343 search results for aquila+"creating the effective partnership"

6 steps to handle staffing problems in a merger

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and the top 8 questions every staffer will ask.

aquila
aquila

by august aquila
creating the effective partnership

to get your employees’ commitment to the merger, they must understand how it impacts them personally and see the opportunities for themselves.

let’s assume that the announcement for the upcoming merger or sale is handled properly. in other words, it was not leaked or there were no rumors on the street. you can be sure that once the announcement is made, employees start thinking about one thing — how does this event affect me? this is about self-preservation; it’s an emotional and psychological question that everyone will ask themselves. read more →

new times call for new cpa firm metrics

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how to fine-tune your management dashboard for effectiveness, innovation and growth.

dreamstime_xs_9983601.jpgby august aquila
creating the effective partnership

don’t kid yourself – it’s a new world out there. accounting firms need to become more transparent. partners and employees need to truly understand the firm’s vision and value proposition. they need to see how their daily actions move the firm toward its goals. mission and vision can no longer be vague, fluffy statements that mean nothing to your clients, employees and partners, and prospects.

this new environment requires firms to actually implement their goals by looking at specific objectives and measures. performance and execution are the key operatives. the old measures, by themselves, won’t do the job anymore. they are still valuable, but new measures are needed today. firms no longer compete with the firm down the street in terms of mere marketing. they now complete in how they manage the practice, treat their employees, win employees’ hearts and minds and provide a true learning environment.

what would it be worth to you if you had a system which could measure your business development and management efforts?  in short, measure how well you are implementing your firm’s strategy? read more →

6 reasons why cpa firms fail in innovation

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the compensation trap that turns winners into losers.

by august aquila
creating the effective partnership

the focus on most cpa firms is on billable hours. while there is nothing inherently wrong with this focus, it has become the overriding focus of firms.

there is nothing wrong with making money today, but what about building for the future? with “today” being the dominant focus, what is the encouragement to cpas to innovate?  in most firms there is no alignment with innovation and compensation.

you will never have innovation unless you allocate some time and reward to making it happen. read more →

7 signs your firm is headed for an implosion

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plus: the 8 leadership traits driving firms toward destruction and 3 steps to fix the problem.

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aquila

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.

  1. the way partners resolve issues is by finger pointing
  2. the firm is in a spiral downward trend read more →

6 reasons to keep partners from retiring

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aquila

and 4 ways to put them to good use.

by august j. aquila
creating the effective partnership

there may be some senior partners who want to spend their remaining years basking in the sun or playing golf. but, given the negative and low returns of the stock market the last few years, more senior partners will be concerned about their economic future and will want to stay involved in the profession. this can be a win-win situation for both parties or it can be a lose-lose.

senior partners have a wealth of knowledge that you don’t want to lose. for example, they possess: read more →

the 3 traits shared by 150 top managing partners

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what successful managing partners do

by robert j. lees and august j. aquila
how to engage partners in the future

the problem is that in the majority of cpa firms there is no clarity around what being a managing partner actually entails and, specifically, what managing partners should do to create and sustain their partners’ commitment to actively participating in delivering the firm’s future.

our research involving in-depth interviews with 150 managing partners at the world’s leading firms identified that the truly successful managing partners share three key activities: read more →

overcoming the roadblocks to innovation

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6 reasons why innovation is so difficult at accounting firms and 6 practical ways to launch new money-making ideas.

by august j. aquila
creating the effective partnership 

the mantra over the last few years has been “change or die.”  so, why is it that professional services firms, especially accounting and law firms, have found it so difficult to embrace change, innovate and spend time and resources on research and development in order to build a stronger future?

here are six reasons why firms fail to innovate: read more →

the 14 rules for what being a partner means

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aquila how to engage partners in the firms future clip square cvrplus: 4 keys to tie pay to performance.

by robert j. lees and august j. aquila
how to engage partners in the future

partners are the culture in a professional service firm – what they believe, what they reward, what they do and how they do it determines what and how things get done. partners are the owners – they, and they alone, are responsible for the firm’s vision and its implementation.

being a leader means each partner must: read more →

seven reasons why it’s time to start holding the partners accountable

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especially in these trying times, partners must show leadership by accepting the consequences of their actions — or their inaction.

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accountability is the essence of your success, according to management consultant august aquila, ceo of aquila global advisors.

aquila is co-creator of the firm growth and succession program, creating the effective partnership, which includes the research-based guides how to engage partners in the firm’s future, and leadership at its strongest.

“i don’t think that the average partner takes accountability seriously,” aquila says. “if they did, they would take their individual goals more seriously and not let their fellow partners down.” read more →

the four keys to creating a firm vision that unites and mobilizes

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and the eight ways to give core values real business value.

by robert j. lees and august j. aquila
how to engage partners in the firm’s future

when we talk about having a compelling vision, we don’t just mean the simple, well-crafted statement you find in a lot of firms.

for a vision to be compelling, for it to persuade the partners that they want to play an active part in making it a reality, a vision must have four elements: read more →