Margaret scheduled her first check-in with Mei Chen for Week 3 of the pilot.
By then, each associate would have completed their Business Development Strengths Inventory, attended the orientation, and had at least one interaction with their assigned mentor. It was early enough to identify patterns before they became fixed, but late enough that the associates would have something meaningful to share.
Margaret decided to meet Mei in her office rather than in a conference room. Her office door was shut, and her phone was turned off.
Mei arrived right on time, just as she always did. She was a fifth-year associate in the corporate group and one of the partners’ trusted associates.
Margaret saw Mei sit down, and she appeared calm rather than guarded or anxious. She was prepared. That’s why Margaret wanted to meet with her first more than anything.
“This isn’t an evaluation,” Margaret said before Mei could speak. “Nothing from this conversation goes into your file. I’m listening for patterns, not positions.”
Mei nodded once. “I understand.”
Margaret used a straightforward framework for these conversations. Susan was the one who provided it.
1. What is becoming clearer?
2. What questions does the pilot raise?
3. What is becoming visible that wasn’t before?
Margaret started. “So, what’s becoming clearer to you from the pilot?”
Mei didn’t answer right away. She thought carefully.
“I didn’t realize how much I’d been inferring about what mattered, how decisions were made, and when something counted as more than just doing my job well,” Mei finally said.
“Inferred how?” Margaret asked.
Mei folded her hands in her lap. “By observing who gets pulled into certain conversations, noticing which comments get followed up on, and paying attention to what partners remember later,” she said. After pausing, she added, “I assumed that if I kept my head down and did excellent work, the rest would sort itself out.”
Margaret nodded. That assumption had built entire careers. “And now?” she asked.
Now I realize there are things the firm responds to that no one ever mentions,” Mei said. “Not just in corporate, but everywhere.”
Margaret leaned back slightly. “Such as?”
“Business development,” Mei said without hesitation. “I know it matters, but I don’t know when it’s supposed to start or how to do it without neglecting client work.”
Margaret quickly jotted down a note.
The Strengths Inventory was helpful. I completed it before the first workshop, and it was the first time anyone asked me to identify what I already contribute rather than what I lack,” Mei continued.
“What did you discover?” Margaret asked.
“That I have more Business Development (BD) assets than I realized. I have expertise in cross-border M&A, which others in different practice groups seek me out for. I also have relationships with former colleagues now serving as in-house counsel, and I speak Mandarin, which benefits our Asia-Pacific clients,” Mei said.
She paused. “I just didn’t realize those counted as business development. I thought BD meant bringing in new clients from scratch.”
Margaret underlined something in her notes.
“The workshop made it actionable,” Mei added. “Susan walked us through a four-step framework. It’s not about cold-calling strangers. It’s about activating the relationships I already have.”
Margaret asked, “Have you taken any action yet?”
“Yes,” Mei said. “I reached out to a former colleague who’s now the General Counsel (GC) at a healthcare tech company. Not to pitch anything, just to reconnect and offer to be a resource for any cross-border guidance they might need.”
Margaret looked up. “That’s good. What happened?”
Mei said, “We’re having coffee next week.”
“You mentioned other things the firm responds to that no one names,” Margaret said. “What else?”
“Leadership,” Mei said. “I’m leading parts of deals all the time, but I don’t know which of those moments count as leadership and which just fade into competence.”
She hesitated, then added, “I’m careful not to overstep. I thought that was the point.”
Margaret put down her pen. “Tell me more about that.”
“My mentor is Robert Hayes. We met for the first time last week. He asked me what decisions I had made on my own over the past month,” Mei said.
“And?” Margaret prompted.
“I told him about a deal structure I’d proposed to a client without first running it by the partner. The client accepted it, and it resolved a tax issue they were concerned about.”
“What did Robert say?”
“He said that was leadership,” Mei replied. “He said that at my level, the firm is looking for three things: judgment, efficiency, and ownership. And that most associates don’t realize those are what we’re being evaluated on.”
Mei looked directly at Margaret. “No one had ever told me that before.”
“I also completed the Leadership Self-Assessment before our first mentorship meeting,” Mei said. “It asked me to rate myself on executive presence, communication, and strategic thinking.”
