The Relationship Between Partner and Manager

Source: Florida CPA Today

Sandra Wiley (COO, Boomer Consulting) writes that the major complaints by partners about managers include communications, generational differences, work habits, and experience in business.

She offers several solutions including:

• Regular quarterly meetings to agree on goals. Talk to them weekly about how they are doing.
• Managers shouldn't simply be told what to do. They should offer approaches to problems.
• The firm should create a task force to probe and understand generational differences. Don't allow a war between the generations. Partners should understand that generations X and Y:
  • Are willing to work hard--but not willing to work all the time.
  • Want to be told if they are doing things wrong so they can correct them.
  • Want to learn and don't want to be restrained.
  • Want to be listened to when they say something needs to be changed.
• Make sure managers have mentors.
• Educate managers on how the firm is managed.
• Send managers to industry events.

For the complete article, click here.

From Florida CPA Today, May/June 2009, p. 13, www.ficpa.org.