Leading An Accounting Firm

Acknowledgments

Although for the last three years, my life has been consumed with researching, interviewing, and writing this book, it would not be possible without the many contributions of other people. First, I’d like to thank my wife, Sheryl, for her patience with my travel and writing schedule. She learned to read and understand that absent look in my face, and she would say, “Go write, and come back when you can be present. It’s okay.”

This work would have been impossible without the contributions of approximately 100 leaders of our profession, over 40 of whom gave me extensive interviews and are listed in the preface to this book. These leaders shared their education, experience, and wisdom with me freely during several hours of interviews. They also read and corrected drafts of chapters as I would complete them. I owe a special debt of gratitude to several leaders who, because of their overall knowledge of our business, directed me to these terrific interviewees. Mike and Kelly Platt who publish the INSIDE Public Accounting newsletter and make an annual selection of the best accounting firms in the United States were particularly helpful. Bill Carlino, managing editor of Accounting Today magazine is a keen observer in our profession, and he directed me to several people.

Several leaders in associations gave me insights and were particularly helpful because they had worked with these leaders. Jim Metzler, vice president of Small Firm Interests at the AICPA; Terry Snyder, ...