Accelerated Best Practice: Implementing Success in Professional Firms

✍ Scribed by Fiona Westwood

• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 227
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The professional services market is under continuous pressure to change. Some firms have responded well, many have tried and failed. Professionals are trained to analyze and debate, rather than decide and act. Implementation and speed of response within professional firms remains a key problem. While there are many management books focusing on strategic change, few tackle change in the context of professionals. This book provides practical tools and techniques to harness the intellect and energy of professionals and achieve buy-in and commitment to change in their firms.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 6
Preface......Page 11
Acknowledgements......Page 12
About the Author......Page 13
1.1 Introduction......Page 14
1.2 Pressure to change......Page 15
1.3 What is the effect?......Page 16
1.5 What this book sets out to do......Page 17
1.6 How manageable are professionals?......Page 20
Conclusions......Page 22
Key Action Points......Page 23
2.1 Introduction......Page 24
2.2 The Model for Success......Page 25
2.4 Segment 1 Sustaining effective management and leadership......Page 26
2.4.1 The crucial importance of values......Page 28
2.4.2 How to identify our values?......Page 30
2.4.3 Developing trust......Page 32
2.4.4 Planning......Page 33
2.5 Segment 2 Maximising our resources......Page 34
2.5.1 Informed discussions......Page 35
2.5.2 The Resource Audit......Page 36
2.6 Segment 3 Building valuable client relationships......Page 38
2.6.1 Asking our clients......Page 39
2.6.2 Delighting the customer!......Page 40
2.7 Segment 4 Choosing the correct development option......Page 44
2.7.1 Strategic thinking......Page 45
2.7.2 What choices do we have?......Page 46
2.7.3 How are we going to get there?......Page 47
2.7.4 Putting it into practice......Page 48
2.8 Segment 5 Shaping up for success......Page 49
2.8.1 The correct structure?......Page 50
2.8.2 Shaping the skill base......Page 51
2.8.3 Does size matter?......Page 52
2.8.4 Moving through the partnership structure......Page 53
Conclusions......Page 54
Key Action Points......Page 55
Appendix – Business Plan Template......Page 56
3.1 Introduction......Page 58
3.2 Review of current professional trends......Page 59
3.2.1 Key changes in the past 10 years......Page 60
3.2.2 Strategic shifts for the professional sector......Page 63
3.3 Review of current management experts......Page 64
3.3.1 Knowledge Management – what it means in practice?......Page 65
3.3.2 Innovation instead of creativity......Page 67
3.3.4 Partnering – what we all should be doing......Page 69
3.3.5 Emotional Intelligence......Page 70
3.4 Where is professionalism going?......Page 72
3.5 What do professionals want?......Page 73
3.6 What do clients want?......Page 74
3.7 The importance of cross selling......Page 75
3.8 Dichotomies of managing continuous change......Page 76
3.9 Role of the outsider and objectivity......Page 78
Conclusions......Page 79
Key Action Points......Page 80
4.1 Introduction......Page 81
4.2 What makes a good leader or manager?......Page 82
4.3 Inspire trust and build relationships......Page 83
4.3.2 Develop and use shared values......Page 84
4.4 Influencing without authority......Page 85
4.4.1 Be clear about what we want to achieve......Page 86
4.4.2 Identify and influence the influencers......Page 87
4.5 The impact of behaviour......Page 88
4.5.1 Reward good behaviour......Page 89
4.5.2 Deal with bad behaviour......Page 90
4.6 Managing conflict constructively......Page 92
4.6.1 Identify the sources of conflict......Page 94
4.6.2 Tackle them and allow people to learn......Page 96
4.7 Ability to listen and communicate well......Page 99
4.7.1 The power of the story......Page 100
4.7.2 Learning to listen......Page 101
4.8 Solve problems and achieve solutions......Page 102
4.8.2 Achieve a win-win solution......Page 103
4.9 How to develop these abilities?......Page 104
Key Action Points......Page 105
5.1 Introduction......Page 106
5.2 Implementation is the key to success......Page 107
5.2.1 The key elements of implementation......Page 108
5.3 Time Audit......Page 110
5.3.1 Analysis......Page 111
5.3.3 Tackle them......Page 114
5.4 Focus on achieving results......Page 117
5.5 Speed, accuracy and consistency......Page 118
5.6 Risk management......Page 120
5.6.1 Managing stress......Page 121
5.6.2 Dealing with mistakes......Page 122
5.6.3 Client management......Page 123
5.7 Right people in the right jobs......Page 127
Conclusions......Page 129
Key Action Points......Page 130
6.1 Introduction......Page 131
6.2 Good versus exceptional......Page 132
6.3 What do clients value?......Page 134
6.3.2 Agree timescales, levels of service and costs......Page 136
6.3.3 Develop and retain trust......Page 138
6.3.5 Be good listeners......Page 140
6.3.6 Find proactive solutions to problems......Page 141
6.3.7 Deliver results not processes......Page 143
6.4 Implementing cross selling......Page 144
6.4.1 Educate our clients......Page 145
6.4.2 Hand holding is not a waste of time......Page 146
6.4.3 Make sure we reward cross selling......Page 147
6.5 Value-based selling to win new clients......Page 148
6.5.1 Winning pitches......Page 149
6.5.2 Informal presentations......Page 152
6.6 Marketing and branding......Page 153
Key Action Points......Page 154
7.1 Introduction......Page 156
7.2 Know what we want to achieve......Page 157
7.3 Stage 1 Market analysis......Page 158
7.3.1 Application to our own firm......Page 159
7.3.3 Focus on the long term......Page 161
7.4 Stage 2 Identifying and developing options......Page 163
7.4.1 Innovative thinking......Page 164
7.4.3 What do we need to be sure of?......Page 166
7.5.1 Organic growth......Page 168
7.5.2 Accelerated growth......Page 171
7.5.3 Downsize......Page 173
7.5.4 Niche......Page 174
7.6 Market positioning......Page 176
7.7 Knowledge Management – knowing what we are good at......Page 178
Key Action Points......Page 179
8.1 Introduction......Page 180
8.2 The correct structure revisited......Page 181
8.2.1 Emotional Intelligence and its effect on our shape......Page 182
8.2.2 Knowledge Management and its effect on our structure......Page 183
8.3 Flexibility and the ability to change......Page 184
8.3.1 Reward people......Page 185
8.3.2 Instil energy and innovation......Page 186
8.4.1 Why is this happening?......Page 188
8.4.2 The problems caused......Page 190
8.4.3 What needs to be done......Page 191
8.4.4 Opportunities created?......Page 193
8.5 Shaping the skill base and sustaining success......Page 194
8.5.1 What makes a good partner?......Page 196
8.5.2 The selection process......Page 199
8.5.3 What do we need to do to make it?......Page 201
Key Action Points......Page 203
Appendix – Career Profile......Page 204
9.1 Introduction......Page 205
9.2 What skills do we need and how do we develop them?......Page 206
9.3 What does a successful firm actually do?......Page 208
9.4 Techniques and tools......Page 211
9.5 Flexible and adaptable......Page 213
Key Action Points......Page 214
Appendix – Detailed Action Plan......Page 216
References......Page 220
C......Page 222
I......Page 223
M......Page 224
P......Page 225
S......Page 226
W......Page 227