Do you ever wonder why partners seem hesitant about your progression despite your strong performance?
Here’s the truth: it’s not about your technical ability or billable hours. It’s about something partners call the “peace of mind test” – would they sleep soundly knowing you’re handling their top client while they’re on holiday, or would they wake at 3am in a cold sweat?
This test reveals what’s really being assessed for partnership. Your partners are asking themselves: can I trust this person with my business? Can work go out under my name without me reviewing it first? If you’re still waiting for someone to sign off everything you do, there’s a mindset shift you need to make – and it doesn’t mean you’re not capable, it means you need to start acting like the partner you want to become.
In this episode, you’ll discover what the peace of mind test really measures and how to pass it with flying colors. You’ll learn the specific shifts that signal you’re ready to be trusted with partner-level responsibility.
In this episode you will learn:
- Why the “peace of mind test” matters more than your technical skills when partners assess your readiness for partnership
- How to shift from “managing clients” to “running a practice” – the mental transition that signals partner readiness
- The exact language changes that increase your gravitas and authority (replace “I just think…” with words that command respect)
- Why naked ambition without team contribution raises red flags – and how to demonstrate hunger for partnership while building trust
If you find this episode useful, don’t forget to like it and then subscribe so you don’t miss another episode.
What help is out there for you to progress your career in the professions?
If you’re thinking, ‘I get the theory, but I need more help with developing partner-level presence and confidence’, our Progress To Partner Academy can help you.
That’s precisely why we have a suite of courses in the Progress to Partner Academy to help you with this. For example, our masterclass ‘How to change your firm’s perception of you when you are seen as just a safe pair of hands’ gives you the frameworks to shift how partners view your readiness. And our ‘How to gracefully say no to a partner’ masterclass gives you the confidence to set boundaries while building trust.
You can also listen to this episode on Substack and on Apple Podcasts
Hello, and welcome!
Imagine you’re a partner in a law firm. One of your top clients needs urgent advice, but you’re on holiday. Your senior associate is handling it. Do you sleep peacefully? Or are you awake at 3am wondering what’s happening?
This scenario, which one partner called the “peace of mind test,” reveals something crucial about whether an individual is ready for partnership that most professionals miss. It’s not just about your technical ability or how many hours you bill. It’s about trust – the kind that lets partners hand over their most valuable relationships without losing sleep.
If you’re wondering whether you’re truly ready for partnership, or if your partners seem hesitant despite your strong performance, this episode will help you understand what’s really being assessed.
This is the How to Make Partner podcast with me, Heather Townsend. The author of Poised for Partnership, and co-author of How to Make Partner and Still Have a Life. In this podcast, I will be highlighting some of the great stuff in our Progress To Partner Academy. New episodes are released weekly, so press subscribe so you never miss a new episode.
Right, let’s explore what this peace of mind test really means. This came up in a recent panel discussion I hosted with three partners from a law firm I work with. One of the partners who’d made partner in two different firms, explained it brilliantly. He said if someone is going to see one of his top clients, or if someone’s sending advice to one of his top clients without him being there, how does that make him feel? Does he think “Yeah, that’s great, I completely trust so-and-so, no problems there”? Or is he waking up at 3 in the morning going, “Oh God, what’s happening?”
This is the litmus test that partners use, even if they don’t consciously articulate it this way. It’s a very good guide to how they would feel about the proposition of should X be made a partner.
Another senior partner on the panel, jumped in to add something really important. He said it’s not just about the peace of mind test – it’s about whether you’re expecting someone to do a final edit and check off your work, or whether you’re comfortable having it go out under your name. Most partners he knows don’t look at work from certain senior fee earners who are not yet partners – they’re acting as a partner already and are confident enough in their ability to present externally.
And here’s the key message: if you’re waiting for someone to almost sign off everything you do before it’s finished, you need to shift your mindset. That doesn’t mean you’re not ready – but there’s a different mentality required.
So how do you develop this partner-level confidence and competence?
First, you need to understand that technical competence is assumed. By the time you get to partner consideration, your partners assume you are competent in your area. The question is: are you already acting, thinking, and feeling like a partner?
In Chapter 9 of Poised for Partnership, I outline what this means in practice. Ask yourself these questions:
- Are you helping others in your team develop?
- Do you and your team hit your billing and collection targets?
- Do you demonstrate, by what you say and do, that you’re committed to the firm’s strategy?
- Are you hungry for more leadership and management responsibility?
- Do the partners in your part of the practice regularly consult your opinion?
- Do you have your key achievements and progress against your plans at your fingertips?
- Do you talk about your business or practice rather than a collection of clients?
That last one is particularly important. When you start thinking about “my practice” rather than “my clients,” it’s a mental shift that signals you’re ready.
Second, work on your gravitas. Your partners want to be proud when they introduce you as one of their partners. This means having executive presence – the kind that makes clients trust you immediately and partners feel confident handing you their relationships.
Gravitas comes from several factors: your posture and body language, the language you use, your self-belief, and how you prepare for key meetings. One of the biggest impacts on your gravitas is the language you use. Not just how you say the words, but the actual words.
In Poised for Partnership, I talk about avoiding what Susan Heaton-Wright calls “Ding Dong” words and replacing them with “Bing Bong” words. Ding Dong words reduce your gravitas and undermine your authority. Things like “I just think…” or “Am I making sense?” or “I’m no expert at this but…”
Replace these with Bing Bong words: “To my mind…” “The truth is…” “It is my belief that…” These subtle changes increase your authority, credibility, and gravitas.
Third, eliminate the behaviors that signal you’re not quite there yet. The panel discussed several red flags. One of the partners mentioned seeing someone who was nakedly ambitious – massively driven, which is brilliant and will take you a long way – but doing it at the cost of being part of the office, part of the team, part of the drive for the office as a whole. That’s when red flags start appearing.
The peace of mind test is ultimately about trust. Can your partners trust you with their business? Can they sleep at night knowing you’re handling their top clients? Building that trust requires you to already be acting like a partner – demonstrating competence, gravitas, and judgment in everything you do.
Now, if you’re thinking, “I understand this in theory, but I need practical help developing these skills,” that’s exactly what the Progress To Partner Academy is designed for. We have great recorded masterclasses such as How to change your firm’s perception of you when you are seen as a just a safe pair of hands, or how to gracefully say no to a partner, that give you the frameworks and exercises to develop partner-level presence and confidence.
I’ve popped a link to our Progress To Partner Academy directly in the show notes for this episode. Also in the show notes, you’ll find links to my books – Poised for Partnership and How to Make Partner and Still Have a Life – so you can easily find them on Amazon. And as a thank you for listening, there’s also a link for a 10% discount on annual membership for our Progress To Partner Academy using the code PODCAST10.
That’s all for this episode of the How to Make Partner podcast. What’s your action for this week?
Think about one piece of work you’re about to submit. Would you be comfortable with it going to a top client without your partner reviewing it first? If not, what specifically do you need to develop or improve?
If you have enjoyed this episode please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or give us a comment on Substack. This helps us get the word out to others who may need this advice too. Remember to hit subscribe so you don’t miss next week’s episode.
Thanks for listening!
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Links
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