“What did you learn from it?” Margaret asked.
“That I underestimate my own strengths. I rated myself low on ‘speaking with a confident, authoritative tone’ because I’m naturally quiet. However, the assessment also asked about written communication and one-on-one interactions, where I’m much stronger,” Mei said.
She paused and then said, “I realized I’ve been trying to lead the way extroverts do, instead of leveraging how I naturally operate.”
Margaret took another note.
“You mentioned three things earlier,” Margaret said. “Business development, leadership, and…?”
Mei offered a small, almost apologetic smile. “Fulfillment. That one surprised me.”
“How so?”
“I’ve never asked myself whether the practice I’m building is one I want to sustain long-term. I assumed that if I was good at the work, that question wasn’t relevant yet,” Mei said.
She looked straight at Margaret. “I’m not sure that’s true.”
Silence filled the room.
“What made you realize that?” Margaret asked.
Mei replied, “Susan said something at the orientation that stuck with me. She said fulfillment doesn’t come automatically just because the work is good and the pay is strong. She said people leave when they can’t see what the work adds up to.”
Mei shifted slightly. “I don’t want to leave, but I also haven’t thought about what staying would look like beyond making partner, if that’s even the goal.”
“What’s different now?” Margaret asked.
Mei considered the question. “I don’t feel dissatisfied,” she said. “I feel… oriented, like I can finally see the questions I’ve been answering silently.”
“The pilot isn’t giving me answers; it’s providing me with language to ask questions I didn’t know how to ask before. Additionally, through monthly mentorship meetings, workshops, and assessments, I now have a structure to guide my development, Mei added.
She paused. “That’s what I needed, not reassurance.”
After Mei left, Margaret remained seated for a few extra minutes.
She didn’t need to compare notes or wait for more data. This wasn’t noise. Mei was exactly the type of associate the firm assumed didn’t need anything spelled out. Exactly the kind of associate Hal would point to as proof that the current system worked. Yet, she had been guessing.
Speculating about when business development was meant to start. Questioning what counts as leadership. Wondering if the firm cared whether she found the work fulfilling.
The pilot didn’t create that uncertainty. It revealed it.
Margaret opened her laptop and pulled up the pilot structure that Susan had provided:
• Monthly mentorship meetings (6 sessions for each associate)
• Quarterly sponsorship check-ins (2 strategic meetings for each associate)
• Core Business & Leadership Workshops (4 Intensive Sessions)
• Individual coaching sessions with Susan (3 for each associate)
• Peer learning circles (bi-monthly group sessions)
This wasn’t over the top. This was structured development in action, and it was effective.
Three weeks in, Mei had already:
• Identified her BD assets through the Strengths Inventory\
• Learned what the firm actually evaluates during her mentorship meeting\
• Took her first BD action (coffee with a former colleague)\
• Recognized her natural leadership strengths through the self-assessment\
• Started asking questions about fulfillment she had never been invited to consider
That wasn’t just hand-holding; it was clarity replacing guesswork.
Later that afternoon, Margaret sent a brief message to Jason. She said:
Met with Mei Chen (5th-year corporate). She was strong, composed, thoughtful, and not unhappy.
Clear signal: Our strongest mid-level associates are inferring far more than we realize, especially regarding business development, leadership, and the direction their work is building toward.
The pilot clearly states her point. She’s not requesting lower standards. She’s seeking clarity.
Three weeks in, she’s already taken concrete BD action, understands what we evaluate for leadership, and is asking questions about fulfillment we’ve never invited mid-levels to consider.
Worth discussing.
Margaret hesitated briefly over the send button before clicking it.
Margaret stood and walked to the window.
The pilot was performing exactly as it was designed to do.
It didn’t challenge the firm’s standards or coddle associates.
It quietly questioned whether silence was affecting who learned, who advanced, and who left the firm, without anyone noticing.
The answer, Margaret was beginning to realize, was yes.
What she didn’t realize yet was how soon the question would need to be asked out loud, in a room full of people who hadn’t seen it.
The MSL Saga™, MLARD™, and the 85/15 Model™ are trademarks of Susan B. Silverman Consulting. The MSL Saga and all episodes © 2026 Susan B. Silverman Consulting. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution is prohibited.
