickly and efficiently.

Greg is 47 years old with a wife and three children. He had recently accepted a job offer, and although he had not yet started work, he was already resenting the new company. He believed that he had accepted the offer too quickly and was unhappy with the terms of his new employment. Through coaching, Greg clarified what he really wanted and practiced having an effective conversation to re-open the subject of his employment contract. After the coaching session, Greg called the person who hired him and asked if it were possible to renegotiate the terms of his employment. He ended up with a higher salary, better benefits and an additional week of vacation time.

There are a wide range of coaching styles. Learn more about my approach.