IAM1598 – Business Coach Helps Lawyers Amplify Their Street Smarts

Gary Mitchell, CEO of OnTrac(R) Coach has a very entrepreneurial approach to coaching lawyers helping them develop those skills that are critical to The Business of Law; creativity, communication, imagination, and innovation. Gary knows that lawyers are smart, and when they are given effective guidance and support and pointed in the right direction, they learn these new skills and habits very quickly.

Thrice published, his latest book, ‘Growing a Law Practice During Covid-19, was published in June of 2021. Gary's latest innovation is the Law Practice Builder App, guiding lawyers through the same process he uses in his coaching engagements.

• CEO Story: Gary’s journey started in politics where he was the campaign manager for a Lawyer candidate and he was coaching him with soft skills, networking, media relations, and interaction with people. And it was an amazing transformation, it was an Aha moment for Gary. When the Lawyer’s best friend saw what happened, suggested to Gary, to look at the Legal industry. Saying that lawyers really need soft skills, marketing, business development, and business management skills. Gary looked at it and did the research for 9 months and never stopped since, and that was 17 years ago.
• Business Service: Business Coach for the legal industry. Law practice builder application.
• Secret Sauce: Taking more of a psychological approach understanding the lawyer's mind being heavy on the left brain functions, analytical skeptical which really lawyers need. Building street smarts and business smarts.
• CEO Hack: Book mention: Good to Great by Jim Collins – talks about the difference between a good corporation/ organization and a great one.
• CEO Nugget: Having great people around you. You are the captain of the ship. Master your strengths, master what you are great at, what you are passionate about. And then build an extraordinary team around you.
• CEO Defined: Being able to inspire, motivate, and have that vision. Inspire ideas. Inspire failure, because, from failure we learn, it will open the floodgates of creativity and innovation.

Website: ontraccoach.com

LinkedIn: garyemitchell

Instagram: ontrac_coach

Twitter: ontraccoach

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpRVj9GTQa7XUnOV6oUmTXQ

Facebook: ontraccoach

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Transcription

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00:30 – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkness values your time and is ready to share precisely the information you're searching for. This is the I AM CEO podcast.

00:57 – Gresham Harkless

Hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Gary Mitchell of OnTrack Coach. Gary, excited to have you on the show.

01:07 – Gary Mitchell

Hey Gresham, thanks for having me. I really appreciate you inviting me to your show today.

01:11 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. I appreciate all the awesome things that you're doing. Before, of course, we jump into having a great conversation. I want to read a little bit more about Gary so you can hear about some of those awesome things. Gary is the CEO of OnTrack Coach, and has a very entrepreneurial approach to coaching lawyers, helping them to develop those skills that are critical to the business of law, creativity, communication, imagination, and innovation. Gary knows that lawyers are smart and when they are given effective guidance and support and pointed in the right direction, they learn these new skills and habits very quickly.

Thrice published his latest book, a Growing a Law Practice During COVID-19 was published in June of 2021. Gary's latest innovation is the Law Practice Builder app, guiding lawyers through the same process he uses in his coaching engagements. Gary, excited again to have you on the show, and all the awesome things you're doing. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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02:04 – Gary Mitchell

Absolutely, Gretchen.

02:05 – Gresham Harkless

Let's get it started then. So to kind of kick everything off, I know I touched on it a little bit when I read your bio, but I wanted to rewind the clock, and hear a little bit more about how you got started, what I call your CEO story.

02:16 – Gary Mitchell

It's actually, it's kind of an interesting story. It starts with politics. I was the campaign manager for a lawyer. I was coaching him. I didn't like the campaign manager part, but I loved the coaching part. I was coaching him as a candidate. So all soft skills, right? Like networking, media relations, kissing babies, shaking hands, kind of interacting with people. This guy was like a huge intellectual, with 2 master's degrees. So intellectually, at the top of his game, soft skills, people skills, and a blank canvas. So as the campaign went on, I was coaching him on all these skills and you should have seen this guy, the transformation he went under. It was amazing.

So not only was it a life aha moment for me, because I've been a candidate, I've done this, blah, blah, blah. Now I'm the guy behind the guy, so to speak. It was just like, wow, I loved it. At the same time, one of his best friends, a former lawyer, suggested I look at the legal industry. He said, I've watched what you've done with this candidate and the lawyers really need help with soft skills, marketing, business development, and business management skills. Really? So I took a look. I spent about 9 months doing research and I haven't stopped since. That was about 17 years ago.

03:37 – Gresham Harkless

Nice, I absolutely love that, especially as you were able to kind of see and have that kind of magnet that drew you in the right direction in that position and it's so powerful. They always call them soft skills, but I imagine you probably think the same thing. There end up being like the thread towards you being able to kind of show how smart you are, what you do if you aren't able to communicate with people, it's kind of like the if the tree falls in the forest and nobody's around, does it make a sound? If you're really smart, I mean, we've done awesome things. You can't communicate it. Have you really?

