Many of the challenges faced by the lawyers I work with comeback to one thing: time/project management.

It’s a mistake to frame delegation to associates as a hand-off, a mistake that leads to frustration/disappointment. I encourage partners to see delegation as the beginning of a collaborative work process.

What we think of as good, successful, necessary is extroverted behavior: social, gregarious, talkative. These can be helpful for leadership and team management and business development, but so can more introverted tendencies.

We don’t expect 8th grade students to produce college level work. We shouldn’t expect 3rd/4th year lawyers to produce senior associate level work.

Framing feedback as grading is pervasive among the partners with whom I work.  But feedback isn’t—and shouldn’t be viewed as—grading.

Feedback should be short - very short in fact, and focused on just one or two items.

A suggestion I nearly always make to the partners with whom I work is that they ask these questions every time they get an assignment back from an associate.

A fact is not a judgment but how we express it and the conclusions we draw from it can be. The key to giving feedback is to stick to the facts, manage tone and resist drawing conclusions.

To be a great—heck, even a good—lawyer requires a sophisticated understanding of large amounts of law, the ability to take that knowledge and apply it strategically and tactically, and to manage cases/deals and lead teams. And each of these requires developing a mastery of (or at least competence in) their many component skills.

Associates are learning in a high-pressure environment, the learning curve is steep. They feel the pressure. Too often, what’s missing is someone encouraging or supporting their growth.

“What if you assumed positive intent?” What if you assumed that this associate is capable of great work? What would your reaction to the associate work be then?

Make clear that the questions (and communication back and forth more generally) are simply part of the process – part of getting the work done right and part of their development. Make sure, given how busy you both are, that time is set aside – they don’t have to chase you, nor you them.

While the use of executive and leadership coaching within law firms has grown significantly within the last five years, there is still a majority of firms beyond the Am Law 100 where coaching has yet to find its place as a core professional development tool.

In life outside work, what feeling fills the space when the experience you have is not what you imagined?

The Volta Coaching Insights Survey is the only industry-specific survey that explores the use of coaching in law firms in the U.S.

When you strike the word “clients” from that definition and instead insert “coworkers,” “team members” or “direct reports,” we think you may discover a great way to think about collaborating with and supervising others.

The key to answering common behavioral questions questions is always to “show your work”. This question isn’t so much about the challenge itself as it is about how you responded to it and how you describe meeting the challenge.

Mondays. We all hate ’em—with good reason. Our weekends are ours, a time for family, friends, fun (and of course some chores).

Partners and team leaders who already demonstrate empathy and those who quickly flex to build and develop their interpersonal skills will emerge as the winners, as will their law firms.

Old habits are hard to break and new ones hard to learn—even when the new habit is better, when you want to change. Change takes time no matter how much you want it. Start small. Build slowly. Practice every day.