While many in the legal profession might assume that coaching is primarily for those just starting out and finding their footing, John Kormanik has argued that those who benefit the most are, in fact, the opposite.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, John Kormanik, a former trial lawyer turned certified professional coach for lawyers, shared insights into which lawyers stand to benefit the most from working with a legal coach.
In the same episode, he reflected on his decision to step away from legal practice to help fellow lawyers find greater fulfilment and balance in both their personal and professional lives.
Though many might assume that lawyers would seek a coach to help them navigate their early years of their careers, Kormanik explained that his clients are typically well-established professionals.
“All of my clients have the law figured out because I do not coach on the law. I coach attorneys around the world. Whether you call them lawyers, solicitors, you name it, I coach them as human beings,” he said.
“They have the law figured out. They’re not what we call baby lawyers. Right? One to three years, one to five years of experience, because they’re more concerned about figuring out their trade than they are themselves.”
Kormanik explained that the lawyers who typically seek out coaching are already successful by traditional standards, so much so that their decision to work with a coach often surprises those around them.
“How I describe my clients is with a phrase that I’ve come up with: accomplished seekers. These are the types of attorneys who would sit down with their family, friends or a colleague and say, ‘I’m working with a coach,’” he said.
“Their family, friends or colleagues would look at them and say, ‘I don’t understand why; you’re very successful, you’re very good at what you do. I don’t understand why you would have a coach.’”
Although these lawyers may not need guidance on the legal aspects of their profession, Kormanik shared that what drives them to seek coaching is a commitment to continuous improvement in every area of their lives.
“Their response is, because I know I can always get better as a leader, as a performer, as a communicator, as a human being. I know that I can always get better. A coach helps me do that. Those are the lawyers that I love to coach,” he said.
He draws a parallel between lawyers seeking coaching and elite athletes who, despite already performing at the top of their game, rely on coaches to help them go even further.
“What did Ian Thorpe gain by having a coach? How about Cathy Freeman? What did she gain by having a coach or coaches? How about Sam Kerr? They are all elite, the best in the world, and they all had coaches, and here’s why,” he said.
“A coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear, helps you see what you don’t want to or can’t see, so that you have the ability to become everything that you possibly can.”
For Kormanik, one of the most valuable aspects of having a legal coach is having someone firmly in your corner – someone you trust to be honest, ask the hard questions, and challenge your thinking.
“I think the greatest benefit of having a coach is to have someone who you’re very comfortable with, you are honest with, and you can open up to ask yourself how true what you just said is, how true is that?” he said.
