when two partners isn’t enough and three is too many

statue of scales of justice

the pitfalls of equity allocation and reallocation.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli

i want to address the issue of equity – how it is commonly allocated to begin with, and then making adjustments to it over time.

for many firms, the idea in the beginning is that “all the partners are the same, so their ownership should be the same.” when the firm starts out with only a shingle, this is a very fair premise. so, for the sake of this column, let’s start out with a two-partner firm and build from there, talking through the common issues that arise in the area of distributing equity ownership.

more on performance management: develop your employees or suffer the consequences | cpa firm performance assessments: 15 core competencies, 21 questions | how to target what skills to develop now | what having your employees’ backs means | 5 harmful management attitudes (and how to fix them) | do cpa firms need management or leadership? | job 1 for the practice owner: client management

start with two

the most common approach would be for the two partners to split the ownership 50/50. the reason why this often works so well is because the two people who join together often are brought together because of their complementary skills. for example one might be very technically competent and the other more marketing savvy. together they make a great team – one, without the other, is less effective.

read more →

communication: putting it all together

confident businessman turning away from desk and smilingbonuses: exercises to define your worth and value, then communicate that message.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

an advisor is trusted when they can show that they

  • took responsibility for their end of the bargain in the client engagement,
  • educated the client of their responsibilities,
  • offered prompting and assistance throughout but then allowed the client to ultimately govern themselves in terms of following through on their commitments.

more on the passport to partnership: communication can’t be overrated | the 4 winning communications habits of top accountants | how to read your firm’s cultural blueprint | gauge firm culture to move toward partner | what culture really means for partners | 12 ways to determine your competence | passport to partnership: new research shows wide gap between partners and partners-to-be

this then empowers the advisor to make a commercial decision when the client now faces the consequences, as to whether they want to communicate even more assistance to make things all better for the clients and gain huge appreciation and emotional capital.

read more →

communication can’t be overrated

businesspeople in business fighting

bonus checklist: case study and 5 questions on how well you do.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

the passport to partnership study collated a number of responses in a conversational style. several examples really stood out as the first steps in effective communication:

would we put this person in front of a client?

meaning: the clients are our source of income; we don’t jeopardize that for anything. if we think that this person will do anything less than consolidate the perception of the firm and its people in the eyes of the client, we’ll keep them back in the office.

more on the passport to partnership: communication: it’s not about you | the 4 winning communications habits of top accountants | what communication really means for partners | gauge firm culture to move toward partner | what culture really means for partners | 12 ways to determine your competence | what competence really means for partners | passport to partnership: new research shows wide gap between partners and partners-to-be

how does this person deal with those in support roles?

meaning: let’s never forget where we came from or labor under the misguided belief that because someone has less authority in the firm or a lower pay grade, they are somehow inferior to you.

read more →

11 steps to building a better partnership team

concept of teamwork building working system of cogwheels

creating a firm where all the partners work in unison.

by august aquila
creating the effective partnership

as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. your vision is a journey to some place in the future. it’s not where you are today. it may even take generations to get there. it becomes even more compelling when it’s somewhere your people want to go.

while it’s the ultimate destination that people engage with, the journey there is also important. if the end point is exciting and has benefits that your people share, they will be more engaged in the journey. and, when partners are engaged with the firm’s future, they perform better.

more on leadership: why your firm should be a republic  |  5 questions about your firm’s direction | 6 reasons to keep partners from retiring | 6 reasons why cpa firms fail in innovation | 6 steps to handle staffing problems in a merger | 7 signs your firm is headed for an implosion | it’s not always about money: 16 tweaks for your comp system | eight key goal areas for partners | like herding cats: partners must ‘walk together’ | managing partners must remember partners’ needs | new times call for new cpa firm metrics | partners have love-hate relationship with leadership | 6 things leaders must do | 8 financial ducks to line up now| partnership is about persuasion

so, how do you create a firm where all of the partners work to create an even better firm?

here are 11 ideas:

read more →

communication: it’s not about you

learn more
learn more
bissett
bissett

bonus: three outlooks from our exclusive expert council: pipe, dobek, grundy.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

what does communication mean at the partner level?

more on the passport to partnership: the 4 winning communications habits of top accountants | what communication really means for partners | how to read your firm’s cultural blueprint | gauge firm culture to move toward partner | what culture really means for partners | firm culture is inevitable; make it work for you | 12 ways to determine your competence | what competence really means for partners | sailing through the seven c’s to partnership | passport to partnership: new research shows wide gap between partners and partners-to-be

ask yourself and answer these questions when considering the current and future communication tactics that you’ll employ.
read more →

why your firm should be a republic

dictatorship, democracy have their weaknesses.

by auqust aquila
creating the effective partnership

what checks and balances exist in your firm to keep it strong but also to protect the minority interest?

more on leadership for pro members: 5 questions about your firm’s direction | 6 reasons to keep partners from retiring | 6 reasons why cpa firms fail in innovation | 6 steps to handle staffing problems in a merger | 7 signs your firm is headed for an implosion | it’s not always about money: 16 tweaks for your comp system | eight key goal areas for partners | like herding cats: partners must ‘walk together’ | managing partners must remember partners’ needs | new times call for new cpa firm metrics | partners have love-hate relationship with leadership | 6 things leaders must do | 8 financial ducks to line up now | partnership is about persuasion

maybe it’s time for more firms to consider a republic instead of a so-called democracy. the larger firms in the country are surely run more like a republic than a democracy. smaller firms would be well advised to change their governance to mirror the larger firms. but let’s start with the dictatorial form of governance – commonly found, sometimes wildly successful, but only to a point.

