Getting To Know Your Future Partners

Thursday, February 7th, 2013

Jennifer Wilson, partner and co-founder of ConvergenceCoaching, has a great article in the AICPA CPA Insider. She asks, “How well do you know your future partners?”

Wilson and I are both members of the CPA Consultants’ Alliance that published a white paper last year CPA Firm Leadership: Communication Drives New Possibilities that address leadership development in light of the impending staff shortage.

Wilson not only writes about the challenges the CPA profession faces, she offers valuable suggestions on how to address the issue inside your own firm. She encourages firm leaders to explore “the 12 questions to ask so that you can better know our future partners.”

Here are her 12 questions (but be sure to follow read her How Well Do You Know Your Future Partners Article):

What do you envision for your career in one year? How about in three years? What do you most want to achieve in your career?
What do you view as your strengths or gifts?
What do you most like to do in your position right now?
What would you most like to try doing based on what you’ve seen in the work you’ve observed?
What do you like least in your position right now? Why? What would you like to see changed in your role as a result of this?
What skills do you want to develop to further succeed in your role with the firm?
What other skills are you interested in acquiring that are not directly related to your current job?
What more can I (the shepherd), your manager, or the firm do to improve your job or assist you in being more successful?
What other areas of the firm are you interested in learning about?
What questions do you have about your career and its progression that we can answer for you?
What should I know about you personally? What do you want to know about me personally?
What else would you like to discuss?

"People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude."
John C. Maxwell

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Categories: Change, Communication, Leadership, Partner topics, Succession Planning
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Tags: career, CPA, leadership, partners, succession
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One Response to “Getting To Know Your Future Partners”

Jen Wilson says:

February 7, 2013 at 10:45 am

Rita — thanks for the mention of the blog and for sharing the 12 questions. I have found that most people know they need to deepen relationships, but they feel at a loss as to how to get started. These questions provide a great framework for the next mentoring lunch or performance development meeting. Looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks!