Know Thy Firm
Even in such technical lines as engineering, about 15% of one's financial success is due to one's technical knowledge and about 85% is due to skill in human engineering, to personality and the ability to lead people. - Dale Carnegie
Do you know of any accountant who approaches his or her work without thinking it through? Can you find a single one who does not give careful attention to detail? Not only have they pursued the necessary education to do their jobs, they regularly get acquainted with each client, listen to their concerns and make every effort to understand their particular needs and priorities. The result is happy clients and an ever-increasing bottom-line.
A similar approach will guarantee the same results for firm leadership. What’s the prequel to exponential growth? Let's consider the possibilities.
Get real
You must know your firm’s culture before you can hope to change it for the better. What are its strengths? What are its weaknesses? Who are emerging leaders within the firm? Who still needs to be developed? A thorough consideration of these and other topics will help you approach vision with a sense of vigor and confidence.
Take an honest look at your firm’s people, beyond mere productivity. What are the things they do well? Can you help them do them even better? Be real about the weaknesses of your firm’s culture. Successful firms take pre-emptive action when it comes to identifying opportunities for improvement. Just like a good coach works with an athlete until he or she overcomes every weakness, you, too, must work with you firm to iron out those areas that constitute potential fault lines for failure.
Make new friends
Take time to get acquainted with employees you don't know and interact regularly with firm members at every level. You don't have to be an extrovert to do this. Just ask a few questions—i.e., be friendly! What do they love about working there? What would they like to change? What motivates them? You may also want to consider implementing a Kolbe™ test for a more thorough understanding of your firm’s people, especially those you see on the horizon of leadership.
Pay attention
Start with these questions, but devise some of your own. Tailor your thinking around the culture of your firm. You may even consider developing an informal scoring system to help you identify areas that need attention. For example, why not keep a simple list of comments you hear from others? You can arrange these into appropriate sub-sections. These may include communication issues, compensation, technology or anything else.
Let the words of others germinate in your mind as you prepare for your next planning session. Doing so will help you clearly identify the "voice" of your firm and its members. Coming into that meeting with a realistic picture will be refreshing for you and those you lead. It shows you care and are giving thought to the perceptions of others, despite the many priorities grabbing for your attention.
The process is simple. Write down a few questions. Be real. Get to know your people. And when you meet with others, let them know you've heard their "voice" and care about addressing every concern. Not only will you earn their respect, together you will cement the foundation for a thriving, successful firm.
