How to Make Partner and Still Have a Life

by Townsend, Heather; Larbie, Jo

• ISBN13: 9780749466558
• ISBN10: 0749466553
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-01-28
• Publisher: Kogan Page Ltd

Summary

The burning question on every ambitious fee-earner's lips is: 'how do I make partner at this firm?' This book is your route map to making it to the top in a professional services firm. It shows you how to stand out, be in the right place at the right time and build your kitbag of skills to overcome the many hurdles and reach the Holy Grail of becoming partner. This book reveals what it really takes to make it, and what it will involve once you're there. It helps you make an informed decision on whether or not this is the right step for you. It guides you on how to make partner and still have a life of your own. Heather Townsend and Jo Larbie show you the rules of the game, laying bare exactly what you need to do to take the ultimate step.

Author Biography

Heather Townsend helps professionals and firms become the go-to-expert. She is the author of the best-selling The Financial Times Guide to Business Networking. Over the last decade, Heather has worked with over 100 partners and coached and developed 1,000plus; professionals in the United Kingdom's most ambitious professional practices. Jo Larbie is a leading thinker in the world of talent management for professional service firms. She has over 20 years' experience in organizational and leadership development and as a lawyer, HRD Director, consultant and executive coach. She has been personally responsible for many hundreds of professionals successfully taking the step up to partner.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xiii
Acknowledgements	p. xv
Overview and introduction	p. 1
Is partnership right for you?
What does being a partner in the 21st century actually mean?	p. 10
What makes a partnership environment different from a limited company?	p. 11
The changing world of professional services firms	p. 13
What does it take to be a partner in a firm today?	p. 14
Summary	p. 16
Action points	p. 17
Further resources	p. 17
What do you want from your career and life?	p. 18
Taking responsibility for your career	p. 19
Who are you, and why does this matter?	p. 21
The importance of your firm's values to you and your career	p. 27
Summary	p. 37
Action points	p. 37
Further resources	p. 38
The four different routes to partnership	p. 39
Differences between small firms and large firms	p. 39
The four different routes to partnership	p. 41
The three different types of partner	p. 46
Summary	p. 47
Action points	p. 48
Further resources	p. 48
Is partnership for you? Making the right choices	p. 49
Becoming a career manager	p. 49
Moving out of professional services into industry: taking an in-house role	p. 51
Career change	p. 53
Is partnership for you?	p. 55
Summary	p. 56
Action points	p. 56
Further resources	p. 56
Building a firm foundation for partnership
How to become partnership potential	p. 58
What is partnership potential?	p. 59
How to be perceived as having partnership potential	p. 60
Summary	p. 72
Action points	p. 73
Further resources	p. 73
How to develop yourself on the route to partnership	p. 75
How we learn and develop new skills and behaviours	p. 76
The importance of playing to your strengths	p. 80
How to identify gaps in your skill base	p. 81
How to keep your knowledge up-to-date	p. 84
Summary	p. 85
Action points	p. 85
Further resources	p. 86
Creating and writing your own career action plan	p. 87
Why set goals?	p. 88
How to get started	p. 88
Writing your own career action plan	p. 95
The importance of gaining feedback from others	p. 98
Summary	p. 98
Action points	p. 99
Further resources	p. 99
Building your support team	p. 100
Why do you need a support team?	p. 101
The crucial role of a mentor	p. 102
Mentoring and diversity	p. 103
What do mentors do?	p. 103
What to look for in a mentor	p. 104
What should you expect from a mentoring relationship?	p. 105
How to get the most from your mentor	p. 108
Summary	p. 109
Action points	p. 110
Further resources	p. 110
How your firm makes money	p. 111
Building your understanding of your firm's financial performance	p. 112
How does the firm make money and profit?	p. 115
Summary	p. 122
Action points	p. 122
Further resources	p. 123
How to be seen as 'one of the club'	p. 124
The firm's culture - warts and all	p. 125
How to navigate and survive the firm's politics	p. 126
Join 'the club'	p. 132
Summary	p. 133
Action points	p. 133
Further resources	p. 134
How to find the time to fit it all in	p. 135
The challenge of having to do it all	p. 136
Adopt the right mindset to be productive	p. 136
Why you need to be assertive	p. 137
How to make sure you make time for the 'right' stuff	p. 139
Conquering distractions	p. 145
Stopping meetings wasting your time	p. 148
Delegation	p. 149
Summary	p. 151
Action points	p. 151
Further resources	p. 152
How to look, sound and be the part	p. 153
What do we mean by effective communication?	p. 154
Positively influencing others	p. 158
How to handle a difficult conversation	p. 162
How to give and receive feedback	p. 163
How to dress the part	p. 166
Delivering a presentation with impact	p. 167
Summary	p. 168
Action points	p. 169
Further resources	p. 170
Surviving the early years
How to build your network for life	p. 171
What is networking?	p. 172
Common concerns and myths around networking	p. 173
How to design and build your network	p. 174
How to network effectively	p. 179
Summary	p. 188
Action points	p. 189
Further resources	p. 190
How your role will change as you move upwards	p. 191
Pre-qualification	p. 192
Qualified	p. 193
Manager or associate	p. 194
Director or senior associate	p. 195
Partner	p. 195
Summary	p. 196
Action points	p. 196
Further resources	p. 197
Keeping your eyes on the prize	p. 198
How to stay focused when you are too busy to think	p. 198
How to keep yourself constructively busy and motivated when work is light	p. 201
Summary	p. 205
Action points	p. 206
Further resources	p. 206
How to build your own client portfolio and team
How to keep your body working at peak performance	p. 207
The Health Audit	p. 208
Pressure vs performance	p. 209
Feed your soul	p. 210
Alternative asset management	p. 212
Summary	p. 215
Action points	p. 215
Further resources	p. 216
How to become the 'go to' expert for your firm and profession	p. 217
What do we mean by profile?	p. 218
How to build your personal profile and become the 'go to' expert in your field	p. 223
Relationship management	p. 226
Summary	p. 231
Action points	p. 232
Further resources	p. 233
Building your own client portfolio	p. 234
The business development process	p. 235
How to build your own personal marketing plan to build your client portfolio	p. 237
The sales process	p. 240
The importance of keeping in touch	p. 242
Summary	p. 243
Action points	p. 243
Further resources	p. 243
Managing and leading your way to success	p. 245
What are 'management' and 'leadership'?	p. 246
How to build and develop a team	p. 247
What motivates people	p. 250
How to develop your people	p. 251
How to run a performance review and set goals	p. 254
How to coach	p. 258
Quality controls	p. 260
Summary	p. 260
Action points	p. 261
Further resources	p. 262
How to make it through your firm's partnership selection process
Overcoming the final hurdles to making partner	p. 263
Undertaking your own due diligence	p. 263
The partner admission process	p. 267
Your moment of truth - is partnership right for you at this firm?	p. 276
Summary	p. 278
Action points	p. 279
Further resources	p. 279
First steps as a partner	p. 280
Your first few steps as a new partner	p. 280
Creating your legacy	p. 286
Summary	p. 287
Action points	p. 287
Further resources	p. 288
Index	p. 289
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