Coaching — It’s importance never declines

When lawyers ask me about coaching, and its value, I frequently talk about sports as a metaphor that we can all understand. I use examples such as Lance Armstrong (cycling), Michelle Kwan (figure skating) and others.

In this time of year when football is the dominant sport of interest, Tom Brady, New England Patriot quarterback, and winner of three Super Bowls, and Most Valuable Player in two of them, makes an interesting disclosure about the coaching process.

In a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, he describes his coach — a coach he’s had since he was 13 years old (he’s now 29). His coach is his "passing guru." Brady said "'(His coach) is a key reason why I’ve been fortunate to have success in college and the NFL … I still consult with him, and he tunes me up when I need him.’"

He makes my point very eloquently when he notes a very important feature of the process:  Successful people engage a coach throughout their career to reach the pinnacles of success and stay there. It is not an episodic engagement — that’s consulting. Coaching is the development of a career-long team approach to the challenges of your endeavor, whether it be in sports (which most of us understand) or professional (which more successful lawyers are beginning to understand).

For the new year, invest in yourself — Get a coach and, together, scale new heights of success.

Categorized in: Coaching