I Had to Be Independent to Succeed - Then Got Criticised For It

Years ago, I applied for promotion at a law firm where the environment made it especially difficult to progress. All the partners in my department were men. Any new client opportunities that came into the firm were passed directly to them. If you weren’t already a partner, you had to generate new work on your own - not easy when most of the work we did involved large, established organisations who rarely changed legal providers.

But I managed it. I identified a major potential client and spent years proactively offering them free training and support. I kept showing up, building trust, and adding value. Eventually, they gave us work. It was a significant win for the firm - and I’d taken the lead from start to finish.