leadership in professional services - developing leadership capabilities in partners

Alex Swarbrick and Sharron Swann

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Leadership in professional servicesDeveloping leadership capabilitiesin Partners

Welcome to the Roffey Park Leadership in Professional Services Webinar

Alex Swarbrick

Senior Consultant

Roffey Park

Sharron Swann

HR Director

Reeves & Co LLP

Send us your questions…

Host

Melissa Green Roffey

Park

Where we’re going in this webinar

What makes Professional Service firms different?

What does effective leadership in Professional Services entail?

– What’s attractive about the Partner role?

What do we see as the leadership development needs of Partners?

What helps Partners to develop leadership capabilities?

Discussion and questions

What makes Professional Services different?

Sector– UK- a global

leader

– Significant part of economy

Staffing– People are the

product

– Careers not jobs

Structure– Partnerships

Sources:• Department for Business Innovation and Skills • “UK Professional Services Sector Outlook: Third quarter 2012” (Barclays)• 2012 Accountancy Age survey• City UK report

What makes Professional Services different?

Skill mix– Finders– Minders– Grinders

Shared values– Values of

Professions– Values of firm

Strategy– Expert– Experience– EfficiencySources:

• Managing the Professional Service Firm’ David Maister (2003)

Expert? Experience? Efficiency?

What’s attractive about the Partner role?

Professional and Personal Status

Autonomy

Intellectual challenge

Recognition

Lifestyle and income

Stakeholder in the business

Partners as leaders

Specialism v whole firm

Independent decision making v collaborative

Operational v Strategic

Process v people– coaches and

mentors

Positive aspects of A

Negative aspects of A

Positive aspects of B

Negative aspects of B

Polarity management

Copyright © PMA 2002

Partners as LeadersWhat do they need to be good at?

Strategic thinking

Influencing skills

Ability to address conflict

Navigate organisational politics

Self-awareness

Less about IQ

More about EQ

Partners as LeadersWhat do they need to be good at?

Strategic thinking

Influencing skills

Ability to address conflict

Navigate organisational politics

Self-awareness

Partners as Leaders

Benefits of specialists as leaders– Specialists like to be led

by specialists

Technical expertise is an enabler, a door opener

Focus on facts and IQ; less practiced in using EQ

Can be collaborative and committed to the organisation, not just their specialism

Developing Partners as Leaders

Fast paced

Delivered by people who are recognised as experts in their own field

Intellectually stimulating

Evidence base to any theory

Experiential

Practically relevant

Feedback and self awareness

Importance of role models

Reeves’ Partners LeadershipProgramme

Scoping the need

Psychometric (FIRO B)

360 feedback

1:1 Coaching

3 x 2 day modules– Leading self

– Leading clients

– Leading the firm

Projects

Evaluation

Outcome

Emotional intelligence

More productive collaboration across the firm and among the Partners

People leadership more effective– Especially

performance management

In conclusion...

Different

Technical and people business

Require skilful leadership

– more about EQ than IQ

The development must fit

Organisational culture where good ‘leadership’ is valued.

Time for discussion and questions

What next?

Leadership Development in

Professional Services Round

Table

March 19th 2013

Reeves’ office in London

For more information on Roffey Park contact

Melissa GreenMarketing & Business

Development Manager

tailored@roffeypark.com

+44 (0)293 851644

+44 (0)7825 616281