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Those promoted to GC value executive coaching
Corporate lawyers who have hired executive coaches for themselves may be more likely to be promoted internally to general counsel, new research shows.
Jerome Doraisamy
Legal and compliance executive search firm BarkerGilmore has released its 2020 General Counsel Succession Report, which delves into the paths that sitting GCs have taken and the professional development they received along the way. The intent behind the report, the firm said, is to help foster understanding about the pathways to attaining senior in-house legal roles.
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The report highlighted the potentially critical role that executive coaching can play in bolstering the chances of an in-house lawyer in rising to the position of GC.
More than half of those (56 per cent) who have been promoted internally to GC reported having hired an executive coach for themselves. Those who had hired such a coach were more likely to be promoted from within (50 per cent) compared to those who had not hired an executive coach (26 per cent).
Additionally, those promoted internally to GC appear to highly value the coaching they have sought and received. Thirty-seven per cent said it was “extremely valuable”, 34 per said it was “valuable” and 23 per cent said it was “valuable”. Only 6 per cent of promoted GCs said executive coaching was “not valuable” for them.
Executive coaching is also useful for those who are recruited externally for GC roles, BarkerGilmore noted.
One-fifth (22 per cent) of recruited GCs reported having hired an executive coach, and of those who did, none reported not finding it valuable. Thirty-seven per cent said it was “extremely valuable”, 46 per cent said it was “valuable”, and the remaining 17 per cent said it was “somewhat valuable”.
The firm conducted the survey online in July of this year, with 532 responses received. The respondents were 241 GCs and chief legal officers, as well as 291 aspiring GCs.