04:06 – Gary Mitchell

You can see it. You can see it every day in politics. When you see a candidate, forget about the policy for a minute. We won't go down that road, but you can tell right away, if they're making a connection to their audience, whether it be over the TV or live, that's what I'm talking about. That's the same kind of skills that are required in business, right? Being entrepreneurial, building your team, marketing, business development, day to day, I mean, they don't hurt for life skills either.

04:36 – Gresham Harkless

Yes, absolutely. These 2 things kind of overlap and intertwine very tremendously. So I know that's a little bit of like what you do when you help work with and support your clients. So I wanted to drill down a little bit more here on how that process goes and you make that impact for the clients you work with.

04:51 – Gary Mitchell

Well, I've taken it's been brought to my attention that there are a number of different business coaches out there but I take more of a psychological approach to understand the lawyer's mind being heavy on the left brain functions, analytical, skeptical, which really they need, right? To do their job as a lawyer, they're paramount. But I liken it to this question, I've said this, I think I've said it in a few articles, but I don't know if it was in the book. The left brain has had Olympian-level exercise and practice. The right vein has been a catch potato binging on Netflix.

What I do in my coaching practices, is I really help them understand these different skills that they haven't had as much practice or experience and some have had none, right? It takes them out of their comfort zone because they're so focused on those skills that make them a great lawyer, which often makes them a poor business person. So I'm not changing them. I'm not taking away from them being a good lawyer. I don't want to touch that. I help them learn how to be more entrepreneurial. That's my approach. That's what really stands me out from other business coaches in the legal industry.

06:06 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, that makes so much sense. I appreciate you sharing that. I almost wonder if like, I was thinking the word amplify, cause going back to what we were talking about when you really have done that Olympian workout, you've gone to the West, you've done all those things, but you aren't necessarily able to communicate them or you aren't able to maybe even get clients, just all those entrepreneurial things. You can't really have the impact that you could have. So almost the word that I was landing on is amplified because I feel like what you do kind of helps amplify all the Olympian skills they kind of developed.

06:37 – Gary Mitchell

Well, I'll never forget. It was actually a couple of years ago during COVID. I have this senior partner at an international firm. So very veteran, right? Maybe 5 years away from retiring. Ron O'Calling says, Gary, why is it that some of the best lawyers, like these brainiacs, so to speak, for lack of a better term, brilliant in law, are clueless on the business side? We both laughed and I said, it's all about the brain. It's all about your schooling, your experience, everything has focused on that, those left brain functions, right?

We both, obviously use both sides of the brain. I'm not saying that they don't use them all. I'm exaggerating, but they've never had it, it's never taught in school. When they're juniors and starting out, they never get that. It's all about the book. It's all about the letter of the law. It's analytical, critical, theoretical, like intellectual smarts. What I do is help them build their street smarts, so to speak, business smarts. Very practical down to earth approach.

07:46 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. So I know you kind of maybe touched on this a little bit, but I want to ask you for what I call your secret sauce. It could be for yourself, the business, or a combination of both, but is it your ability to kind of understand and meet people where they are, understand the lawyer, and understand each of the human aspects of it? Do you think that's part of your secret sauce?

08:04 – Gary Mitchell

I really do actually. It's been brought to my attention. Like I go back to my very first client, a very well-respected junior partner at a very large litigation firm, doing well already. His very own words, as he looked at 2 other people, I'm brand spanking new, okay? Like Polish, you know, just out of the car showroom. He said he chose me because he said, Gary, I'm already a good lawyer. I want what you have. I want that entrepreneurial drive spirit and mindset. It kind of set me on the path right out of the gate.

I've explored it more. The more I understand the lawyer mind, and by the way, it's not just the lawyer mind, it's the intellectual mind. I passed that real practical earth approach. That's part of the secret sauce. Then that entrepreneurial bent or focus really, I think that's what really grabs them because a lot of them when they come to me, that's what they want. They know how to be a lawyer. They know how to be great lawyers, right? But they want to be good and great at business.

09:12 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's so powerful what you do. So I wanted to ask you a little bit more about like how you're working with your clients and how you're serving them. That manifests itself in your app and your book and all the things that you're doing, helping them to kind of bridge that gap between understanding how exactly they can learn each of those soft skills so that they can be amplified and complemented.

09:35 – Gary Mitchell

Basically, the app is designed in order. So if you were just starting out, it's in order, each module. It's suggested that You take this 1 and then move to the next 1 or the next 1. But if you're coming in, you're a veteran lawyer and you already know you've got to practice up and running or maybe you're running a small firm and you've got a few years experience. It's open so you can pick and choose where you start. Do you start with HR and leadership or do you start with marketing?

