with insight from our exclusive expert council: dunn, pipe, grundy.
by martin bissett
passport to partnership
the passport to partnership study collated a number of responses from existing partners of accounting practices in a conversational style.
examples that really stood out on the realities of individual variances in firm culture are showcased below.
more: five thoughts about your firm’s culture | do others think you’re ready to be partner? | attract clients, don’t sell to them | think of it as service, not selling | eight questions that target personal accountability | are you projecting confidence? | does client perception match your firm’s reality? | firm not thriving? five fixes | five questions for grading prospects | health, wealth, stealth: challenges on the path to partnership
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“our partners have articulate minds, and that’s what we want to be demonstrated by any new appointees.” meaning, can they hold their own intellectually in more senior circles?
how would they then behave when meeting with other senior executives as a contemporary of theirs?
this is a huge consideration for existing partners as the reputation, goodwill and future new business of the practice are influenced greatly by how well the firm is represented by its chosen ambassador (e.g., you).
this is self-explanatory but shows the would-be partner where their focus needs to be to make it in the boardroom.
by “articulate minds,” i discovered that they meant well-read, empathetic, hungry for self-improvement, concise, considerate and mature. when evaluating your social behaviors online and offline outside of work, is that how your friends would describe you? if not, what makes you think that this is how the partners, who will decide your future in the firm, will see you?
the expert council
here’s what a number of experts exclusively interviewed for this project had to say about cpa firm culture.
looking back to the beginning of your career, what do you know now about firm culture that you wish you’d known back then?
“in truth, when i started at grant thornton, i had no idea what i wanted to do, other than a deep interest in the business world and wanting to change or create something! that insatiable curiosity in the business world led me to take on a variety of roles, and ultimately establish my own business.
“thinking about what i know now, to be honest, i knew absolutely nothing when i started my career! perhaps the most important thing i’ve learned is that everybody is different – you cannot expect everybody to think like you do (and you are not always right!), and you need to find ways to work with and get the best out of people. emotional intelligence is one of the most critical skills, although it’s not that common! that is why i always start new business relationships seeking to understand entrepreneurs, what they want to achieve, what gets them excited and what puts them off. get to know the people first, then the business.” – david grundy, grant thornton
“there was no way i could have predicted the exact course my career has taken. and i am thrilled and humbled by what has happened to me. as for the most important thing i have learned, that is simple… follow your heart, do what makes you happy, and make brave decisions.”
– steve pipe, ex-kpmg, now founder of accountants changing the world
“they become ‘leaders’ in the profession because they’re great at the ‘internal’ stuff. so the idea of ‘leadership’ in the sense of powerfully articulating why, for example, has never even occurred to them. and equally, they began their careers when they could get by without being proactive. so inspiring leadership and pro-activity are not skillsets they normally possess or know how to sharpen, but they need to.”
– paul dunn, b1g1