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Can You “C” the Future? Seven Skills on the Path to Partner
The seven Cs are the foundational skills and behaviors that can help you become an outstanding candidate for promotion to partnership in your firm. These seven attributes are continually confirmed by in-depth research of CPA firm leaders throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and the Middle East.
By Guest Blogger, Martin Bissett
On Aug. 31 last year, 13 senior managers with excellent technical skills and track records came together — having been nominated by partners in their firms — to undergo a 12-month executive education curriculum called Next Generation Leadership – Your Passport to Partnership.Nearly 12 months on, one of those 13 has become a partner, three others are on the brink of doing the same, and one has a new position that suits his/her goals. I haven’t even had the chance to check up on what’s happening with the remaining eight.
How did they achieve this?
The truth is that they all were very strong candidates for partnership to begin with, but there’s no situation that can’t be improved upon. So, with PICPA’s facilitation, members of this group were able to bond with their peers to compare notes and receive guidance from one another on a range of career issues. They developed a network of peer-level professionals that they can call upon throughout their careers.
They also embraced the seven Cs.
The seven Cs are the foundational skills and behaviors that can help you become an outstanding candidate for promotion to partnership in your firm. These seven attributes are continually confirmed by in-depth research of CPA firm leaders throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and the Middle East.
The seven Cs are as follows:
1. Competence
This is your technical abilities and qualifications, whether it is audit abilities, tax computations, or management accounting functionality.
2. Culture
This is your ability to understand why the practice does things the way it does, to be consistent in the behaviors it expects of its people, and to be able to be an ambassador for the firm in public.
3. Communication
This is the ability to demonstrate internal managerial abilities, external client and “influencer” relationship-building skills, and nonpartisanship in sensitive situations.
4. Conversion
This is the ability to source, develop, close, and grow a new or existing client relationship.
5. Commitment
This boils down to loyalty, how and when it’s shown and what happens to a person’s career prospects in the firm when it isn’t demonstrated at a key time.
6. Challenges
What happens when a colleague has made a huge mistake? Or when a client needs you “right now”? How you react to challenges says a lot about maturity and how you would handle firmwide issues.
7. Commercial Awareness
Partners are people who run large organizations that just happen to deliver CPA services. Meeting payroll, collecting outstanding bills, and managing growth plans are all responsibilities that come with the title. Potential partners need to be aware of what a partner goes through on a commercial level on a day-to-day basis.This is your technical abilities and qualifications, whether it is audit abilities, tax computations, or management accounting functionality.
Martin Bissett is the Managing Director of The Upward Spiral Partnership Ltd, (USP) which is the United Kingdom-based consulting firm that specializes in the implementation of professional selling skills in the accounting profession. He conducts this year-long leadership training program for PICPA members.
