How to Become the Firm of Choice

Rob LeesRob Lees is the co-author, with Harvard Business School professors Tom DeLong and Jack Gabarro, of the best-selling When Professionals Have to Lead: A New Model for High Performance. He is also co-author of the HBR article “Managing talent: The key challenge for today’s professional service firm”. Rob also co-authored, with August Aquila, Engaging Partners in the Firm’s Future and What Successful Managing Partners Do. He has also published numerous articles on professional service firm strategy in both the US and UK. Before retiring last year after 25 years working with leading professional firms across the world, Rob had spent the last ten years consulting with firm leaders on how to improve their strategic position and, critically, how to deliver it. During this time, Rob also helped set up Møller Professional Service Firms Group, the UK’s leading PSF consulting firm on improving individual, team, and firm capability. Rob held several notable positions prior to moving into consulting, including global head of human resources at EY and head of EY’s global leadership institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was also head of professional development in EY’s UK firm and director of professional development at Morgan Stanley. Rob currently collaborates on selected research projects and writes on issues relating to firm strategy and performance. He can be reached at roblees2@sky.com August AquilaInternationally known speaker, consultant, and author

• IntroductionAcknowledgementsAbout the authorsAn invitation to a firm’s retreatCast of charactersPart One•Where to begin•Oh no! Not another bloody meeting!•Cliff’s opening remarks•Nathan’s story•Questions from partners•Rules•Mark’s opening comments•Mark’s findings•Categorizing the issues•Let’s get to work•Market questions•Client questions•People questions•Financial questions•Underpinning beliefs questions•What we agreed to agree•Mark’s closing comments•Cliff’s closing comments Part Two•Two weeks later•Mark’s opening comments•Findings & proposals ◦Markets team◦Clients team◦People team◦Finance team◦Underpinning beliefs team•Making it happen•Change is tough•What do we do with the partners who don’t want to join us?•A picture is worth a thousand wordsPart Three•Two years later•A final wordPart Four•Exhibits and key concepts