Practice management, time management, whatever challenge is upfront for you at the time, you can pick and choose which module to start with and you're in total control. It's the same exercises, same worksheets, same evaluations that I use in my one-to-one coaching. Basically what it was designed for Gresham is self-learners. So somebody that with guidance, a little bit of guidance, far less than the one-to-one coaching can do this on their own time. But I have to say, I'm most proud of this out of all the intellectual things I've done, books and articles and whatever, I'm most proud of the law practice builder app. To my knowledge, there is no other product out there like it.

10:46 – Gresham Harkless

Nice. Well, I absolutely appreciate that. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an Apple book or a habit that you have. What's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

10:58 – Gary Mitchell

Well, first of all, let me tell you my favorite book, my favorite book, and it's not about CEOs, but it's about business. It's called Good to Great by Jim Collins. It talks about the differences between a good corporation or good organization and a great 1. I quote it in all 3 books. I quote him, especially when talking about HR. So that's 1 of my favorite books. I have a morning ritual that depending on the client, I pass along and my morning always starts with gratitude. I look around and I like I have a list of things and I'm fully aware every moment, every morning, grabbing my coffee as my brain is starting to warm up. This is way before I dive into any work at all.

11:42 – Gresham Harkless

I appreciate you, of course, sharing that today and of course having that in your book. Of course, the book is good to great, which is always a great thing to understand like how important it is to have valuable people around you. So what would you consider to be what I like to call a CEO nugget? You might have heard such a thing.

11:56 – Gary Mitchell

Okay, well actually this leads perfectly into the CEO nugget. Because Having great people around you is the nugget. As a CEO, you're the captain of the ship. You're steering the ship. That doesn't mean you have to be cooking the food, doing the laundry, washing the deck, navigating the ship. No. In fact, many entrepreneurs starting out make the mistake of trying to do everything themselves. I think we've talked about this before. I certainly repeat it. 1 of my idols, unfortunately, is no longer with us, Steve Jobs.

Back in the 80s, smart people when looking at a SWAT's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats would say pull up your shorts, Work on your weaknesses, improve them, and get better. Then along comes Steve Jobs and he has a different view of it. And he says, no, no, no, no, no, no. Master your strengths, become a master at what you're great at, what you're good at, most likely what you love, and what you're passionate about, become a master, and then build a team around you of extraordinary people.

13:08 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that? So I absolutely love and appreciate that. And so I think we touched on how you would look at and define being a CEO, especially you being a virtual CEO and supporting so many organizations. I think you said being able to inspire, motivate, and have that vision and be able to kind of do that. Do you consider that to be part of being a CEO?

13:27 – Gary Mitchell

Absolutely. See, here's the thing. You don't have to have all of the ideas or the points, right? Sometimes you'll have an idea, sometimes you'll have a vision, but sometimes you won't. You're gonna know who on your team to look to. You get the conversation started, right? At the end of the day, you build on that conversation and before you know it, you forget, where did the idea come from in the beginning? It doesn't matter, it's where it gets to, and where it gets to is a part of the whole team.

As a CEO, I think it's the most important thing you can do is inspire ideas, inspire. I've even read, I can't remember where it was, inspire failure, because from failure we learn. It's not going to be a huge failure, right? It's not going to bring the corporation down. But by inspiring failure, you're opening the floodgates of creativity and innovation. You're telling your people, to bring their ideas. Don't keep quiet. Bring them. We want to hear them. We want to work with them, mash it, and collaborate. That's when real creativity and real innovation happen. That's when big things happen when you take that approach.

14:45 – Gresham Harkless

Well, Gary, I truly appreciate your definitions and all the awesome things that you're doing. So what I want to do now is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know. Of course, how people can get a copy of your book, the app, and all the awesome things that you're working on.

15:00 – Gary Mitchell:

The second thing you've become good at is becoming a leader. So you can attract and build this amazing team around you. You can give your people what you have and what a gift that is. So you can allow your people to come to work and have that same level of passion and commitment to the project, to the company, to the vision, to be a part of the vision and leading it forward and moving it forward. That's again, I say it again, it's worth repeating, that's when big things happen. That's when new innovations, new creations, inventions, service offerings, That's when all that happens is when humans are inspired to think and create.

The app is off my website, www.ontracknokcoach.com. It's right on the homepage, practice, but law practice builder. The book is available from Lexis Nexus. That's a legal publisher. But it's just, you know, I just have to say it's been a pleasure speaking with you today. Really have I love this collaborative approach you have to your podcast. Thank you.

16:05 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. It always makes it easier and better when you have awesome people doing awesome things to be able to kind of collaborate. So I appreciate you for all the awesome things you're doing, Gary. Of course, we're going to have the links and information. The show notes as well too. And I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

16:19 – Gary Mitchell

You too Gresham, thank you.

16:20 – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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