An experienced partner in a successful law firm was asked to set up a new department
to establish and develop an innovative area of practice. Highly capable technically
and generally good with people, she nevertheless struggled to manage her workload
and was displaying signs of stress. She had difficulty setting boundaries around
her working hours, delegating effectively, focusing on priority areas and managing
the balance between looking after her own clients and putting the new practice 'on
the map'. Coaching was proposed by the HR partner attached to her department who
had become concerned about her health and the risk of burn-out. She responded positively
to this suggestion.
Over a period of 6 months, this client was helped to take back control over her
working life. A key insight was the realisation that the demands and expectations
linked to her current situation had triggered a longstanding - though largely hidden
- lack of self-confidence (clearly linked to issues and experiences earlier in her
life).
Although very real external demands and pressures existed, it was at least partly
her own insecurity which was driving the feeling that she could never say no and
had to take on responsibility for everything herself. This was reinforced by a strong
tendency towards perfectionism which had served her well in her career so far but
was a 'double-edged sword' which constantly pushed her to feel that she needed to
oversee personally every aspect of work in her department.
As the client became more aware of these internal pressures, she was able - with
the coach's help - to review what work she could realistically do herself and what
she could delegate to others, while coaching and supporting them to succeed. This
was not an overnight process and she needed considerable encouragement and reinforcement
from her coach to feel confident enough to 'let go' of some of her work.
In due course, she was able to set clear priorities, become more focused and develop
a calmly assertive style of communication which enabled her to negotiate additional
resources. She managed to restore her work/life balance, leaving work at a reasonable
time and attending classes at her gym 2 or 3 times a week. She reported feeling
'back in control'.
Business outcomes included exceeding client and revenue targets in the new practice
area and positive recognition from the Managing Partner and other senior stake-holders
within the firm.