“So, Jon — what’s it like working with all of the depressed lawyers in Paris?” It’s a joke — which exists in several variations — that I often hear when I spend time with lawyers in my network. And while there are few things I love more than a good laugh, this one scores few points with me because it stems from a widespread misconception that I’m obligated to refute on a regular basis. But where does this unhappy-lawyer-as-coaching-client stereotype come from?

Previously, I wrote about a client who successfully found a way to delegate his work more effectively thanks to a better appreciation for his value-added as a more senior lawyer. In this article, I address another typical case related to delegation: a client who found it difficult to delegate to her team because she often found the work product she received was not up to her standards.

Even if you know that setbacks are a natural part of growth and change, it can still be difficult to live this process, especially if you are someone who isn’t accustomed to failure.

However, working on your relationship with failure can help you to approach challenges with greater peace of mind, which — as paradoxical as it may seem — often translates into you achieving your goals more quickly.

Teaching someone “the” ideal way to do something presumes that there is such a thing as “the” ideal way. However, “one-size-fits-all” solutions to improve productivity — although they may be effective for certain people — are ultimately illusory because they fail to take into account the specific needs unique to each person.

Given the stiff competition for top talent in the current job market, how does one attract and retain the best of the best?

Despite his utmost confidence in his associates, a client continued to review meticulously each piece of work they completed. In fact, he had a tendency to modify their work product so extensively that, in many cases, he was basically entirely re-doing the work himself. We began working together so that he could address this situation.

Have you had it with your current job? Are you faced with unreasonable expectations and difficult colleagues? Do your employers’ values not correspond with your own? Three good reasons to start looking for a new job, right? Not so fast. Read on to consider why it might be worth giving your current job a second chance (unless, of course, you are experiencing bullying, harassment, burn-out, etc…)

All too often, I hear people around me talking about coaching as if it were some kind of punishment. Sound familiar? If so, this article is for you.

Many people think about objectives as a source of pressure: we set goals in order to push ourselves to improve our performance. However — paradoxical though it may seem — having specific objectives can actually help to reduce stress.

The more you are able to demonstrate your ability to listen deeply, the more you will become a privileged confidant — which can be a major asset at work. This article presents some key ways to demonstrate that your colleagues can rely upon you for your excellent listening skills.

At all levels of seniority, at every stage of one’s career, and in virtually all fields, active listening distinguishes itself as a skill that is as essential for success as it is rare.

People are often surprised to learn that the role of a professional coach is not to teach, to say what one should or should not do, or how best to complete certain tasks. What, then, is the value-added? Drawing a comparison with a ski guide can be a helpful way of thinking about the answer.

We all know it’s true: a certain level of stress is a good thing. Without any pressing need, it can be tough to find the motivation necessary to work efficiently. Of course, once stress gets above a certain level, it becomes counterproductive and makes us underperform.

Continual improvement is essential in order to avoid stagnating in one’s career. Picking up on the theme from last week, a skiing analogy can help us understand why, with the same amount of effort, some people advance while others get stuck.

Short-term objectives in the form of emergencies tend to absorb all of our energy and attention at work; over time we stagnate. How can a comparison with skiing help us understand this phenonmenon? And how can working with an executive coach help?

Over the next few weeks, I’ll use skiing as a metaphor to help readers to understand better why, even if you are aware of your weaknesses and what needs to be done to overcome them, working with a professional coach can help you to achieve your goals more quickly and effectively.

Sometimes negative self-talk is a smoke screen that distracts us from enacting meaningful change. The path to improved habits does not always have to lead you through self-blame.

Everyone seems to be on the constant lookout for ways to increase their productivity. One frequently-overlooked tool is accepting what you are unable to change — in particular, your colleagues or your employer.

Every idealised story of “self-made” individuals obscures the work of numerous people, giving the erroneous impression that it is ever possible for an individual working in isolation to reach the loftiest heights in any field. This creates unnecessary pressure for many people who think that it is not only laudable but necessary to do everything themselves, without ever demanding help from anyone at all.

We are all human, and as a result we all make a wrong choice now and then. However, consider this: even a poor decision is better than a decision not taken.