“When you challenged my thinking by asking why I was thinking so small, it hurt.” Is this statement positive or negative?
One of the many reasons to work with me as your executive coach is to gain a fresh perspective—a perspective that challenges you to see when you’re holding yourself back from reaching your full potential. The saying goes: You can’t read the ingredients on the cereal box from the inside. In other words, you often can’t recognize the limits of your mindset when you’re “in it.” A recent coaching session with a law firm CEO offered a vivid reminder of this truth.
To tell this client’s story, a bit of background is needed. My client is the CEO of a successful personal injury law firm in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. He and I began working together a few years ago when he was at a pivotal point in his business journey—stepping into his role as CEO and building his team. After some time, he “graduated” from coaching. All coaching relationships have a beginning, middle, and end. He had reached a point where he was ready to execute his new CEO mindset independently. Watching clients “take off” is a proud moment for them and for me.
Once you’re a client, you’re always part of the team. As is my habit, I stayed in touch with him. During one of our check-ins, he mentioned he was ready to reengage with executive coaching; he’d maxed out his mindset at his then-current level and wanted to evolve further. My first step was to see if he was thinking big enough to make our coaching sessions impactful. Without that, the investment of time and money wouldn’t be worthwhile.
I asked him where he saw his next level of growth. A straightforward way to measure this is by gross revenue—a metric that, for many attorneys and law firm leaders, is linked to personal growth and mindset transformation. When he shared his revenue goal for the end of our 12-month coaching engagement, the number struck me as uninspiring. It would require no real personal evolution—just increased business efficiencies. So I asked, “Why are you thinking so small?”
He was taken aback. “John, that’s not small!” I told him that if that was the goal, it wouldn’t be worth his time or money to work with me. He and his team could grind harder and get there without executive coaching. I let the silence linger; he was clearly thinking. As a law firm CEO, few people challenged him like this.
I repeated, “Why are you thinking so small?” This time, I added, “What if you couldn’t fail? What would the number be then?” He then shared a figure ten times higher than his initial goal. I asked, “What shifted to make you believe that level of revenue is achievable?” His response was pure gold: “If I couldn’t fail, I’d be a lot more confident in going big.”
My next question was, “Who would you need to become to achieve that goal?” His answer was equally profound: “I’d have to be someone entirely different than I am today. My leadership, communication, and performance would all have to evolve.” With this new goal and an understanding that personal growth would be essential, we agreed to move forward together.
Flash forward six months.
In a recent coaching session, we discussed a crucial leadership skill all managing partners and law firm owners must master: saying no to a thousand things. He paused and revisited the initial conversation, saying, “When you challenged my thinking by asking why I was thinking so small, it hurt.” I asked why. He replied, “It hurt because I’ve never thought of myself as someone who thinks small. I was trapped in my own thinking, and without you challenging me, I would never have realized it.”
Working with me as your executive coach isn’t comfortable—and it’s not meant to be. Comfort is for those who are satisfied with the status quo, content with “good enough.” Growth occurs when we move through discomfort.
My clients are the best attorneys in their fields. They’re managing partners and law firm CEOs who are comfortable with being uncomfortable, who think big to keep their firms thriving. They increase revenue, master their time and focus, improve performance, and ultimately enjoy more freedom with less burnout. You can too. Schedule a complimentary 30-minute discovery session with me here, or send me an email.