A Retreat Just for Managers
It has become common in progressive firms for the partners to involve their Senior Managers and Managers in all or part of the annual partner retreat. Usually, the shareholders reserve an additional day to meet by themselves.
I believe it is just as valuable for firm managers to have a special day or two, away from the office, without the owners to participate in their own retreat and explore what we could call, The Role of the Highly Engaged Manager.
The manager retreat should occur every other or every third year. It is a time for them to discuss issues, explore challenges and build consensus. After all, managers are the ones who have the most direct involvement with supervising other, younger valuable team members.
Why is it important for managers to explore and embrace the best management trends and apply them to your firm? Why is it important for managers to become fully aware of what Gallup discovered: People don't leave companies. They leave managers. It is important because they are usually very much in the dark when it comes to their own short-comings.
Do your managers cling to work so that younger accountants don't have the opportunity to learn from more challenging engagements? Do your managers micro-manage? Do your managers do the opposite of micro-managing such as delaying answers to questions and being non-communicative? Do your people dread coming to work because their manager makes them feel like their career at the firm is a dead end?
Taking time away to talk about things that could make them more effective and make the firm more successful is a healthy exercise. A great manager can make a good job even better and most firms don't realize that great managers are an exceptional benefit to the firm and a benefit to prospective employees. This will continue to become more and more important as the talent wars intensify as 2021 unfolds.
And, importantly, don't forget that managers will be your future partners!
Below is an example of an agenda for a two-day manager retreat. Each item would be discussed in-depth, troubling instances within the firm identified, and a plan outlined on how to improve various situations. After the retreat, the managers have a debriefing with the Managing Partner and COO to learn about the success of the retreat and hear recommendations for moving forward.
Manager Retreat Exploration Itinerary
Phase I - Tour of the Changing Environment
Phase II - Exploring the Generational Differences
Phase III - Excavation of the Gender/Diversity Factor
Phase IV - Discovery of the Joy of Being a Boss
Finally, I urge you to invest in a qualified facilitator for the manager retreat just as you do for the partner retreat. Someone who knows the CPA profession and knows a lot about other firms can be such an asset to your manager group. I know this first hand because years ago my firm did a one-day manager retreat. It was necessary because we had managers getting to know each other because of a merger. We hired one of the most prominent CPA management consultants to facilitate and our managers benefited greatly and talked about the learning experience for years afterward.