A culture of progression: Charlotte Barrett-McGowan on taking the next step

Charlotte Barrett-McGowan, Head of Portfolio Management & Strategic Delivery, London: Since joining DLA Piper, what I've really appreciated is the opportunities that I've been presented with.

The culture here is to get you to grow. I think that I've stepped into that because I've always been hungry for growth. I've always wanted to really push myself. I've been given every enabler here to do that.

So when the opportunity came to become Head of Portfolio and Change Management, I really grabbed it with both hands.

I think that progression is embedded in the culture at DLA Piper. I think it filters down all the way from the top.

I think we're really, really fortunate here in that we're given the opportunities and the tools to progress as far as we want.

I think it's hugely important to shape your own development. Who other than you knows where you want to be in the next one, three, five, ten years.

But equally, what I've done and what I would advise is, you look to people around the firm, people that are trailblazers ahead of you, people that you look up to, people that are more influential and you get the information from them. You can gain guidance from them.

But ultimately, progression is iterative. It's not linear. 

So, you have to be ready to take the next step.