Center on the Legal Profession, Harvard Law School

Directors, Coaches, and Editors

Toggle between two views: ‘The Shift’ shows the move from doing to directing. ‘The Cycle’ shows how the three roles iterate within a single working session, creating a tight feedback loop.
By Anthea Roberts and David Wilkins
Visuals and analysis created with Dragonfly Thinking
How to Read This
Use the toggle to switch views. ‘The Shift’ shows how each traditional doing role maps to a new orchestrating role — up one level of abstraction. ‘The Cycle’ shows that these three roles don’t happen in sequence — they iterate many times within a single working session, creating a tight feedback loop. Click any element to explore.
Roles
Director — Define the problem and approach
Coach — Course-correct during execution
Editor — Verify output before it goes out
Legend
Primary Roles — The traditional doing roles
Upward shift / cycle flow
Key Insight
“You need to be all three: director, coach, and editor, often within a single working session.”
Select an element
Click a role, shift arrow, or cycle segment to explore detail.