… or would you rather maintain the status quo?
by steven e. sacks
just like the uncertainties surrounding a client loyalty assessment, so, too, do questions surround the performance of a managing partner. one of a firm’s board responsibilities concerns the development and implementation of an executive review process.
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if one is lacking, this indicates that there is no mechanism to collect timely and relevant performance metrics, which leads to the lack of hard and accurate data. this prevents honest feedback between the managing partner and the board.
a performance assessment tool enables the board to identify and convey to managing partner or senior partners the expectations that embrace the qualitative and the quantitative. without this, the status quo is maintained and the yearly results show no appreciable improvement. the firm’s board or executive committee, if it is doing its job, should establish a performance evaluation form and process. it should include
- when the assessment will be conducted,
- the identified individuals on the board and
- what topics will be covered.
“it is no use saying ‘we are doing our best.’ you have to succeed in doing what is necessary.” – winston churchill
how and what to measure
when there is an election and a new managing partner is selected, in the transition process the expectations should be made clear and memorialized in the initial contract. a period of three to six months should be the first milestones to establish clear objectives coupled with measurements against which performance should be measured. if the board is doing its job, the metrics will be consistent with management objectives that have been created as an outgrowth of a strategic plan (assuming one has been developed).
when the performance data is measured, the managing partner should not be based solely on the quantitative aspects. if growth targets are created, these are fairly simple to assess. but this is insufficient on its own. the board should observe the managing partner’s demeanor and interaction with the other partners and staff.
the measurement part is tricky. is it a one-way approach, from the board to the managing partner? is it a 360-degree process? is there a questionnaire that the board issues to the staff? the form should contain some sort of numerical score that then translates into a grade. in fact, the questionnaire will be broken down into personality, demeanor, composure, consensus building. anyone can do the math. the qualitative questions should be given greater weight. they will explain why there was a mixture of accomplishments and failures.
so, you got the data. now what?
once the quantitative and qualitative data have been analyzed and summarized, hopefully reflecting a full board consensus, the feedback should be accompanied by new objectives for the coming year. this can be done by the board chair, who should be able to confidently speak for the rest of the members.
a crucial conversation where there are critical issues at stake, differing opinions with a lot of emotion should be conducted between the managing partner and the board’s chair. it should be give-and-take discussion to allow for an open airing of views. this does not mean a knock down-drag out meeting, but an authentic sharing of ideas. some know how to do this effectively; others cannot keep their emotions in check.
it is possible that not all the voting partners are familiar with the managing partner’s performance, particularly if there are office locations geographically dispersed or if the internal communications apparatus is lacking. perhaps not all of them were involved in the selection of the managing partner. moreover, if the conversation turns toward strategic initiatives, some of the partners would not have a clue.
if you want to have a successful cpa firm, the strategies and goals need to be articulated throughout the firm. otherwise, the status quo will creep into the operations and other firms will surpass yours, leaving you to wonder “where did we go wrong?”