Frequently, I’m asked to coach a lawyer who is viewed as being a “high potential” professional within a law firm, in-house counsel’s office or barrister’s chambers
The unspoken (or not so unspoken) agenda is that, as a result of the coaching relationship, the individual will “change” to better meet the needs of the organisation and I will somehow “fix” the situation. Interestingly, in most such cases, I find there is nothing to “fix”. Instead, there may be better ways to think about and approach the status quo. I often say to clients that I only do developmental work and not remedial work. Such engagements cause me to think about “change” in the context of law professionals and the extent to which we are the product of “nature” or “nurture”.
Research indicates that about fifty percent of human behaviour is nature; that is, our essential temperament hardwired into our DNA. The other fifty percent is nurture, the cumulative, everchanging result of our many lifetime experiences.
Generally, I find the nature part can be enhanced but not fundamentally changed. The nurture part is endlessly malleable, and that is the focus of much of my consulting work.