but leadership remains crucial to making things happen. by marc rosenberg, cpa the author of “cpa firm management and governance.” every firm asks the question, at one time or another: do we want the firm managed by a leader, which for a cpa firm is the managing partner, or managed by one or more committees of partners?
more on cpa firm management and leadership for pro members [go pro here]: overcoming the three biggest obstacles in succession planning at cpa firms • cpa firm merger “non-negotiables” • the “aha moment” in cpa firm leadership • leadership is overrated: it’s good management that makes successful firms • 40 great ways to improve firm profitability • four management metrics that fool even the best-run firms • 19 ways to improve accounting firm profitability • de-bunking the myth about niche marketing for tax and accounting firms •
i’ll make a case for having a strong leader. d. quinn mills, in his “leadership: how to lead, how to live” (2005), states the case nicely for why organizations need leaders:
few things are more important to human activity than leadership. effective leadership helps our nation through times of peril. it makes a business successful. it enables a not-for-profit organization to fulfill its mission. the effective leadership of parents enables children to grow strong and healthy and become productive adults.
the absence of leadership is equally dramatic. without leadership, organizations move too slowly, stagnate, and lose their way. much of the literature about organizations stresses decision-making and implies that if decision-making is timely, complete, and correct, then things will go well. yet a decision by itself changes nothing. after a decision is made, an organization faces the problem of implementation—how to get things done in a timely and effective way. problems of implementation are really issues about how leaders influence behavior, change the course of events, and overcome resistance. leadership is crucial in implementing decisions successfully. management by committee most organizations find that management by committee is not a good way to efficiently run a business. cpa firms are no exception. here is a chart listing various reasons partners give for preferring management by committee over a mp, and a rebuttal for each reason: 
add it up. which side are you on?
related: practice development is no longer an optional activity • 10 good ways the achieve partner accountability • pick your partners right to begin with • the first nine questions your partner team needs to embrace for optimal profitability • profitability and the value of strategic thinking • the five essential building blocks for creating a strong accounting firm • the seven signs of great leadership in a cpa firm • compensation issues for the new managing partner •
