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Frank Jones* is a smart and experienced Board Certified lawyer in a Texas metropolitan area. When Frank began his coaching experience, he had a highly stressful practice, and complained that he was “always putting out fires.” He had employees who disrupted workflow with frequent absences, tardiness and emotional discord. He misplaced papers and wasted a lot of time hunting for them. He dreaded certain phone calls because his disorganization made him feel unprepared. He feared sinking into a practice dominated by a sense of drudgery and darkness. The impact of an enlarging chasm between his management philosophy and that of a partner often distracted him from his legal work.

Frank’s first steps in coaching involved brainstorming and experimenting with strategies to obtain a block of uninterrupted time each day to concentrate on complex legal work. He also strived to put his focus on the most important and pressing matters. With the support and accountability mechanisms of coaching, he was able to develop more productive work patterns despite resistance and impediments from the other office members.

Frank validated the efficacy of coaching with hard numbers. He reported that his efficiency improved sufficiently for him to accomplish in 74 hours per month what previously took him 117 hours. Frank used some of his newfound time to generate more revenue, and some of it to get some exercise with a friend, further relieving his stress.

Relishing those initial accomplishments, Frank turned his attention to other issues, such as creating a less stressful office environment more in line with his vision, building his practice, enhancing the quality of his associates and staff, and moving his practice toward more financially and emotionally rewarding work.

Frank made the decision to leave his firm and set up a new office on his own. He continued his coaching goal of improving productivity and performance in his office. He used his […]

Susan Smith* is an office administrator in a large California-based law firm. Although she felt confident and competent in her position, she continued to have troublesome issues with several employees under her supervision. Her Human Resources department recommended she receive some professional coaching to try to alleviate the problem, but the coach they assigned her made the process unpleasant, and more like a “punishment” for her actions.

Fortunately, when it came time to evaluate the experience, she reported her negative feelings about the coaching process, and was allowed to select another coaching professional (Debra Bruce), with whom she immediately felt a good chemistry and respect.

“From the beginning, it was so obvious that Debra was on my team,” states Susan, “It was a great interpersonal fit. Debra keeps everything so confidential, and I immediately trusted her judgment.” After completing an initial DiSC® Behavior Style Profile, Susan gained invaluable insight into her own professional strengths and weaknesses. “I had appointments with Debra every 10 days, and she gave me very manageable tasks to work on as homework. Under her guidance, I listened to two CDs, “Crucial Conversations” and “Crucial Confrontations,” from which I gained a new mindset and the tools on how to better deal with difficult people. From the outset, I looked forward to each of our conference calls, and Debra’s helpful, objective advice.” Debra and Susan sometimes discussed and role played specific skills in advance for upcoming challenging conversations, and debriefed the results afterwards.

What is Susan doing differently and better, since her interaction with her new coach? “I’ve vastly improved my communication skills, and see the importance in really listening to others. I go out of my way to walk the halls to stay in touch with what’s happening outside my office. I’ve learned the value of little things, like writing thank you notes, to show my […]

Steve Johnson* is an Associate General Counsel for a large, international oil and gas company. When faced with some challenges created by several employees, he and his Human Resources Department thought it would be useful to hire an executive coach to help him fine-tune his management and communication skills and abilities. His HR team gave Steve numerous coaches to consider who might be suitable for the task. After interviewing Debra Bruce, he knew she was the coach for him. “From the get-go, Debra was forthcoming, personable and easy to know. I was impressed by her intellect and experience, and sensed that she would relate to my environment and its pressures. It didn’t take long for her to become a cheerful, yet serious and trusted advisor.”Before Steve and Debra began their biweekly sessions, Steve read Crucial Conversations and Crucial Confrontations, at Debra’s request. “These books were instrumental in giving me helpful case histories and tips for dealing with issues similar to my own. We then proceeded to discuss my personality, management style and work habits, in great detail. I had the tendency to race ahead when a situation was familiar to me, rather than be patient with an employee’s need to talk and more fully understand my reasoning and analysis of an issue. With Debra’s help, I now listen to my staff and do what I can to make them feel safe and respected. I look for ways to praise people, and point out their positives versus their negatives. I discovered how to help people succeed, and in so doing, gained a more productive, cohesive team.”

“Working with Debra was very hands-on, and it was always clear that she wanted to help me and make a difference. She videotaped me so I could review my body language and correct any negative or unintentionally intimidating […]

John Jones* is an officer within the legal department of a publicly-traded company. Given the volume and fast pace of his work, he decided to personally invest in a professional coach to help him deal with a variety of issues, including managing employees at all levels, communicating effectively (both internally -up and down within the corporate structure, and externally – wearing a dual hat as attorney and business person), developing an executive presence within the corporate structure, goal-setting and time management.John had long been familiar and intrigued with the idea of a personal coach, and had the fortune of knowing Debra Bruce in her prior law practice. The decision to use Debra “was a no-brainer,” as they already had a strong comfort level for the type of candid, no-holds-barred relationship between a coach and client.

