Four interconnected orange gears

CASE STUDY

Team Development Coaching.

I worked with a team of Partners running a practice area of a large UK law firm. 

The Challenge:

 In individual meetings at the start of the engagement several common themes emerged including:

  • Partners were operating independently rather than collectively.

  • There was a desire for greater trust within the Partnership group.

  • Frustration existed around not fully understanding what their staff were doing.

There were concerns about how this practice area was perceived by other Partners across the wider firm.

Overall, the challenge was to strengthen cohesion, trust, and collective leadership effectiveness while improving both internal clarity and external reputation.

The Process:

We met in seven 2 hour sessions.

I started our development work with reflective discussions about the purpose and strengths of the leadership team and how different behaviours might increase the practice’s effectiveness and profile. 

This generated a shared desire to understand more about one another. 

We worked with an individual and team psychometric to build individual and team awareness.

The Outcome:

As a result of the work, the team established new behaviours and disciplines, including:

  • More regular strategic check-ins

  • Clearer pathways for succession

  • Greater consistency in communication with their staff and the wider business

  • Movement to a more cohesive and intentional leadership approach, strengthening trust within the group and improving their effectiveness and standing within the firm.

  • “The coaching was really useful and helped explain some of the obstacles we faced working together effectively. Steve also helped us to see what some did easily and naturally and what some found more difficult. The coaching sessions have been invaluable in helping the team look at themselves and focus on working as a team rather than in silos but also to understand each other more.”

    Partner