Coughlin believes that attorneys are trained to be risk averse, which is not consistent with entrepreneurial decision making.
(1888PressRelease) August 23, 2008 - ActionCOACH Warren Coughlin felt like a round peg in a square hole and left the law firm he worked in to pursue entrepreneurship.
“I had left law about five years before becoming an ActionCOACH to pursue entrepreneurship. For me, while the law firm I was at was a great, well established and highly ethical firm, the practice of law was ultimately unfulfilling,” he said.
Coughlin feels a higher sense of fulfillment in his present full-time role as an ActionCOACH. He feels that while as a lawyer, he was able to help people erect roadblocks, as a Business Coach, he finds himself in a more constructive and unique position to remove those roadblocks.
Coughlin points out some of the striking similarities between the two professions, which essentially require the same skills-sets in terms of creative problem solving, listening and disciplined analytical skills; helping people stay focused and on track; building confidence in presenting ideas and clarity in communication.
“ActionCOACH Business Coaches and attorneys both provide professional services in the form of advice clients may not want to even hear, for a fee,” he said. “There is also a need for continuing education as well as developing interpersonal and relationship building skills in both these professions.
Having previously been in litigation, Coughlin finds coaching to be an inherently collaborative effort, wherein a coach has the ability to help businesses in a more holistic manner.
“Lawyers can only help businesses in a limited way by illuminating legal risks, which flow from particular business decisions. Coaching is about getting into the business’ nuts and bolts,” he said. “While there are some lawyers who provide advice on non-legal business issues, it is inappropriate to do so since they are not trained in this area; they are trained to be risk averse, which is not consistent with entrepreneurial decision making.”
“As a coach, you are looked upon as part of the team; as a lawyer, you are perceived as a necessary evil. Also, lawyers are less interested in the personal side of things and want to focus on the issues; coaches spend a lot of time developing not only businesses but also people,” he said.
A Business Coach is like a sports coach that motivates athletes to take their skills to the next level and win championships.
“Lawyers have to do the work; coaches instruct and motivate the clients to do the work. Unlike lawyers, they are not bogged down by strenuous paperwork,” Coughlin said.
Coughlin finds it much more satisfying to work collaboratively and constructively with entrepreneurs to make a bigger pie, rather than fighting over an existing pie.
“As an ActionCOACH, I am able to do the things I cannot as a lawyer, which includes, but is not limited to achieving 300-400% business growth; increasing margins by 25%; implementing recruiting practices that improve the quality of hiring while reducing the cost of doing so; helping clients to grow as leaders,” he said.
Coughlin recalls joining law school primarily because he viewed it as a good training ground.
“They say law schools are full of smart people who can’t think of anything better to do; for me it wasn’t quite that. I had many interests ranging from politics to international relations to entrepreneurship and believed law school would be a potential learning platform,” he said.
The role of an ActionCOACH is a demanding one, and involves knowledge in all areas of business operations. Coughlin had to develop certain skills, like reading and understanding financial statements from a management perspective, hiring and training staff and working with people to overcome personal obstacles- all of which were new to him as an attorney.
Coughlin is motivated by helping fellow business owners solve problems creatively and grow. He believes that while attorneys have great advantages over Business Coaches in advising on legal issues, Business Coaches far outweigh the value they provide to businesses in the long-term since they look at the big picture.
“Entrepreneurs need the services of both,” he said. “However, being able to look at the bigger picture is more important than anything else.”
ActionCOACH is the world’s number one business coaching firm, with more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries. To learn more, go to actioncoach.com.
Coughlin believes that attorneys are trained to be risk averse, which is not consistent with entrepreneurial decision making. 
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