3 ways to halt a poor leader

checkmateand 8 things these people have in common.

by august aquila
creating the effective partnership

many accountants could add to this list, but here are some of the surefire signs that a firm has weak leadership driving the firm toward implosion.

– the way partners resolve issues is by finger pointing.

– the firm is in a spiral downward trend.

– the best producers often decide to leave the firm or just look out for themselves.

read more →

radical firms embrace 4 values

core values against open door at top of stairs in the skythese 4 keys come down to meeting needs.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

people often ask me: what makes a firm a “new firm”? there are four fundamental tenets.

more on radicalism: radical or complacent? you choose | customer viewpoint: creating a journey map | who, me a consultant? | how spiritual value affects pricing | keep scope creep and seep from hurting bottom line | get radical about pricing | how social media transforms firms to their core | radical tenet #1: embrace the cloud | being radical is all about your customer

these four tenets, although adopted dif­ferently within each firm, compromise a new set of values that most of the “movement” firms embrace. ready? here we go:
read more →

4 ways to create more capacity

purple no. 4 billiard ballconsider creating two classes of partners.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 / succession institute

when partners plan to retire, how do we go about creating additional capacity or freeing up the necessary capacity to handle the client transitions that need to occur?

more on performance management: partner retirement and the war for clients | succession: the questions to care about | 7 succession questions to ignore for now | develop your employees or suffer the consequences | what having your employees’ backs means | 5 harmful management attitudes (and how to fix them) | job 1 for the practice owner: client management

first, all of the “c” clients, which is our shorthand way of describing the smallest clients the firm serves – who while profitable, don’t have much opportunity to hire us for additional services should not be transitioned to partners, but rather to managers.
read more →

how to address partner compensation at a retreat

woman leading meeting, flipchart in backgroundhow do you feel about evaluations … and tying compensation to them?

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm retreats

before formally beginning the discussion part of a retreat session, it’s always a good idea to begin by asking the participants what they want to be sure to cover. as issues are suggested, the retreat facilitator should write them down on a flipchart.

read more →

how to find a partner’s replacement

man choosing someone's face from a photo arrayshould you add a partner … or capacity? they’re not the same thing.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 / succession institute

let’s assume you have a retiring partner. you have decided how to pay the partner for his/her value in the firm, you have pinned down the mandatory sale of ownership date (mso) so you can phase that partner out of his or her leadership role in the firm, and you have covered the single most abused part of the succession process, which is client transition. it is now time to discuss how to find replacements for the retiring senior partners.

more on performance management: action plans for transitioning partners | partner retirement and the war for clients | succession: the questions to care about | the pitfalls of equity allocation and reallocation | cpa firm performance assessments: 15 core competencies, 21 questions | how to target what skills to develop now

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the most commonly asked question on this topic is “how can we find people with the same technical skills, management ability, client service capacity and vision for the firm’s future as those who are leaving?” the simple answer is “you won’t, so stop looking for that exact combination.”
read more →

partners must show unified front

five cheetahs strolling on a patheven if behind the scenes it’s like herding cats.

by robert j. lees, august j. aquila and derek klyhn
creating the effective partnership

in our work with managing partners, we always talk about the importance of the partners “walking together,” of sharing that common vision.

but if the partners are to share the vision, they have to play an active part in determining the firm’s direction – and, critically, how it’s going to get there.

more on leadership for pro members: 11 steps to building a better partnership team | why your firm should be a republic | it’s not always about money: 16 tweaks for your comp system

in most firms, and particularly those with multiple locations, the partners typically give their proxy to the managing partner and the executive team to come up with the options they believe face the firm in its drive for sustained high performance.
read more →

action plans for transitioning partners

four people meeting for business lunchthe transition process is about making the retiring partner less attractive as the client’s first point of contact.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 / succession institute

the key to the client transition process is the action plan that the transitioning partner needs to follow for each client.

more on performance management: partner retirement and the war for clients | how retirement issues affect succession planning | 7 succession questions to ignore for now | the pitfalls of equity allocation and reallocation | how to target what skills to develop now | job 1 for the practice owner: client management

for a small tax client, the directive could be as simple as a one-year transition and turning it over to whoever has been assigned to take over that account. for example, the action plan might be something like:

read more →

partner accountability: how and for what?

13 things to hold partners accountable for, 10 ways to do it and 12 questions to ask. bonus: example of a personal accountability plan.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm retreats

partner accountability means different things to different people. some quotations:

“if there are no consequences to failing to achieve a goal, then it is less likely that the goal will be accomplished.” – marc rosenberg

“if people are not prepared to be held accountable for what they do, it is unlikely they will achieve much.” – david maister

more on retreats: 30 marketing and growth questions to cover at a retreat | how marketing for cpa firms is different | why create a marketing plan? | thinking of merging? discuss it at a retreat | how to take action after a retreat | 12 simple rules for a retreat | leave your retreat with a to do list | every retreat needs a leader, but who? | retreats are no place for clowns | who should participate in a retreat? | retreat logistics: how long, what kind? | what should cpa firms discuss at retreats? | why do cpa firms conduct retreats?

“i’m a partner in this firm. that gives me the right to do whatever i darn well please, whenever i want to do it.” – firm partner to whom “accountability” is a dirty word
read more →

5 questions for every mp to answer honestly

businessman's hand separating letter blocks spelling "im" from those spelling "possible"before you can change your firm, you have to gauge where it is now.

by robert j. lees, august j. aquila and derek klyhn
creating the effective partnership

how do successful managing partners respond to the internal and external challenges they face?

more on leadership for pro members: 6 practical ways to innovate | the 4 best ways to use your senior partners | how to tell a culture change is due | 11 steps to building a better partnership team | why your firm should be a republic | partnership is about persuasion

without exception, all of the partners we spoke to talked about the need to have a clear sense of direction that the partners, in particular, could coalesce around. but what they considered even more important is the translation of that direction into a compelling vision and the strategies for achieving it.
read more →