By Matt Rampe, partner, The Rosenberg Associates
CPA firms often become paralyzed if the partners can’t reach a consensus on a key issue. Should we let everyone work remotely or demand a return to the office? What is our AI strategy? Are we going to finally form a niche around our construction clients? And so on. To help move your firm – and your priorities – forward, you need to get good at influence.
While a partner can direct a manager’s work, it doesn’t work that way within the partner group. Partners are peers. You cannot simply dictate terms to each other, but you can persuade to get alignment and action. Here’s how.
What is the Issue?
Before seeking to influence your partners, identify what specific problem or initiative you are approaching them about. Is it a high-value issue – one that, tackled successfully, will create a lot of value for the firm? Also, does it matter greatly to you personally? If not, you may want to save your influence skills for another day. I often advise my clients to understand what is the “hill you’re willing to die on” versus things you are more ambivalent about and that aren’t worth a prolonged struggle. Done right, influence can take significant time and energy, so focus on your top one or two priorities.
Move from a Me to a We Framing
Before you approach the other partners about your issue, reframe it as a “we” problem that affects everyone and that you will collaboratively solve. Partners don’t have time for petty griping sessions, but they can always make time for discussing key issues that can add significant value to them and the firm.
Me-focused framing:
- I don’t like commuting.
- Our audit software seems old and clunky to me.
- We should specialize in CAS because I heard on my favorite CPA podcast that’s what’s hot.
We-focused framing:
- We’re losing good people because our work from home policy isn’t in line with our competition.
- We may be able to add 20% more fees and reduce our hours if we change audit software.
- Our CAS group billing rates are way below market and our staff are burning out when this could become the centerpiece of our firm’s five-year growth plan.
What’s in It for Them?
Now that you have an issue that matters deeply to you – and impacts others significantly – it’s time to approach your partners. I advise against using the same approach with each person, or shot-gunning your viewpoint on everyone in a partner meeting and then throwing your hands up in despair if they don’t jump into action. People act out of self-interest. We have to see what’s in it for us. Tailor your approach to each person you need to influence – especially understanding any power dynamics and who “really” makes the calls. Put yourself in the shoes of each individual:
- What do they want most?
- What is their likely point of view on your proposal?
- If they approved what you are asking, what’s in it for them? And is it enough to overcome the costs of making a change or supporting your initiative?
You can run this by each person, or you may know them well enough to guess fairly well how each person is going to come down on a given issue.
Tailor Your Approach – The Meeting is Won Before the Meeting
Once you know what your issue is, why it benefits the firm and who you need to convince, it’s time to customize your approach. Wait… isn’t this a lot of work already? Of course! But as the saying goes, the meeting is won before the meeting begins, and that certainly applies to key decisions like the one you want to propose. Many a would-be influencer pours their heart out at a partner meeting (managing partners included) only to get shot down or be met with silence. A better approach is to build a warm reception before you ever formally put an ask or issue on the table. Then an ask in a partner meeting becomes easy to succeed with.
People have different styles. Some partners need to get lots of data and then think about it for a week before they can respond. Some like to talk to think. Some are more emotionally driven, and it has to feel right in their gut no matter what the facts say. Know your audience – person by person – and tailor your approach based on that. If they need facts, lead with facts. If they need time to mull it over, give it. If they need to know who else is supporting it, assemble cheerleaders before you approach them. Hopefully, by taking the time to do this, you are “winning votes” to get a consensus in the meeting when you formally raise the issue.
‘Yes’ Doesn’t Guarantee Implementation
Once you’ve done all the legwork to frame your issue well and visit your constituents in ways that speak to them, you probably can get to a place of agreement. Congratulations! Partners (and you) may be feeling a lot of excitement and enthusiasm at this point. The only caveat is that approval in a meeting is no guarantee of actual execution. “Yes, we agree we should revisit our prices and raise them” just means it’s a good idea. This is why the issue has to matter very much to you, because you now get the role of chief project manager who will see through the execution of this initiative. You are likely the person who cares the most about the proposal; if so – unless you have a team that is exceptional at execution (which is rare) – you will have to follow up with people and teams and action items to make sure things keep moving forward. You will play a key role in doing the work of the initiative also. No matter what your level of involvement, it behooves you to keep pushing well past “yes” to make sure your initiative sees the light of day.
Putting It All Together
When I’ve coached leaders who put these steps in place, the result is they often create a signature initiative that speaks deeply to them, generates a lot of value and is embraced widely in the firm. Is it easy? No. Is it worth it? Yes. In addition to creating the outcome you want, you are honing your influence skills to become a powerful tool that you can wield whenever you want to steer your future in the direction you desire.
