The right coach can collapse years of trial and error into a focused, strategic path forward, but only if you are wired to take advantage of it.
Let’s get something straight. Hiring a coach is not for everyone.
In fact, some lawyers would be far better off saving their money.
After years of working with attorneys around the world, I’ve seen a clear pattern. The lawyers who struggle with coaching are not lacking intelligence or talent. They’re lacking something far more important, the mindset required to actually benefit from it.
Before you invest in a coach to grow your practice, it’s worth asking a tougher question.
Are you even coachable?
Here are five signs the answer might be no.
1. You Already Think You Have All the Answers
There is a certain type of lawyer who walks into every room convinced they are the smartest person in it. Confidence is one thing. Being closed off to new ideas is something else entirely.
Coaching requires openness. It demands the ability to admit there are gaps, blind spots, or habits that are holding you back. If your default position is to dismiss outside input or assume you know better, the process breaks down before it even begins.
You cannot improve what you refuse to examine.
2. You Argue with Everything
Lawyers are trained to challenge, question, and push back. That skill is valuable in the courtroom. It becomes a liability in a coaching relationship.
If every suggestion turns into a debate, progress stalls. Coaching is not about winning arguments. It is about testing new approaches, even when they feel uncomfortable or unfamiliar.
If your instinct is to object instead of exploring, you are going to spin your wheels.
3. You Are a Built-In Excuse Machine
Accountability is one of the biggest advantages of working with a coach. But it only works if you follow through.
If missed deadlines are always someone else’s fault, if commitments keep slipping, or if “busy” becomes a permanent excuse, no system in the world will help you.
Execution beats intention every time. Without it, coaching becomes a very expensive conversation.
4. You Think Short-Term and Play Small
Many lawyers hesitate to invest in themselves while unknowingly wasting hundreds of hours on ineffective business development.
They attend random events, dabble in marketing tactics, and hope something sticks. Meanwhile, opportunities come and go.
Here is the real issue. The cost of not improving your business development system is always higher than the cost of fixing it.
Every missed opportunity, and the time associated with it, has a price tag. Not just in the past, but in the future as well.
If you are focused only on immediate cost instead of long-term return, coaching will always feel like an expense instead of an investment.
5. You Are Focused on Price Instead of Value
This one is simple. If your primary filter for decisions is cost, you will struggle to see the bigger picture.
Lawyers routinely invest in technology, staff, and office space without hesitation. Yet when it comes to investing in their own growth, they hesitate.
The reality is this. The gap between a service partner and a true rainmaker is not subtle. It is significant, both in income and in control over your career.
Closing that gap requires more than effort. It requires guidance, structure, and accountability.
A Final Reality Check
Not all coaches are created equal. And not every coach will be the right fit for you.
But even the best coach cannot help someone who is unwilling to change, unwilling to act, or unwilling to look inward.
On the other hand, for lawyers who are open, committed, and ready to do the work, coaching can be a game-changer.
I’ve seen it happen too many times to count.
The question is not whether coaching works.
The question is whether you’re ready for it.
For more information about BE THAT LAWYER and how we help attorneys achieve dramatic growth, go to www.bethatlawyer.com or email me at steve@fretzin.com.
Steve Fretzin is a bestselling author, host of the “Be That Lawyer” podcast, and business development coach exclusively for attorneys. Steve has committed his career to helping lawyers learn key growth skills not currently taught in law school. His clients soon become top rainmakers and credit Steve’s program and coaching for their success. He can be reached directly by email at steve@fretzin.com. Or you can easily find him on his website at www.fretzin.com or LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevefretzin.
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