I am speaking today at the Legal Marketing Association Southwest Chapter meeting in Phoenix. My topic is Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers: Create Your Own Client Development Coaching Program. I have on my one and only green tie, so I feel appropriately dressed for St. Patrick’s Day. I am even prepared for audience members to be checking their iPhones for NCAA first round basketball scores. I will have two outstanding young lawyers I coached as a panel and I plan to play audio of other lawyers.
I hope to share with the audience:
- How to convince skeptical partners to train and develop the next generation
- Why client development coaching
- How to structure a successful program
My friend and colleague Cynthia Pladwiezicz recently launched her new blog Professional Development Perspectives. One of the first posts I liked was titled: Want to develop a great business plan? Play to your strengths. That is one of the things we emphasize in coaching.
I coach many different lawyers. Each lawyer is unique with different talents, passions and challenges. One of the most important things I can do as a coach is help each lawyer find what will work most effectively for him or her. Many lawyers I coach come into the coaching with pre-conceived stereotypes of rainmakers and fear they cannot be successful because they are not like that stereotype. My job is to help those lawyers see their own path to success. Having Cindy’s expertise with StrengthsFinder 2.0 is a great help.
Andrea Anderson, a Holland & Hart partner shares that her greatest take away from coaching was developing self confidence that she could be successful using her own unique strengths, Take a listen in this short podcast excerpt.
Andrea makes clear that you can become successful discovering and then focusing on your strengths. She has done it and so can you.
P.S. If you would like a copy of my hand out materials from the presentation, let me know.