Editor’s note: This column is part of a series for The American Lawyer called The Fully Human Lawyer™. Written by leadership coach and former attorney Lauren Krasnow, the series explores challenges lawyers often encounter at work and shows how a leadership coach approaches and helps lawyers solve these challenges. All identities have been altered to maintain confidentiality. 

Margo, the group leader I was coaching, was livid. Colin, a member of her team, had dropped the ball yet again—on something critical. To make matters worse, he was, according to Margo, an annoying know-it-all, cavalier about details, and dismissive of required administrative tasks like timekeeping and status reports. These qualities had not just alienated Margo, but troubled others on her team. Margo decided to give Colin a Hail Mary chance to improve but predicted there was no way he would work out.