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

five reasons that leaders fail

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do you have these habits of highly ineffective ceos?

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

several years ago there was an interesting article in fortune magazine. it dealt with the topic of why ceos fail. for example, “chainsaw al” dunlap was let go by sunbeam after two years of dismal performance and questionable conduct.

more: what managing partners must be doing | managing partner: the toughest job in the world | eleven things partners must do | do your partners pay their own way? | why partners need written goals | seven keys to becoming an equity partner | how to create firm accountability | eight criteria for partnership | how to achieve partner unity | five questions to ask your partners about accountability | how you can get partners to change | the seven building blocks of a great partnership
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what do cpa firm managing partners have to learn from corporate america?
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what managing partners must be doing

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young man facing image of himselfbonus: questions for self-evaluation.

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

the responsibilities of a managing partner can be captured in the following two paragraphs:

general responsibilities include reporting directly to the governing committee and the firm, being responsible for the firm’s overall management and practice, supervising the overall marketing and business development effort, managing the professional staff and providing guidance for the support staff.

more: managing partner: the toughest job in the world | eleven things partners must do | seven keys to becoming an equity partner | how to achieve partner unity
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specific responsibilities include coordinating the firm’s practices among the different offices and departments, implementing the partnership agreement, appointing heads of various committees, representing the firm in community and professional organizations, supervising the functioning of the governing committee, overseeing the functioning of standing and ad hoc committees, providing guidance on financial policies and working with the governing committee to develop personal and administrative policies.

these are without doubt good areas, but are they the ones managing partners should focus on?
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managing partner: the toughest job in the world

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five cheetahs strolling on a pathyou enjoy herding cats, right?

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

wanted: managing partner

requirements: unique individual who can lead a group of independent-minded professionals; keep some semblance of normality; deal with super egos, unproductive partners and dysfunctional partners; grow the business, stay competitive in a rapidly changing and unfriendly environment, and figure out how to compensate everyone fairly. interested parties should send resume and salary requirements to box aa.

why would you want this job? managing a practice today has never been more difficult, but it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible or not rewarding. it all depends on your focus and your willingness to solve the important problems at hand.

more: eleven things partners must do | do your partners pay their own way? | how to create firm accountability | five questions to ask your partners about accountability
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it has been said that the “firm can never be something the leader is not.” it should be added that the “firm can never be something that the partners are not.”
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eleven things partners must do

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the firm’s owners are responsible for implementing its vision. by august j. aquila what makes a great partnership partners are the culture in a professional service firm – what they…

do your partners pay their own way?

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there are objective and subjective measures. bonuses are for the extraordinary.

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

while times may be good for many cpa firms, we should not forget that firms cannot afford to have partners coast or be unable to pay their own way. firms are expecting more from their partners. it doesn’t mean that partners have to work longer hours, but it does mean that partners need to contribute more to the economic value of the firm and learn how to work smarter.

more: why partners need written goals | seven keys to becoming an equity partner | how to achieve partner unity | the seven building blocks of a great partnership
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evaluate partner performance

in the majority of firms there is no formal written evaluation of partners. while most partners don’t want to be and don’t like to be evaluated, it’s a common fact of life. how else can you fairly evaluate and compensate your partners? there is a definite trend today for firms to identify standards and have written, measureable goals for partners. this permits management to evaluate actual performance against the goals set at the beginning of the year.

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why partners need written goals

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businessman pole vaulting toward his goalthree questions to answer about each one.

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

“if you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” – zig ziegler

if we achieve what we measure, then it is true that we become what we think about most of the time. philip e. humbert, ph.d. wrote, “the human brain is a goal-seeking, problem- solving machine, and the things we think about, focus on, and worry about inevitably shape our destiny.”

more: seven keys to becoming an equity partner | how to create firm accountability | eight criteria for partnership | how to achieve partner unity | five questions to ask your partners about accountability | how you can get partners to change | the seven building blocks of a great partnership
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brian tracy says the four main excuses people make as to why they don’t have written goals are:
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seven keys to becoming an equity partner

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hand using key to unlock doorexpectations are high. as they should be.

