leadership

four key questions for managing partners

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businessman giving instructions to his colleaguesmore than staying close to clients.

by robert j. lees, august j. aquila and derek klyhn

a significant application of judgment exhibited by successful managing partners is in their decision to stay close to their own and the firm’s key client relationships.

more on leadership: research, but also be ready to act | leader training is time well spent | managing partners must remember partners’ needs | 5 questions about your firm’s direction | like herding cats: partners must ‘walk together’

we defined “close” in the research as not doing fee-earning work but being more than the review partner. “close” was having serious conversations with key clients about their issues, about what was going on in their markets and being the “go to” person when informed comment was required by external agencies.

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3 ways to initiate informal sponsorship

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woman and man meeting in an officeand three ways to start the conversation.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

most sponsorship occurs informally, without any structured or programmatic context. informal sponsor-protégée relationships usually start in one of three ways.

more on sponsoring women for leadership: how to establish a sponsor-protégée relationship | 3 roadblocks to women and men working together well | fear of sex and rumors inhibits sponsorship | men advance 2 to 1 over women without sponsors | 18 ways sponsors can help their protegees | the 6 market advantages of women-led firms | beyond mentoring: why sponsoring women for leadership matters

the most common way is when a senior manager or partner identifies someone as a star performer, believes that she has what it takes to succeed, and wants to make that success happen. the sponsor recognizes her talent and potential while they work together or when he observes her at work and is impressed by her ability. as the two work together their relationship grows.

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the six essential habits of successful leaders in tax & accounting

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aquila
aquila

by august aquila
creating the effective partnership

every book you read on leadership will tell you certain things you need to do to become a good leader. however, you can do these things and still not be someone who people want to follow.

more on leadership: research, but also be ready to act | leader training is time well spent |  successful strategy execution requires focus on people | managing partners must remember partners’ needs | like herding cats: partners must ‘walk together’ | 5 questions about your firm’s direction | partners have love-hate relationship with leadership  | what does being a partner mean? | mirror, mirror on the wall | the 8-point financial tune-up for your accounting firm | three ways to run a firm: but only one is sustainable | eight key goal areas for partners

why? leadership is all about trust. if you cannot trust me, then you will not follow me or believe in me. read more →

research, but also be ready to act

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businessman hand press play button sign to start or initiate projects as conceptone key: accept that there are many different ways of achieving the same objective.

by robert j. lees, august j. aquila and derek klyhn

not every firm can be the market leader.

more on leadership: leader training is time well spent | managing partners must remember partners’ needs | 5 questions about your firm’s direction | like herding cats: partners must ‘walk together’

but every firm can have a culture of excellence, of striving to be the best at everything they do and of reinventing themselves as the markets for both clients and people change.

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leader training is time well spent

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leader addresses co-workersfour questions to test your leadership culture.

by robert j. lees, august j. aquila and derek klyhn

being a good coach is just one of the expectations firms must have of their partners. they are expected to be leaders, as well.

more on leadership: managing partners must remember partners’ needs | 5 questions about your firm’s direction | like herding cats: partners must ‘walk together’

while most of the partners we know understand and accept that need, not everyone does, and not everyone understands what being an effective leader means.

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