strategy

partner accountability: how and for what?

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13 things to hold partners accountable for, 10 ways to do it and 12 questions to ask. bonus: example of a personal accountability plan.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm retreats

partner accountability means different things to different people. some quotations:

“if there are no consequences to failing to achieve a goal, then it is less likely that the goal will be accomplished.” – marc rosenberg

“if people are not prepared to be held accountable for what they do, it is unlikely they will achieve much.” – david maister

more on retreats: 30 marketing and growth questions to cover at a retreat | how marketing for cpa firms is different | why create a marketing plan? | thinking of merging? discuss it at a retreat | how to take action after a retreat | 12 simple rules for a retreat | leave your retreat with a to do list | every retreat needs a leader, but who? | retreats are no place for clowns | who should participate in a retreat? | retreat logistics: how long, what kind? | what should cpa firms discuss at retreats? | why do cpa firms conduct retreats?

“i’m a partner in this firm. that gives me the right to do whatever i darn well please, whenever i want to do it.” – firm partner to whom “accountability” is a dirty word
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best practices for client transition

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man watching handshake between two womenimproper transitions can lead to reduced retirement benefits.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 / succession institute

when a partner is retiring, there is a transition process that we recommend. let’s break it down into a few simple steps:

more on performance management: how client transition is abused | best practices for mandatory retirement | how retirement issues affect succession planning | succession: the questions to care about | 7 succession questions to ignore for now | how partner ratings factor into equity | hazards of not reallocating equity | the pitfalls of equity allocation and reallocation | 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

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18 essential management questions to cover at a retreat

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illustration with some employee symbols standing in circlesresponsibilities of the mp and other positions.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm retreats

before formally beginning the discussion part of a retreat session, it’s always a good idea to begin by asking the participants what they want to be sure to cover.

more on retreats: 30 marketing and growth questions to cover at a retreat | how marketing for cpa firms is different | why create a marketing plan? | thinking of merging? discuss it at a retreat | how to take action after a retreat | 12 simple rules for a retreat | leave your retreat with a to do list | every retreat needs a leader, but who? | retreats are no place for clowns | who should participate in a retreat? | retreat logistics: how long, what kind? | what should cpa firms discuss at retreats? | why do cpa firms conduct retreats?

as issues are suggested, the facilitator should write them down on a flipchart, starting with: read more →

partner retirement and the war for clients

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retirement plan label on folderbonus checklist: 8 best uses for a retiring partner.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 / succession institute

once a firm is ready to phase out a partner in retirement, it’s time to move on to the client transition process. but this is the single most abused part of the entire succession process.

more on performance management: best practices for mandatory retirement | how retirement issues affect succession planning | 7 succession questions to ignore for now | how partner ratings factor into equity | the pitfalls of equity allocation and reallocation | cpa firm performance assessments: 15 core competencies, 21 questions | what having your employees’ backs means | 5 harmful management attitudes (and how to fix them)

the reason why this part of the process is the most abused is because both sides – the partner nearing mso (henceforth referred to as retiring partners or retired partners) and the remaining partners – are motivated to do the wrong things. for example, it is in the best interest of retiring partners to not transition their clients because if they don’t, the firm will need to keep them around to continue to work on them after mso. if this isn’t bad enough, because they did not transition their clients properly, the retired partners have a great deal of leverage since they are now entitled to their full retirement pay and still have control over some or most of their client base. this allows the retired partners to gain additional benefits from the partner group by basically reselling their clients to them again. unfortunately, this situation is more the norm than the exception.
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