Accountability Isn't Enough

Source: RedZone, Play of the Month

The following includes excerpts, reproduced with permission, from an article by Accountants Advisory Group.

Partner accountability has risen to the number one issue in CPA firms. So why is it that so many firms struggle with this issue? The solution to achieving greater levels of firm and partner success extends beyond partner accountability. For example:

• The best accountability system will be useless if a firm doesn't have a winning partner team. Demanding that partners be accountable for performance that they are not capable of achieving is only delaying inevitable failure.
• Partner accountability is flawed from the start in firms that don't provide the proper infrastructure for marketing, HR, and IT to support the partners' goals and objectives.
• The most fundamental of all management skills is delegation – getting things done through others. Partners need the appropriate number of talented staff to delegate tasks and projects.
• It is important to have strong leadership that has the ability to make tough decisions and is held accountable for ensuring that partners form a united, synchronized group that is capable of achieving the goals and objectives of the firm.
• Some partners possess natural talents to achieve the required performance competencies on their own. Nonetheless, all partners can benefit from a formal professional development training plan.

For the complete article, read “Beyond Partner Accountability” 

From RedZone, Play of the Month, Accountants Advisory Group, September 2013, http://www.accountantsadvisory.com.