Coaches and Teachers

My Preply certificate above prompted me to think about the role teachers and coaches play in our lives. Our entry into the professional world often marks the end of our relationship with teachers and coaches. (Professional athletes are one exception. I'm sure there are others.)

Once we're spit out into the professional world, it becomes much more challenging to find coaches and teachers. There is no one whose job it is to make sure you are taught or coached. People within your organization (your supervisors - especially in law firms) aren't the best suited for coaching. You have to be intentional about finding it. I was somewhat lucky in that when I first moved to Seattle, I encountered coaches in a variety of realms. I found great mentors in the law. I also found great coaches outside the law. Perhaps I was open to it, but I found coaches in the pool, yoga studio, and even in the boxing ring. I took a months-long meditation course at this monastery in Queen Anne near where I lived! It felt like a time of tremendous personal growth, and looking back, I realize that tapping into coaching was one of the things that made me jazzed on life back then. I really like the coach-player relationship.

The pandemic and moving to Portland prompted me to refocus a bit on finding coaches. I signed up for Preply and happened to find an awesome Spanish teacher (coach?). I also found a great swimming group with a great coach as well. In both of these areas, I found that signing up for regular classes or coached sessions helped make me accountable and made sure I was regularly progressing. There's no way I could make these gains on my own. (Interestingly, my Spanish teacher feels like a mix of teacher and coach, although I can't easily and precisely articulate the difference between the two.)

In the professional world, at least in law, the use of coaches seem sparse. While I've had great mentors over the course of my legal career, it has been awhile since I've been able to look to someone to fill that role. This is mostly the case with my peers as well. I come across people who talk anecdotally about engaging a coach or being part of a coaching group, but it seems like the exception and not the norm. Very few lawyers I know have a designated coach. I find it odd that lawyers don't typically engage a coach to make sure they are progressing in their careers. Some people even seem to look down on it. I think I'm ready to take the plunge on this front. I'm curious about the experience of other lawyers with respect to coaching. [NB: I've talked to a few people over the last year who shared their experiences and who provided great recommendations for lawyer coaches.]

This also made me think about my own role as a coach. The fact that I've never thought of myself as a coach in the professional realm is itself telling. It makes me think I'm not very suited for coaching. Maybe it's not my role? Either way, it doesn't feel like something that comes naturally to me. Or perhaps it's a muscle that I need to better develop?