Last week I said I would ask you if you put into practice
at least one discipline to advance your status and improve your professional
fulfillment. I changed my mind. If you didn’t do anything, you are a mindless
slug. I’m more interested in interacting with those who are serious
professionals, not wannabes. So I move on.

In the human brain, the prefrontal cortex (behind your
forehead) is where rational decision making and complex thinking occurs. It
regulates your actions and is the seat of your consciousness. The work it does is
referred to as the executive function.

In your firm, the partner group performs the executive
function for your organization. Important and strategic decisions are made,
complex problems are discussed and solved and the firm’s well-being always on
their minds.

Individually, partners contribute to the executive
function.  But not all partners. Just
because someone becomes a partner doesn’t mean they have the capabilities to function
as one.

Here are some examples:

They think at a
higher level. They avoid being consumed with the details and small things
at the expense of seeing and acting in the big picture. This is probably the
most difficult shift for new partners.

They make things
happen. They don’t just let
things happen. They learn to stimulate situations, prompting others to take action
and produce results. This goes for those in and out of the firm: other
professionals, regulators, subs, etc.

They have an eye
for opportunities. They are driven more by possibilities of a situation than
by the difficulties inherent in it. They ask, “What would happen if we don’t?”

One of the most gratifying experiences I have is coaching
partners to finally get it. They progress from senior managers and young
partners to understand and fill the firm’s executive function.

This week, no matter where you are in the firm, begin
developing the skills to make contributions to the executive function. Others
will find it difficult to exclude you or to find reasons not to promote you.