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Stepping up: How to progress to partner level

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11th Nov 2009
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Consultant practice editor Mark Lee offers practical advice for accountants looking to climb the career ladder in their firms.

It’s a fact of life that ambitious professionals are often competing with each other when it comes to seeking promotion to partnership level. There are invariably more managers seeking progression than there are potential partnership roles in a firm. The better connected and respected one is, the greater the prospect for advancement when the opportunity comes. However, let’s be clear: If you have not had a conversation with the partners about your progression it’s unlikely to happen. Ambition requires advocacy – yours and at least one current partner (often more) if you are to stand any real hope of achieving partnership.

It took me many years to appreciate the truth in the old adage that It’s not what you know, it’s who you know (although now I prefer to think that what really counts is not what you know but what you do with what you know).

It was almost 20 years ago that I first had to make an impression in a large firm of accountants in the hope of ‘making partner’. At first I thought it would be sufficient to work hard and to impress the senior partners who had been involved in my recruitment into the firm. After some time I realised that office politics would also have an influence. The more partners in the firm who knew of me and thought well of me, the greater would be my chance of them voting in favour of my progression when the time came.

Building your profile
My own experience in the 1990s was by no means unique. A few years ago I undertook some research, both formal and informal on this subject. The results confirmed that prospective partners can improve their chances of progression if they raise their profile in the firm. This will involve internal networking and getting to know and help those who could influence your career. That includes possible mentors, bosses, colleagues and staff, any of whom may have an influence somewhere down the line.

It’s important to avoid the all too common assumption that some staff are too junior or irrelevant to have any such influence. Below I’ll offer some fictional examples of how their views can have an impact in real life.

  • Jordon Brown is a team leader with a lower than average profile in her firm. A junior member of her team is having an informal chat with a senior partner (for whatever reason) and happens to heap praise on Jordan – even giving examples of her management, leadership or client handling skills that were previously unappreciated; It’s quite feasible that such informal genuine (rather than staged) conversations could result in Jordan’s name being discussed among the partners.
     
  • Cherry Clair is a manager who does what she can to please the partners who think she’s great and that clients love her. She’s on the fast track for partnership until some of her staff are overheard complaining about how incompetent she is and that they are always having to cover up for her. The partners decide to look at her work more critically than they have done to date and, as a result they defer their decision to invite her to join the partnership.
     
  • David Cameroon is a recent high flying recruit known to be quite hard nosed as a manager and although not well liked, he seems to be respected. One of the partners receives a complaint about David’s attitude and rudeness from a respected and long standing member of the support team. The partner asks around and learns that this is a part of David’s style of which the partners were not previously aware. His promotion to partnership is deferred.

I would encourage prospective partners to think about all the skills and talents that the current partners will be looking for them to display. It’s rarely as simple as just doing a good job. Indeed, that assumption is somewhat naïve and if sincerely held could indicate an absence of the necessary commercial awareness that is generally required of new partners.

Increasing your visibility
Over and above commerciality, client handling skills and a financial focus, prospective partners are often expected to show a willingness to be sociable, to volunteer to attend and help at relevant business functions, to be seen at ‘drink-ups’ (for new staff, departing staff, birthdays, retirements etc.) and to get to know (and be known by) more people than just those with whom they came into contact each day. (N.B. You also want to avoid being perceived as a free-loader, drunk or alcoholic!)

Of course, being good at your job and well known are still not sufficient. What matters is your general reputation, the level of trust and confidence that your colleagues have and the extent to which you are liked/disliked. Effective networking skills can help contribute towards the building of a positive reputation.

When promotions are being considered, you will want to have done what you can to improve your chances of achieving your ambitions, the idea being that none of the partners involved in the decision should be hearing your name for the first time. If they are, they may feel unable to endorse the suggestion that you be moved along the partnership track.

Top tips

Prospective partners in smaller firms have an advantage here in that they probably know and are known by all of the decision makers. In the larger firms this is less easy unless you make the effort. I would encourage you to think about how you might ensure that you become known (for good reasons) outside of your immediate team. Indeed, if you’re in a firm with more than one office you may need to become known by key partners in other offices.

A few ways to do this (as well as the advice listed above) would include:

  • Making specific offers to write what you hope would be seen to be valuable contributions to newsletters, website pages, the intranet etc.
  • Volunteering to attend seminars and functions being run by other teams and offices (subject to the caveats above).
  • Getting involved in and/or presenting training sessions and courses.
  • Going above and beyond simply doing a good job within normal office hours.
  • Helping to negotiate increases in fees or resolving fee issues in a mutually beneficial way.

Mark Lee is chairman of the Tax Advice Network and consultant practice editor for AccountingWEB.co.uk.

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