Change is hard 🧱 . A few weeks ago, I was speaking with a client about the frustration 🤦🏻♂️ he was having with an administrator in his firm. It was quickly apparent that this administrator is not doing a good job.
But it got worse. The client doesn’t believe this individual can improve.
I then asked the next obvious question: what about finding a new administrator and implementing more automation in your firm?
The response I received was not unexpected. He told me that in no uncertain terms, he doesn’t have time to make the change. He can’t afford to get rid of the administrator.
So I turned to my tennis 🎾analogy. (Yes, I know that pickelball 🥒is all the rage right now but I grew up on tennis!)
If you decide to change your racquet grip, the odds are good that your performance will suffer in the short run. But after you adjust, the new grip (if it is a better choice), will improve your game.
This is the issue with change. We need to make the investment and oftentimes, we feel like we are too busy to invest the time.
Are there technology solutions that could increase your efficiency? Would taking the time to do a business plan increase your marketing effectiveness? Would assessing your leadership strengths and weaknesses increase your effectiveness as a leader? Would changing practice areas or moving to a new firm increase your career satisfaction?
Lawyers, as a group, are change averse. We avoid risk. We are skeptical that change will help us get us where we want to go (“the devil we know”).
One of the reasons I love coaching (as a coach and as a client), is that coaching helps make change more “urgent”. A good coach helps hold you accountable when you are trying to make change.
While a coach might make some suggestions, one of the tenets of modern coaching theory is that the client has the answers. The coach is generally a sounding board reflecting back to the coachee what the coachee already knows but maybe can’t see. Maybe you already know that your current job is unfulfilling or your current marketing approach is not working for you; but making change feels scary.
So what changes are you going to commit to? What are the obstacles?