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

with the recent turn in the economy, equity partners are finding that there is no longer a lifelong tenure guarantee. senior managers and non-equity partners are wondering whether or not they even want to become equity partners.

more: how to create firm accountability | eight criteria for partnership | how to achieve partner unity | five questions to ask your partners about accountability | how you can get partners to change | the seven building blocks of a great partnership
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for the most part, firms have been selective about who they take into the partnership. however, when the economy was running hot and finding a warm body to fill spots was a real challenge, the partnership bar was certainly lowered in many firms. today, that bar is being raised again.
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how to create firm accountability

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businesswoman talking to businessman over tabletit’s a culture, not a checklist.

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

traditionally, becoming a partner in a cpa firm meant the end of a long, hard slog of grunt work and extended hours. but in today’s competitive environment, making partner is only the beginning of a new chapter of risks and challenges. and the work isn’t getting any easier.

more: eight criteria for partnership | how to achieve partner unity | five questions to ask your partners about accountability | how you can get partners to change | the seven building blocks of a great partnership
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today’s top cpa firm leaders are looking for new ways of building successful, enduring organizations. the culture of collegiality that gave way to a culture of entitlement is giving way to a new culture of performance and accountability.
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eight criteria for partnership

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old key in hand isolated on white background.bonus: a basic partner evaluation form.

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

one major result of the great recession is that firms can no longer afford to keep partners who are unable to pay their own way and help the firm grow. i say this because firms have already cut staff to maintain their level of profitability and there is no additional fat to cut. competition and fee pressure from larger firms in every market continues to put a squeeze on profits. in addition, employment opportunities are surfacing again for the employees in your firms.

more: how to achieve partner unity | five questions to ask your partners about accountability | how you can get partners to change | the seven building blocks of a great partnership
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there is only one area left that should be considered for possible cuts, or better yet, for improvements – the partners. as a professional services firm, you are a business. and like any other business, you need to be profitable in order to continue to exist.
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how to achieve partner unity

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plus five ways that don’t work.

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

i have worked with many firms in helping them build team unity, especially when the firm is undergoing a change in managing partner, merging or just trying to implement its strategic plan.

more: five questions to ask your partners about accountability | how you can get partners to change | the seven building blocks of a great partnership
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everyone knows that partner unity is one of the keys for overall success and sustainability. and, we know the benefits of having greater partner unity than the next firm – better client service, less employee turnover, superior profitability.
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five questions to ask your partners about accountability

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three business colleagues arguing while seated at tablefive consequences when it’s lacking.

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

why accountability now?

lack of accountability is not a new phenomenon. there are several factors that have caused accountability to become an important element of successful cpa firms today.

more:how you can get partners to change | the seven building blocks of a great partnership

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the external environment has changed and firms find themselves in an environment of:

  • scarcity of people. finding good staff and developing future partners still remain critical problems for the profession. one of the key issues facing firms today is the lack of future owners. this problem has reached epic proportions that firms are requiring more of their current owners and staff.

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how you can get partners to change

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if they don’t want to, why keep them?

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

do you ever wonder why your best plan is never implemented? why some of your partners sabotage what you are trying to do in the firm?

more: the seven building blocks of a great partnership
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over the years i have seen firms develop great strategic, operational and compensation plans and then nothing ever happens. the plans are not implemented for a myriad of reasons. one managing partner told me he had too many other issues to address, another was waiting for the management team to give its final blessing and still another just blamed everyone else in the firm rather than looking at himself in a mirror. and, another managing partner even told me the firm could not afford to make the changes!

if you are planning to tackle an issue in the firm and make a change, the first thing you need to do is clarify what the real problem is. next, describe your overall approach by creating a roadmap. then you need to gather facts and work together with other partners in the firm. finally, develop your recommendations and identify the next steps.

“firms are better at planning than executing.” – august aquila

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the seven building blocks of a great partnership

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businesspeople chatting around a water coolermaybe you can name them. can you live them?

by august j. aquila
what makes a great partnership

great partnerships are like great love affairs. there needs to be chemistry.

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after more than 36 years of consulting with large and small professional services firms, i’ve seen all sorts of chemistry. some partnerships were almost toxic, most were tolerable and a few were really great. let me share with you my observations about great partnerships and how they got that way.
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