read more →

the 4 winning communications habits of top accountants

value your clients – and yourself.

component parts of how the other person perceives your in-person communication
component parts of how the other person perceives your in-person communication

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

i’ve had the benefit of meeting, speaking and observing hundreds of very successful and unsuccessful partners over the last two decades and there is indeed a set of differentiating factors that set a partner apart from the chasing pack.

more passport to partnership: what communication really means for partners | how to read your firm’s cultural blueprint | gauge firm culture to move toward partner | what culture really means for partners | firm culture is inevitable; make it work for you | 12 ways to determine your competence | what competence really means for partners | sailing through the seven c’s to partnership | passport to partnership: new research shows wide gap between partners and partners-to-be

here are the four “best-selling behaviors” that i’ve observed:

read more →

what communication really means for partners

bissett
bissett

bonus chart: seven levels of communication management.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

ultimately, when we have to interact with clients, subordinates, superiors or peers, the questions are always the same: who do i need to deliver this information to and what approach would they respond most favorably to?

in arriving at “communication” we come to the most intangible of all the components to obtain a “passport to partnership.”

learn more
learn more

more on the passport to partnership: how to read your firm’s cultural blueprint | gauge firm culture to move toward partner | what culture really means for partners | firm culture is inevitable; make it work for you | 12 ways to determine your competence | what competence really means for partners | sailing through the seven c’s to partnership | passport to partnership: new research shows wide gap between partners and partners-to-be

in the research, which is ongoing and evolving, communication is the term given in the study to where partners look for senior managers to demonstrate that they can do two things with existing client relationships:

read more →

the four ways ‘non-competes’ #fail in the social media age

how friending, liking, connecting or tweeting can come back to haunt you. 

by r. peter fontaine
newgate law

it is axiomatic that the only true assets of any accounting firm are its clients and its people.  these relationships are typically protected through a legal agreement between the firm and its people.  known as restrictive covenants (or, colloquially, as “non-competes”), under these contracts former partners and employees are prohibited from soliciting or serving firm clients, and soliciting or hiring firm employees.

restrictive covenants are becoming increasingly more significant in the accounting industry because of the growing mobility of and competition for a scarce workforce and partner and employee “fallout” following a merger. the ever expanding popularity of social media only contributes to the uncertainty surrounding the enforceability and effectiveness of post-employment restrictions.

read more →

how to read your firm’s cultural blueprint

bonus checklist: five-part analysis to measure partner material.ptp_2ndc

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

what conclusions can you draw from your knowledge of how the promotion system works in your firm that you need to keep in mind?

more on the passport to partnership: gauge firm culture to move toward partner | what culture really means for partners | firm culture is inevitable; make it work for you | 12 ways to determine your competence | what competence really means for partners | sailing through the seven c’s to partnership | passport to partnership: new research shows wide gap between partners and partners-to-be

in terms of firm culture, you need to understand the four navigational points of the compass:

  1. who do i need to stay on the right side of?
  2. what are the unwritten rules in my firm?
  3. whose opinions can be trusted?
  4. what really impresses the partners?

and here’s a five-part analysis to see how you measure up:

read more →

gauge firm culture to move toward partner

martin bissett
bissett

bonus partnership pointers checklist: 3 questions to evaluate the culture at your own firm.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

this second c is a stormy and choppy one, often fraught with political icebergs but navigated diplomatically and with maturity, will lead you through.

learn more
learn more

more on the passport to partnership: what culture really means for partners | firm culture is inevitable; make it work for you | 12 ways to determine your competence | what competence really means for partners | sailing through the seven c’s to partnership | passport to partnership: new research shows wide gap between partners and partners-to-be

case study on culture

deborah had done well. she was bridging the firm’s culture gap and fulfilling its desire to be seen as an equal opportunities employer by becoming the practice’s standout rising star.

read more →

firm culture is inevitable; make it work for you

martin bissett
bissett

bonus checklist: 5 ways to make sure the firm’s people believe in both themselves and the culture.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

cultural issues are dynamic, very broad and unique in each firm. as such it is a challenge to summarize them accurately and comprehensively.

learn more
learn more

more on the passport to partnership: 12 ways to determine your competence | what competence really means for partners | sailing through the seven c’s to partnership | passport to partnership: new research shows wide gap between partners and partners-to-be

from our research, however, the wise choice for anyone wishing to get their passport to partnership appears to be to study

  • their firm’s existing culture,
  • that of its senior individuals and
  • that of those who have the ear of those senior individuals

to understand not only the route to partnership, but the terrain that they need to cross too.

read more →

12 ways to determine your competence

martin bissett
bissett

bonus: case study and worksheets:
3 questions to gauge your own competence, 4 questions about your personal brand and a 5-point checklist.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

the passport to partnership study collated a number of responses in a conversational style. two brief but succinct examples that really stood out on the realities of how a firm assesses an individual’s “competence” to lead are showcased below.

  1. learn more
    learn more

    they need to explain technical data to me in a way that i know they understand it.

  2. what kind of lifestyle does this person have outside of work? we’ll be looking at facebook, twitter and google to find out.

more on the passport to partnership: sailing through the seven c’s to partnership | passport to partnership: new research shows wide gap between partners and partners-to-be

read more →