The transition to partnership

Congratulations to all the lawyers who recently became partners – a real watershed career moment! Recently one new partner asked me for advice on navigating this transition successfully. I reflected on the numerous new partners I’ve sponsored over the last couple of decades and cast my mind back to my own experience as a new partner 24 years ago. There are so many aspects to being a great partner, they could fill a book (now there’s an idea!), but I think the 3 fundamentals below will get any new partner off to a good start.

Shift your mindset:

Understand that, while you’ll continue to do some of the same things, the expectations of your new role are fundamentally different. Your performance will no longer be judged primarily on the quality of the advice and service that you deliver, but on your contribution to the growth and sustained success of the business. You are now a business owner and leader, so you need to think and act like one.

Review your objectives:

Throughout the promotion process you will have articulated the ways in which you will contribute to the growth and success of the business. Remind yourself of those commitments then, taking account of your new mindset, distil them. I’d recommend focusing on no more than 3 objectives. Make them clear, pithy and memorable because these are the yardsticks against which your future performance will be judged. Too often the list is too long or too nebulous to be useful or it simply articulates financial outcomes without addressing how you’ll achieve them or it is too short-sighted, focusing only on immediate next steps.

Create systems that sustain habits:

Sadly, adopting an objective doesn’t mean you will achieve it, despite your best intentions. Break down your objectives, identify the new habits that you will need to build to deliver them and then create systems that ensure that you develop and sustain those habits – even when you are busy, tired, distracted, bored or deflated. When new partners flounder and drift back to their comfort zone, its often because they didn’t invest the initial time and effort to build the systems that would keep them on track and underpin their success. For many, the initial priority will be ensuring an increased focus on business development. You’ll want systems that ensure you habitually build your market profile and expand and sustain your business network. Your systems should make it as easy as possible for you to sustain these habits relentlessly. Remember, the future is going to be exciting and rewarding but from time to time it’s also going to be tough, so make sure your systems include plenty of support and encouragement from others and milestones at which you can review and celebrate your progress.

By focusing on these 3 things, you’ll lay firm foundations for a brilliant partnership career.