Biography
James R. Sims III - Executive Coach
Coaching Approach
Jim Sims helps leaders, managers, lawyers, and others be more effective – individually and with colleagues and their teams. Clients identify obstacles that interfere with their goals and, with Jim’s help, develop ways to overcome those hurdles and turn their paths in new directions. He believes that clients often already have the answers to their challenges – coaching simply helps tease out their solutions in a way that facilitates client progress and success.
Jim’s coaching has enabled clients to address how to lead their teams more effectively, communicate more directly, become more assertive, develop a more positive outlook, optimize organizational structure, present themselves more professionally, rebuild dysfunctional teams, manage projects and time more efficiently, and perhaps most importantly, change the lens through which they view the world around them.
Broad Background
Jim brings to his executive leadership coaching work over 30 years’ experience as an associate and for over two decades as a partner in a large multi-national law firm. While working with hundreds of clients on their legal matters in multiple sectors, he also focused on the firm’s people, serving on the firm’s professional development and evaluation committees – leading training programs; assisting with administering the firm’s attorney evaluation system; recruiting lateral associates, of counsel, and partners; and serving as independent re-viewer for rising partner and of counsel candidates. Along the way, he trained, mentored, and coached countless people with diverse backgrounds, interests, and goals. Now an Inter-national Coach Federation (ICF) Professional Certified Coach, Jim coaches clients in corporations, law firms, nonprofits, and local, state, and federal government.
Leadership Roles
As a leader himself of various teams over his ongoing career, Jim understands how to motivate and develop people through careful listening, effective two-way communication, and mentoring – learning from, and supporting colleagues. In addition to his multi-national law firm client and internal leadership experience (as an assistant practice group leader and office committee chair), Jim also served as the chair of various American Bar Association divisions and committees, working with diverse attorneys from many firms and organizations. He’s also served on several boards, including the American Hospice Foundation (both as a board member and as Treasurer), the Mid-Atlantic Association for Imago Relationship Therapists (both as a board member and as co-chair of its education committee – in each case, as a non-therapist), Corsearch’s Advisory Board (a trademark research firm), and George Washington University Law School’s Intellectual Property Advisory Board.
Jim is the immediate Past President of the 1500+ member ICF Metro DC chapter; he chaired its annual Capital Coaches Conference in 2018 and co-chaired its 2019 Conference. In addition, Jim serves as a Global Good Fund Leadership Development Coach, as well as a Mentor Coach for the Executive Leadership Coaching program of Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership. A trained mediator, he’s also an Imago couples’ relation-ship coach, having completed (as a non-therapist) the same core training program that licensed therapists complete to become certified Imago Relationship Therapists.
Jim tackles each of his engagements with a rye sense of humor, occasionally sandwiching puns into his coaching conversations – a successful recipe followed throughout his career.