Monday, April 5th, 2010
INVEST IN YOUR LEADER
What kind of special training does your firm provide for the firm leader?
I am talking to and hearing about more and more managing partners who are fairly new to the role. Yes, some Baby Boomers are beginning to step aside although not actually “retiring” from the firm.
I also notice there is a lot of “assuming” inside CPA firms. It is a pretty big assumption believing that the incoming leader (or the outgoing leader, for that matter) actually knows how to lead a professional service firm.
Honestly, is the education they receive during their career, special in any way, as it relates to being a CEO (as opposed to a CPA)?
Most owner groups are willing to spend the money to have the CEO/MP represent them at their firm association managing partners’ meetings. They will also fund attendance for at least one MAP conference per year and involvement in state society activities. To me, that’s routine, yet necessary, activities for a proactive MP. It is not specialized, targeted education.
Successfully managing a professional service firm is a balancing act that requires extraordinary leadership abilities. Why not INVEST in the success of your top leader and your firm?
Harvard Business School offers a program titled, Leading Professional Service Firms. It attracts participants from all over the world. I personally know managing partners who have participated and they rave about the quality of the program and the total experience at Harvard.
If you are not the CEO/MP reading this post, please forward it to that person and talk about it at your next partner meeting.
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” – - William Butler Yeats
[...] or mentor? Does he/she attend leadership and advanced management training. Read my post about “leading professional service firms” from 2010 and investigate the program offered at [...]