The title of our book is 'How to make partner AND still have a life'. However, how many of us actually take the time to step back and think about what the 'AND still have a life' bit means? We only tend to think about the 'career ambition bit' - often to the detriment of whether we are actually enjoying what we are doing at work.

One of the most important factors in enjoying your career is making sure that you are doing the work that you relish, and that you find what you are doing worthwhile.  It is worth thinking about this carefully, because it only gets harder to motivate yourself  if you are not passionate about your work. If you are going to achieve your career ambition, and still be happy and fulfilled, inside and outside of work, enjoying and being enthused about your work is essential.

How many of us can clearly answer the question, What do you want from your career and life?”

Recently, when Jo, my co-author, asked a group of new lawyers this question, their response was stunned silence.  Finally, one of the group responded that it was “too early to say”!  The sad fact is that many professionals rarely spend time thinking about their careers from the beginning because they believe that their work is just that – work. This is surprising when you consider the time, money and effort it takes to graduate, find a position with a firm and then qualify. (Or if you are in the legal profession, qualify and then find a position within a firm.)

Really understanding what you want from your career and life will make it easier for you to choose the best career directions, including whether or not you should go for a senior role, including partnership.