Leading An Accounting Firm

Preface

During my 20 years consulting with accounting firms, there is a key ingredient among those firms that seem to rise above the rest: great leadership. The same was true in the other businesses in which I served prior to founding FiveStar³, LLC. Although there are many books on the subject of managing an accounting firm, no titles are related to the power of leadership and its impact on an accounting business.

Over 30 years ago, I was privileged to be in an audience in which the famous UCLA basketball coach John Wooden was the keynote speaker. That day, he spoke on the pyramid of success that he used in coaching his teams to unparalleled success. I was particularly intrigued by the strength and durability of the pyramid structure. In Wooden’s remarks, he said something like, “I don’t have a copyright on the pyramid, so if you find it useful in your business or your writings, please use it with my blessings.”

This book has 17 chapters segmented into 5 critical sections utilizing the pyramid’s structure as a visual. In the base of the pyramid are 5 foundation chapters related to leading self. The next tier contains 4 chapters related to leading staff (others), and tier 3 holds 3 chapters related to strategy. Common management subjects are covered in 2 chapters related to systems, and the pinnacle section relates to creating synergy among the various tiers of building blocks of leadership.

In writing this book, I have interviewed nearly 100 leaders in the accounting profession, ...