A personal note to celebrate International Coaching Week

To celebrate International Coaching Week I have decided to do something really uncomfortable and provide some deeper detail into why I quit my career as a law firm partner to become a coach.  This is not easy for someone who spent many years hiding behind a big firm name and a “respectable” career choice, so please bear with me...

As a child I was in awe of the concept of justice and inspired by those who were devoted to helping others.  I spent many lunch hours pretending I was Enid Blyton’s Mr Pinkwhistle, roaming the playground “righting wrongs”. 

A career in law was a relatively natural choice, but as I’d always been described as a sensitive person I avoided going into the areas of law that I was really interested in (family law and workplace discrimination) out of concern that I might find it all too emotional. 

Instead I became a banking and finance lawyer and learned to enjoy the satisfaction of negotiating 200 page documents,  the adrenaline rush that came with co-ordinating legal counsel from all around the world and the camaraderie of working towards demanding timelines with teams of really intelligent and highly motivated people. 

By choosing this path I was able to practice and live in three different continents and support numerous high profile clients close their transactions.  As I honed my execution skills I adopted some behaviours that served me in meeting client demands but were not at all helpful when it came to building trust and rapport with team members.  I was demanding, impatient and, while I was still friendly enough, I could run hot and cold.  One minute I would be my usual personable self and the next I would be agitated and tetchy.  

I was lucky to work at a firm that believed in developing its people and I was afforded numerous opportunities for personal and professional development.   During this process (and through turning around my own leadership style) I realised that I also wanted to work with people at that personal level.   By learning to regulate my emotions I was no longer concerned about working in areas that might turn out to be “too emotional.”  

It has been so rewarding to partner with my coaching clients in achieving their goals and to watch them experience breakthroughs and implement practices that truly change the way they operate in the world.  

The first time I engaged a coach was relatively late in my legal career.  It was an incredibly valuable and enriching experience.   Many thanks Christine Champion!  I only wish I’d engaged a coach earlier. 

I am so pleased to now work in this field.   Happy International Coaching Week!