Better Off With No Boss?

Source: Solutions for CPA Firm Leaders

The following includes excerpts, reproduced with permission, from an article by Rita Keller.

I've been reading a lot lately about the success of the boss-less office. It's where there are no titles and no bosses. Another form of this that we have in CPA firms is management by committee.

In the true no-boss culture, employees decide among themselves which projects to pursue and whom to hire and fire, and they even decide their own salaries, raises and vacation days.

The reactions to this idea from the management experts are, of course, varied.

What I often find in CPA firms is a managing partner, designated as leader/CEO, who actually has no power and is constantly second-guessed by his or her partners. I find client service partners who expect to be consulted on almost every minor decision and, thus, drastically slow down the decision-making process. Yes, I often find a form of management by committee that results in the firm moving forward very slowly.

I have always been a huge cheerleader for taking care of your people, making them feel special, and creating a culture where they will want to stay and build their careers. But I have come to believe that there should be a disclaimer to this train of thought. While you should be respectful and encouraging to your people, they still need some structure, discipline, and clearly defined expectations.

In studying successful accounting firms across the country, you will find that the most successful, fastest growing, most profitable and highly respected firms have strong leadership. It is usually a driving personality who possesses the leadership skills necessary to establish a vision and get others to want to follow them.

For the complete article, read, “Life in the ‘No Boss' World.”

From Solutions for CPA Firm Leaders, the newsletter of Rita Keller, president of Keller Advisors, LLC, [email protected].