I was having a conversation with a company founder recently, who shared with me that when he established the business, he brought in a number of his friends who were technically very good. But over time, as the company’s clients got bigger and their needs got more complex, the group of friends he’d brought aboard…couldn’t keep up with the growth. It made for a very difficult, awkward situation. Many times with new leaders, we’ll see trust issues in that there is not only a la

How many clients are truly loyal to your firm? You’d be surprised how huge the divide can be between perception and reality on that question. Whenever I’m engaging with firms on a client loyalty assessment, I expect many of the partners within that firm to underrate themselves slightly. Not on their expertise, but on the state of their client relationships. But when I asked the above question to the partners of a CPA firm, guess what they said? They believed that 1% of their

In our most recent post, we talked about the people who could pose potential problems for you when you come into a leadership role – Underperformers, Termites and Covert Change Killers. These folks aren’t just minor roadblocks. They’re landmines waiting to be stepped on. Adding even more complication to the matter is the fact that many of these types of individuals aren’t always obvious enemies of your goals. In fact, they could present themselves as your closest friend! With