{"id":84065,"date":"2021-05-18t12:00:09","date_gmt":"2021-05-18t16:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/?p=84065"},"modified":"2022-12-22t00:43:13","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22t05:43:13","slug":"new-partners-should-help-staff-learn-and-grow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2021\/05\/18\/new-partners-should-help-staff-learn-and-grow\/","title":{"rendered":"why job #1 for new partners must be staff development"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a>what do they want most? challenging work. surely you must have some.<\/strong><\/p>\n by marc rosenberg<\/i> firms have two levels of expectations of new partners. many firms aren\u2019t consciously aware of these alternatives, but they exist nonetheless, and they are quite different from each other.<\/p>\n more: <\/b><\/strong>how to get promoted to manager<\/a> | how to create a path to partner<\/a> | making partner: what managers need to know<\/a> | the 17 rules for making partner at a cpa firm<\/a> | who shouldn\u2019t be a partner?<\/a> | nine reasons people are promoted to partner<\/a> | how to make partner<\/a> expectation 1: the new partner is qualified for the job. <\/strong><\/p>\n new partners must drive the firm by<\/p>\n if new partners don\u2019t do these things, then they don\u2019t fully perform like partners. when they promote staff, some owners hope the new partners will magically acquire partner-level skills. but often the new partners are best suited for retaining the status quo and simply aren\u2019t capable of driving the firm.<\/p>\n a few weeks before writing this, i started working with a small firm that was fortunate to have two managers meeting the requirements for partner. in the managing partner\u2019s words: \u201cthey are rock-solid and already performing at a partner level.\u201d this is what every firm should want!<\/p>\n this post is written from the following perspectives:<\/p>\n \u201cthe delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.\u201d \u2013 steven spielberg<\/p>\n the old-school attitude of developing staff is that they should pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. partners are available to answer questions, but staff must always<\/strong> take the initiative.<\/p>\n the new-school attitude is for partners and managers to be proactive in developing staff. it should be a badge of honor (also handsomely compensated) for a partner or manager to be given credit for staff advancing under their tutelage and sponsorship.<\/p>\n here are the most important things that partners and managers do to perform as great mentors:<\/p>\n \u201caverage players want to be left alone. good players want to be coached. great players want to be told the truth.\u201d \u2013 doc rivers, nba basketball coach<\/p>\n \u201cgood employees make mistakes. great leaders allow them to.\u201d \u2013 amy rees anderson, rees capital, managing partner<\/p>\n the best book on management i have ever read<\/strong> was written 20 years ago. \u201cthe one minute manager\u201d by ken blanchard and spencer johnson focuses on performance feedback. it\u2019s also about how to be a great mentor. new partners should read this book carefully and practice it every day.<\/p>\n here are the three secrets of\u00a0\u201cthe one minute manager.\u201d each of them takes only one minute to put into practice.<\/p>\n continuous feedback always trumps annual reviews. <\/strong>continuous feedback means that when a project is completed, regardless of how short or easy it may be, the staff are given immediate feedback on their performance. this way feedback is fresh and can be used by the staff to immediately improve their performance on the very next project.<\/p>\n most supervisors and their subordinates hate annual performance reviews. why? because (a) there often has been little or no feedback for an entire year, so when ancient history is dredged up, it surprises the subordinate; and (b) the session mostly looks back<\/strong> instead of forward. both parties to the review are anxious and awkward. there is<\/strong> a role at firms for annual reviews, but only if there is continuous feedback during the year and the review session looks forward.<\/p>\n the annual session should provide guidance in these areas: what does the employee need to work on? what are his or her goals for the coming year? what does the person need to do to advance?<\/p>\n jack welch was the longtime, highly successful ceo of general electric. he said, \u201cbefore you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. when you become a leader, success is all about growing others.\u201d the #1 factor in evaluating the performance of division presidents reporting to welch was their success at developing leaders under them, even more so than profits.<\/p>\n this should be the credo of all partners, including new ones.<\/p>\n here are the main ways cpa firms are developing their staff into leaders:<\/p>\n effective leaders develop skills in these areas:<\/p>\n vision: <\/strong>a leader is always thinking about what the firm should<\/strong> be and regularly meets with other firms to share best practices.<\/p>\n delegation:<\/strong> leaders always err on the side of overdelegating to subordinates, stretching their abilities. new partners should avoid doing staff-level work. work can always be delegated, but responsibility for ensuring that the delegated work is done correctly and on time can never be delegated.