If you’re looking to make principal or partner in your firm, there are a few things you need to know…

First, you don’t even have to *absolutely* know that you want to be a principal to get started on the steps I’m about to share. These steps are the best path to becoming an owner in your firm—but at the very least, they will make you more valued in your company and your career.

I know a woman who wasn’t certain she wanted to be a principal. For some women, there’s a lot of fear underneath.

• Can I really do this?
• Am I really ready?
• Will I be chosen?

You worry about that *one thing* that makes you different (that makes you feel like you’re not enough.) You worry that if you are chosen, you’ll fail and disappoint everyone.

But she decided to at least consider a principal role as a real option and investigate it fully.

She started conversations with her leadership, came up with preliminary ideas about what she could add to the leadership team, and how she’d contribute to the firm’s success. Her leadership was receptive—they iterated together on her ideas.

In just a few months, they hashed out a plan for her path to a principal role—one that specifically drew on her strengths and interests while increasing the firm’s profitability.

You don’t have to wait to be picked. You can take matters into your own hands and explore—and even achieve—being promoted to principal or partner in your firm. And you can do it without feeling boxed in or like you’re hurtling down a roller coaster to a destination you’re unsure about.

Here are 5 simple steps to becoming principal or partner in your firm:

1. Get clear on the skills and strengths you have—and where they are needed at the leadership level.

Identify what you love to do, what you excel at, and how those skills could add value at the leadership level. What gaps exist that you could fill?

2. Schedule conversations with the principals and partners in your firm.

Express your interest in becoming a principal or partner. Walk out of these conversations with an understanding of the step-by-step process to join the ownership team. Ask:

• What do I need to do to get there?
• Are there any skills or achievement gaps I need to close?
• How are principals chosen, and what would I need to do to be selected?

3. Make a step-by-step plan based on these conversations.

Design a plan to close skills gaps, rack up achievements, and position yourself for promotion according to your firm’s processes.

4. Schedule follow-up meetings to get feedback on your plan.

These conversations give you critical feedback, build buy-in, and show that you can think independently—an essential leadership trait.

5. Make progress and follow up consistently.

Work on your plan and schedule regular check-ins with leadership. Seek opportunities to showcase your skills, like leading initiatives or shadowing executives in complex negotiations.

I’ve guided women to get their leaders to nominate them for principal. I’ve helped women move from passed-over and pigeonholed project managers into leadership roles specifically crafted for them.

This step-by-step process will help you feel confident in *your* pathway and your ability to navigate it. You’ll transform the feeling of being overlooked into being recognized, valued, and on the path to ownership and leadership.

Stop waiting to be chosen and start making the case for the promotion you want. Download my free Promotion Request Tool & Tracker to get started.