Festivitis!

The mad dash to the festive season (off-the-desk-itis)

Here in Abu Dhabi, schools finish next week for the festive break so my lawyer clients are even busier than usual. Why? As December rolls around, something happens in almost every law firm I know. The pace quickens. Inboxes fill faster. Clients want everything tied up neatly before the holidays. Partners are juggling deadlines, year-end reviews, billing targets, and the unspoken pressure to finish the year strong. It’s a familiar story and for many lawyers, that final push to the festive season can feel less like a steady march and more like a flat-out sprint.

What’s really going on though?

-        Your drive to serve clients brilliantly?

-        Your commitment to the firm?

-        Your desire to succeed?

These aren’t bad things. On the contrary, they’re the very qualities that contribute to great lawyers. But when they go unchecked, they can also lead to exhaustion, frustration, and that year end sense of dragging yourself to the finish line.

That’s where coaching can make a real difference. Executive coaching gives you space and protected time which is often in short supply in law. It’s a chance to pause and ask yourself:

- What’s actually critical right now, and what can wait?

- How am I leading under pressure and how do I want to be perceived by my team as a leader?

- What do I want to carry forward into the New Year, and what do I want to leave behind? (Consider this as minor or as major a question as you like.)

Coaching isn’t about slowing down for the sake of it. It’s about helping you regain or refine clarity and focus so that your valuable effort has real impact. It helps you reconnect with your values, your strengths, and your sense of purpose.

Because when you do that, you move into the New Year with more than just a clean slate. You start it with renewed energy, perspective, and the confidence that comes from leading yourself well, even in the busiest of seasons.

Maybe your gift to yourself this year will be to unlock your potential, enhance your performance and achieve your goals. Or, more simply, to pause, reflect and move forward with intention.