<\/p>\n people skills: <\/strong>leaders treat people well and show empathy. they see people for what they can<\/strong> be. great leaders understand that the #1 reason staff leave firms is their relationship with the boss, so they work hard to be great bosses.<\/p>\n inspiration:<\/strong> leaders introduce excitement and enthusiasm into the firm. this goes a long way toward engaging<\/strong> staff in the firm, a key to retention. this way, staff look forward to coming to work each day.<\/p>\n conflict resolution:<\/strong> leaders excel at conflict management and deal with problems promptly. when there are disagreements among partners on an issue, the worst thing a new partner can do is be neutral. new partners should get into the habit of taking positions on issues and influencing others. new partners should never avoid conflicts because they are new, afraid to criticize revered senior partners or easily intimidated.<\/p>\n change: <\/strong>new partners play an important role in achieving change because their attitudes usually haven\u2019t become hardened and resistant to change. understand what roberto goezueta, former president of coca-cola, said, \u201cto succeed, we have to disturb the present.\u201d<\/p>\n listening:<\/strong> paying attention to what others say is the first act of respect and mutual support.<\/p>\n accountability:<\/strong> unless there are consequences when people fail to do what is expected of them, they will be less likely to achieve their goals or meet expectations. good leaders hold others accountable in positive ways instead of wielding a club over their heads. equally important, good leaders are always willing to be accountable for their own<\/strong> performance and behavior.<\/p>\n communication:<\/strong> good communication is all about talking \u2026 clearly.<\/p>\n charisma<\/strong> is vastly overrated and rarely seen among cpa firm partners. it\u2019s more important to be a leader with inspired standards<\/strong>.<\/p>\n the aicpa has conducted numerous surveys over the years about what is most important to cpa firm staff. challenging work is always near the top of the list. (the other big ones are compensation and career growth opportunities and promotions.)<\/p>\n these are the things new partners and partner candidates can do to make staff\u2019s work challenging:<\/p>\n the cpa profession is technically demanding. when staff join a cpa firm, they have a unique opportunity to receive excellent compensation while obtaining rigorous, continuous training in their work. new partners and partner candidates are the main providers of this training and should passionately pursue this job requirement.<\/p>\n here are training best practices:<\/p>\n one of my favorite lines from any source is from mark twain: \u201ci can live on a good compliment two weeks with nothing else to eat.\u201d we all know how good it feels to do something and be told we did a good job on it. people often say<\/strong> they don\u2019t need this, but they are lying.<\/p>\n here is an excerpt from a 2013 forbes online article by meghan biro:<\/p>\n \u201cpeople crave positive feedback and recognition when they put in extra effort. they love to be acknowledged by their leaders and peers and experience the glow that comes with knowing an achievement has been seen, appreciated and celebrated.<\/p>\n \u201cfinancial reward is a great thing, don\u2019t get me wrong, but it\u2019s not the equivalent of recognition. let\u2019s not kid ourselves. it\u2019s a short-term solution. neither is constant praise for average work. recognition is a key tool in developing and retaining staff for a reason: people need more than constructive feedback and positive affirmation. they need recognition of extra effort. they need to \u2018feel\u2019 it. this will always be a basic human need.\u201d<\/p>\n biro continued, \u201can effective approach to employee recognition encompasses these key points:<\/p>\n let\u2019s face it. cpas are trained to identify problems, to find things that are wrong. unfortunately, many firms\u2019 cultures take on this characteristic. their attitude is \u201cyou get feedback only if you do something wrong,\u201d or \u201cif you don\u2019t hear anything from me, that means you\u2019re doing well.\u201d<\/p>\n don\u2019t let this happen on your watch!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\nthe rosenberg practice management library<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n
\nexclusively for pro members. <\/span><\/strong>log in here<\/a> or 2022世界杯足球排名 today<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
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\nexpectation 2: we hope the new partner will become qualified for the job. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n
mentoring to help staff succeed and advance<\/h3>\n
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performance feedback<\/h3>\n
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leadership development<\/h3>\n
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make the staff\u2019s work challenging<\/h3>\n
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training<\/h3>\n
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recognizing and rewarding staff<\/h3>\n
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common ways cpa firms recognize their staff<\/h3>\n
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