good partner meetings don’t happen by accident.
they take commitment and careful planning. marc rosenberg (rosenberg map survey, 2013-2014 edition) has facilitated hundreds of them. so this 20-item checklist on the format, focus and agenda for planning effective partner meetings should come in handy for some firms, here:
and 12 elements essential for success.
by marc rosenberg
rosenberg map survey
there are many ways to improve profitability in most cpa firms. but there are only four, time and time again, that have the highest impact:
and one more that too often gets overlooked.
by marc rosenberg
cpa firm management & governance
a cpa firm’s management and system of governance is comprised of several critical elements today. firms across the nation are making some tough choices on at least six issues: read more →
what 80% of firms agree on.
by marc rosenberg
the rosenberg survey
if partner compensation is the single most critical and sensitive aspect of cpa firm practice management today, then a close second is partner retirements and buyouts – the money partners receive for the purchase of their ownership in the firm when they retire or leave the firm due to death, disability, withdrawal or expulsion.
the amount of money involved is quite significant. roughly 80% of all firms consider the value of the firm to include: read more →
start with this 20-item checklist.
by marc rosenberg
author of “cpa firm management & governance“
if you ask the partners, they will tell you that the most critical and sensitive aspect of cpa firm practice management is the allocation of partner income.
because of the sensitivity of partner compensation, firms change various aspects of their allocation system quite often. for this reason, the smart firms include wording in their partnership agreements on partner compensation that is very short and quite general. this way, the firm doesn’t have to revise the partnership agreement every time a change is made.
it’s a complicated task. there are seven different systems in use today, three basic tiers, a couple ways firms are calculating bonuses, and at least a dozen other items to ponder and work through.
here is a checklist of decisions that the best firms are making to determine the compensation of each partner:
responsibilities, abilities, and deliverables.
bringing in a new partners is part art and part science. marc rosenberg, after studying thousands of cpa firms, has a few suggestions on the science, with a series of checklists covering intangible, financial, legal, practice development, production, client management, technical, administration, and supervision-related benchmarks. read more →
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 contributor marc rosenberg knows how to be succinct, as well as insightful. pondering the question of accountability in a cpa firm partnership, he quotes the legendary david maister, ““if people are not prepared to be held accountable for what they do, it is unlikely they will achieve much.”
but then he adds his own epigram: “if there are no consequences for failing to achieve a goal, then it is less likely that the goal will be accomplished.”
that said, he presents a new checklist:
the 10 main ways that firms achieve partner accountability read more →
no lone rangers, no prima donnas.
how healthy is your firm’s partnership? 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 contributor marc rosenberg, cpa, has been asking that question for 20 years at more than 700 firms by now. he has a few ideas. in fact, he has a checklist of 15 items by which to measure the strength and sustainability of any accounting practice. how well does yours measure up?
the tried-and-true rules for successful partner teamwork
1. partners agree on a common vision, goals and a set of firm practices, which are followed by all partners, even if each partner doesn’t agree 100%.
2. key firm personnel are viewed as team players, particularly in servicing clients. clients are viewed as clients of the firm, not the individual.
3. people rarely go on sales calls alone.
read more →
the steps to take today to exit gracefully in the future.
by mark rosenberg
how to bring in new partners
succession planning has hit cpa firms hard. as baby boomer partners approach retirement age, they naturally are focusing on who can take their place and eventually write their retirement checks.
there are two primary exit strategies for partners: 1) sell or merge out of existence. or 2) stay independent, retire and get bought out by younger partners who write the partners’ retirement checks with smiles on their faces.
the vast majority prefers method no. 2, but unfortunately, this option is not available to many partners and firms. for various reasons, these firms have not developed new partners to take their place.
here is a 10-point checklist for what firms need to do to bring in a new partner: read more →
except when it affects themselves.
by marc rosenberg
author of how to bring in new partners
partner accountability addresses what is expected of each partner, how partners will be managed so that the expectations are met and what the consequences will be for failure to meet these expectations.
i have interviewed hundreds of partners on partner accountability. i frequently ask them if they would like the firm to have partner accountability. the most common response i get, somewhat apocryphal, is: “yes, i’m all for partner accountability (long pause) as long as it doesn’t affect me!” read more →
including: managing partner evaluation forms, parts 1 and 2.
by marc rosenberg
cpa firm management & governance
this is really an upward evaluation. like all upward evaluations, people evaluating the managing partner should be limited to those in a position to offer informed input. this means that at firms of fewer than 10 to 15 partners all the partners will probably want to participate. but once a firm gets beyond 10 to 15 partners, an increasing number of partners may not be in a position to respond to the evaluation factors listed in the form.
more cpa firm management & governance: 18 things partners owe their firms – and each other | 17 ways to measure a partner | how the structure of an accounting firm changes through the years | congratulations! your firm needs a human resources director | the 19-point marketing director job description | checklist: how the best managing partners and firm admins work in concert | 21 questions for managing the managing partner | no partner vote needed: 17 decisions best left to the managing partner alone | new rules: 13 items that should be in your managing partner’s job description | when is it time to shift your firm from partnership-style to corporate-style governance? | not every firm needs a general patton |
firms with management or executive committees may wish to limit the evaluation to the partners on those committees.
once you have decided who will be allowed to participate in the evaluation, each partner should complete the evaluation forms. read more →
ask not what you firm can do for you…
true partners start by asking themselves what they can do for the firm. and, of course, that means what they can do for their other partners, after studying more than 700 firms and canvassing almost every year for the last 14 years, marc rosenberg has some ideas. eighteen to be exact. read more →
by marc rosenberg
cpa firm management & governance
one of the most common agenda items at partner retreats is the question of what it means to be a partner in the firm.
more cpa firm management & governance: 17 ways to measure a partner | how the structure of an accounting firm changes through the years | congratulations! your firm needs a human resources director | the 19-point marketing director job description | checklist: how the best managing partners and firm admins work in concert | 21 questions for managing the managing partner | no partner vote needed: 17 decisions best left to the managing partner alone | new rules: 13 items that should be in your managing partner’s job description | when is it time to shift your firm from partnership-style to corporate-style governance? | not every firm needs a general patton |
so, what is a partner? here are 17 metrics. read more →