Pigeon Partners (from David Maister)

Source: Possibilities for CPA Firm Leaders

The following is reprinted in its entirety, with permission, from Possibilities for CPA Firm Leaders (January 24, 2008), the Blog of Rita Keller.

You might think that I refer you to and reference David Maister too often on this Blog. Well, just so you know, I’m not going to stop doing that.

Yesterday, I once again had the opportunity to see and hear David in person and I received great value. David was the final speaker at the Winning is Everything practice management conference in Las Vegas and he was “on” his game. He often stops himself and notes, “Okay, I’ve got to calm down.”

An example David uses in explaining the effective way to coach a person (a partner in a CPA firm, for example) is called “the pigeon story” and he presents it in a humorous and logical fashion.

I’ll try to summarize it briefly. If you want a pigeon (partner) to progress to another “place” that is too distant from them, they can’t do it in one huge step. You draw a line very close in front of them and draw them there. You coach them by saying, “Come on pigeon, you can do it, I will help you.” When they get there you celebrate and then draw another line, not too far in front of them. Same with people (partners). It is too hard to make a gigantic leap to an annual goal—it is too far in the distance. Instead, set a goal that is a small step away and continually repeat, “Come on partner, you can do it, I will help you.” After seven or eight lines (small steps, 9 or 10 for tax partners), they arrive at the larger goal.

David gave everyone in attendance a copy of his new book, Strategy and The Fat Smoker. Of course I had him autograph mine and in that process I had the pleasure of meeting his wife, Kathy, who he often references in his stories.

This morning, I picked up the book and took the advice he gives in the introduction—simply flip to a place in the book and read. It is a compilation of many articles he has written in the last several years and reading from beginning to end is not necessary.

The place I flipped to spoke volumes to me and I will use it as my ending quote today.

“You don’t make people want to spend time with you because they feel good about you. You do it by making them feel good about themselves when they are with you.” —David Maister.

From Possibilities for CPA Firm Leaders (January 24, 2008), the Blog of Rita Keller, shareholder of Brady Ware, a nationally known regional CPA firm. Rita is also a nationally known consultant, speaker and author on CPA firm management. Visit http://cpamanagement.blogspot.com/.

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