PwC is a partnership firm with over 500 partners in Australia alone. Often it can be hard to understand the pathway from graduate to partner so we’ve chatted to some of our partners across the firm to gather some key insights and learnings gained on their journey to senior leadership. Here’s what they said:

Matt Graham - Assurance

My three tips would be:

• Stay in touch with all of your networks - friends, clients, alumni, targets. Great relationships are created early in our careers.
• Understand the business issues of our clients and how our whole firm can help - breadth of business knowledge and ability to have broad business conversations will be differentiating.
• Be yourself - authenticity is a gift that is worth keeping at the centre of who you are. 
  
  

Shad Sears - Risk Assurance

Firstly, don't be afraid to have the ambition to become a partner. I see a number of staff who seem reluctant to 'call out' that they aspire to become a partner, either because of perceived reaction from peers or a degree of self-doubt and not wanting to get ahead of themselves. I believe staff need to set this goal, communicate it with those who can work with them to map out the journey and take agency on how they are going to achieve that goal.

Secondly, becoming a partner is not just about sustained tenure. It’s about evolving yourself across a number of attributes. This can include skills in business development, networking, presentation delivery, interpersonal relationships and business acumen. Being a partner requires a commitment to prepare yourself to be as capable in the role as you can be.

Vish Padmanabhan - Consulting

Remember that it takes time to learn how to interact with people who view you through a different lens once you become a partner. Take the time to reflect on how impactful your actions are and the wonderful responsibility that you have to care for people and the society you live in.