“Having worked with Debra a number of years in private practice, I had always had the highest regard for her legal skills. However, I have been even more impressed by her skills as an executive coach. There have been numerous times where I have felt like I was the victim of criticism for something I did at work. Debra taught me that people were not necessarily criticizing me as an individual, but rather, critical of an unsuccessful or unpleasant process or policy. Today, I’m much less defensive and more confident in what I’m doing because I no longer internalize what I used to feel as criticism. I better understand my audience’s insecurities and issues, so I’m more focused and empathetic rather than defensive and angry. She even made me look in a mirror to examine my body language, so my non-verbal communication wouldn’t project the wrong attitude or send bad signals to whomever I was communicating with. She’s helped me gain a much-desired “executive presence” with not only my team […]

This letter is just to thank you for your help over the last six months, and to express my appreciation for the guidance and support that you provide.  I haven’t used a coach before, and I was really pretty skeptical of the whole process, but in just a few months I have learned first hand of the benefits that your experience combined with the accountability of a coaching relationship can bring.

I don’t yet feel like I have reached my full potential or maximized my business opportunities, but I do feel that I have identified the issues and created a structure for dealing with them.  This in itself is a tremendous change for me, “ it is the difference between feeling that things will always be the same or feeling that I am in control of improving my own situation.  The successful path that I feel I am currently on is largely due to two things that you helped me with:  (1) learning to plan my work in a structured and repeatable way, and (2) taking all of my commitments seriously.

On both of these points, I have always been aware of my shortcomings, but I have never felt capable of making real improvement.  I have read and attempted all of the time management techniques.  I have attempted large systematic changes and small incremental improvements, but nothing has worked for me.  When I called you, it was really something like an act of desperation.

What I have learned working with you is that the tricks and techniques can be useful, “ but only if the system (whatever it may be) is used consistently, every day, all the time.  I have resisted this kind of work in the past, preferring to think of myself as more […]

Debra:
I have been quite busy doing all the things that you got me geared up to do when we first talked back in mid-January.  You offered me a free teleconference after reading my “missive,” as you called it.  I had entitled that full-page email “Confused in Austin” and after re-reading it tonight, I see that I was truly confused.

As I stated in that “missive,” I have so many different interests, skills, and experiences, but have not known how to organize them into a coherent whole, especially since being uprooted in such a traumatic way with Katrina forcing my family and me out of New Orleans.  Our “lives” flipped upside down on such short notice; my kids had experienced various adjustment issues in the year and a half since we have been here in Austin, and I had been functioning primarily in the coping/re-establishing equilibrium mode for over a year.  That day — January 12, 2007 — I asked you to help me achieve some clarity and direction with my career development and that is exactly what you did during that hour and a half telephone session.   Amazing!

First of all, you normalized my experience.  When I expressed that I felt overwhelmed with trying to develop two careers at once in a new, highly competitive city like Austin, you validated my feelings totally:  “You’re feeling that because what you are doing is, indeed, overwhelming.”  Then you proceeded to help me see that, although the task might feel overwhelming, it certainly is not impossible.  That realization was empowering and I was so high that day after talking with you that I knew  — finally — that everything was going to work out exactly as it should, albeit with some hard work on my part for the next year or so.  With a tentative plan in mind, I felt much more optimistic and, therefore, patient […]

Frank Jones* is a smart and experienced Board Certified lawyer in a Texas metropolitan area. When Frank began his coaching experience, he had a highly stressful practice, and complained that he was “always putting out fires.” He had employees who disrupted workflow with frequent absences, tardiness and emotional discord. He misplaced papers and wasted a lot of time hunting for them. He dreaded certain phone calls because his disorganization made him feel unprepared. He feared sinking into a practice dominated by a sense of drudgery and darkness. The impact of an enlarging chasm between his management philosophy and that of a partner often distracted him from his legal work.

Frank’s first steps in coaching involved brainstorming and experimenting with strategies to obtain a block of uninterrupted time each day to concentrate on complex legal work. He also strived to put his focus on the most important and pressing matters. With the support and accountability mechanisms of coaching, he was able to develop more productive work patterns despite resistance and impediments from the other office members.

Frank validated the efficacy of coaching with hard numbers. He reported that his efficiency improved sufficiently for him to accomplish in 74 hours per month what previously took him 117 hours. Frank used some of his newfound time to generate more revenue, and some of it to get some exercise with a friend, further relieving his stress.

Relishing those initial accomplishments, Frank turned his attention to other issues, such as creating a less stressful office environment more in line with his vision, building his practice, enhancing the quality of his associates and staff, and moving his practice toward more financially and emotionally rewarding work.

Frank made the decision to leave his firm and set up a new office on his own. He continued his coaching goal of improving productivity and performance in his office. He used his […]

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