Curious About What Coaching Can Bring to Your Talent Strategy?

Businesses are increasingly using coaching to improve performance. According to the Gitnux Market Data Report 2024, 88% of organizations use coaching as a tool for performance improvement, and, of those that used coaching, 95% report that the experience was “excellent.” What’s more, employees report positive experiences with coaching as well. Of coached employees, 96% reported improved feelings of workplace well-being.

Contrary to some preconceived notions, coaching is not punitive, nor is it a guaranteed path to advancement or promotion. Working with a coach should not be viewed as a hindrance, nor a guaranteed path, to promotion.

So, what is professional coaching? It is a broad term that includes support, training, and feedback from a professional coach to help a person meet predetermined, specific goals. A coach is professionally trained to listen to, help, guide, and advise their clients. Coaching sessions focus on individual growth and development through conversation and goal-setting.

Coaching can help individuals grow in their careers, with studies showing that coaching can enhance decision-making skills, increase confidence, strengthen relationships, and improve interpersonal skills and effectiveness. That said, coaching is hard work. A successful coaching relationship requires honesty, vulnerability, and dedication – as well as a time commitment – so it isn’t something that should be engaged in lightly.

Coaching is a resource we use regularly at LP, but especially within our leadership development courses. Whenever someone is expanding their “soft skills,” engaging with a team in different or expanded ways, or seeking to change the way they have been doing things (sometimes for decades), it helps to have a personal support system along the way. A coach can help create a plan for incorporating a new skillset (such as active listening), work with the coachee to execute the plan, and assess progress. At LP, we’ve utilized coaches to support LP employees:

• Dealing with challenging client situations;
• Addressing specific issues when working with others with different perspectives; and
• Helping attorneys and professionals find and use their voice.

Learning new skills is hard for everyone, especially within the already demanding professional and personal time constraints many leaders experience. The value of having someone to help turn something from a nebulous idea – such as becoming a better listener – to changed behaviors can be invaluable. It’s one thing to know what to do; it’s another thing entirely to have someone provide guidance on how to do it.

Coaches help people transition from goals to successful skill utilization and implementation. This takes practice, practice, and more practice. It also requires self-awareness, soliciting feedback, resilience, and knowing when and where to use the new skill. 

At LP, we’ve expanded our coaching program to include attorneys and professionals at various stages of career development. Recent participants have reported that coaching sessions helped improve skills such as active listening, giving and receiving feedback in a meaningful way, and becoming more curious.

Professional development is a career-long process that isn’t limited to skills specific to a particular job. Professional development includes interpersonal relationships and “soft skills” as well. As individuals and teams work to develop these skills, a professional coach can be an invaluable resource. At LP, coaching is integral to fulfilling our commitment to The LP Way and achieving our mission to provide an unparalleled client experience.