I coach high-achieving attorneys around the globe. One of the best ways to ensure my clients continue to grow and avoid stagnation is to empower them to think differently about success, stagnation, and comfort. Leveraging the power and clarity of a Likert scale, we explore their current state. When my clients reach an 8, 9, or 😅 10 out of 10 on the scale, it’s time to add some spice 🌶️ to the mix. I’ll break down a discussion from a recent coaching session to demonstrate what I mean and how my client was able to move forward.

Understanding the Comfort Zone: Why Success Leads to Stagnation. 

My client is an outstanding attorney who has a process for leveraging a task list to get work done. When I asked her why she believes a task list empowers her to be productive, the first thing she said was, “You’ll probably tell me this isn’t the right thing to do,” and then described her process. My response: “I don’t really care what ‘they’ say is right or wrong. What I want to know is whether this system works for you! Please don’t get bogged down in what you believe others believe!”

Getting on the Same Page: The Power of the Likert Scale.

After discussing this concept, we got down to the nitty-gritty. I asked, “On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being supremely comfortable with the process and 1 being not comfortable at all, where do you rate yourself?” After a pause, she shared that she was very comfortable, “an 8 or 9 out of 10.” We explored why she had that comfort level. The primary driver was that she’d been creating a task list and leveraging it for years. A list created clarity for her, gave her the ability to see what needed to be done, and allowed her to classify things as “A” tasks (heavy lifts requiring cognitive engagement) and “B” tasks (simple things requiring little if any cognitive load). Of course, her process wasn’t as simple as a list of to-dos. When we drilled down, she performed mental work outside the list itself to prioritize and move forward.

Challenging the Status Quo: Comfort is a Barrier to Growth.

Next, I challenged her. When we get to an 8, 9, or 10 out of 10 with a process or a system, high achievers like her must explore iterating the process to enable continued growth. Human beings are generally lazy (just look at any retired athlete). When we land on a solution to our “problem,” we take it and think, “Well, that’s it.” But here’s the thing: just because it works and takes away our pain in the moment doesn’t mean it’s optimized. In other words, the solution we came up with is, in fact, the bare minimum necessary to solve our issue.

Implementing Change: Doing the Thing That Causes Stress.

I asked, “How can you add to or change your process so that your comfort level decreases in the short term, but the process actually works better for you in the long run?” Her response was immediate (🤔 which meant she’d been thinking of this before we ever began our exploration): “It’s a pain in the ass…but I could invest time on the front end, review my list, select my ‘A’ tasks, and ensure I have everything necessary to do deep work on them without having to stop and gather additional materials.”

Overcoming Resistance: The Role of Delay Discounting in Professional Growth. 

The obvious question: “What makes it a pain in the ass?” Her response was classic delay discounting. In my client’s case, the instant gratification of doing the work outweighed the reality that investing time on the front end to properly prepare for the work would result in her being more efficient in the future. Once that door was open, she stopped and thought. She was transported to a different time. I allowed her to take the mental journey.

She then shared a memory, recalling how, “in the old days,” she’d gather law books, have them open and at the ready, in the order she wanted them, and then begin writing. (Yes, I remember those days…I Shepardized in Shepard’s books in the law library.) She’d gotten away from that process, and upon reflection, she realized she spent less time in flow (deep work and concentration) because she wasn’t actually prepared to do the work.

Embracing Discomfort: Iteration Leads to Long-Term Success.

I then asked how uncomfortable adding this step would be and what she would imagine rating the process with that “pain in the ass” pre-work. She responded, “6 or 7 out of 10.” My response: “Great!” She looked at me as if I had three heads.

“Isn’t that going backwards?” she asked. “Why would I willingly move from an 8 or 9 out of 10 backward?”

“Because, in order to grow, we must iterate. Iteration is uncomfortable in the short term. That discomfort is a necessary predicate to growth. By adding this ‘pain in the ass’ step, you may very well end up with a process that serves you better than your current one.”

She agreed to do the pre-work with her list. We’ll explore it at our next session. 

Conclusion: You Must Leveraging Discomfort for Professional Growth. 

If she leans all the way in and if it has the potential to make her process more effective, we’ll leverage the metrics function of her coaching dashboard to build the habit of completing the new step consistently.

Sometimes we have to take a perceived step “backwards” to move forward past complacency and stagnation.

Where do you believe you’re doing well? Is it time to change the frame and ask, “Is good enough, good enough?”

My clients are the best attorneys in their field. They increase revenue, master their time and focus, and improve performance while enjoying more free time and suffering less burnout. You can too. Schedule a complimentary 30-minute discovery session with me here, or send me an email.