Teach Creativity Everywhere

Michelle Golden hits the nail on the head:

Partners continue to complain that associates (managers, supervisors, seniors, etc) don't know how to develop business and don't know how to even spot additional service opportunities whilst serving clients.  Senior partners frequently complain about the same problem with some of their younger partners. 

They even know it is largely their own fault. But they don't know exactly why or how to fix it.

These partners haven't realized that their firms have so strongly squelched the characteristics of creativity and problem-solving, not to mention listening, IN the office that their people don't know how to do an about-face to suddenly exhibit these characteristics OUTSIDE the office?

One cannot successfully breed a problem-solving mentality in people without allowing them to practice constantly. Instead, firms are training an assembly-line mentality. And instead of role-modeling open-minded, creative behavior, they are employing a 'do as we say, not as we do' approach to client relationship management, sales, mentoring, and firm management. So, why is there so much surprise at the present result?

Partners, you cannot have it both ways.

In her post, Michelle adds a link to DumbassReviewNotes, a site from CPA Robin Jerauld that contains some great (and funny) bits showing that accountants’ prevailing business model is just as broken as attorneys’.