The Debilitating Effects of Denial at Accounting Firms

Patrick J. Mckenna
Patrick J. McKenna

And four other hurdles today’s accounting firms must overcome.

By Patrick J. McKenna
Professional Services Firm Consultant and Author

Many firms are in denial, and the few that aren’t move very slowly.

If your firm gets caught behind the curve, it wasn’t because critical trends weren’t visible; it was because they were ignored. The huge challenge remains that for too many firms, unless there is acute “pain,” there is little incentive to change. History proves that laggards only grab for the new once they are totally convinced the old doesn’t work anymore.

Adapted from the introduction to “How to Engage Partners in the Firm’s Future: The Secrets Every Leader Needs to Know,”
by August J. Aquila and Robert J. Lees

And the old doesn’t work anymore!

When does a firm’s strategy change? Usually only in response to a crisis or because of the initiative of a new managing partner. In many firms we have a generation of stewards rather than entrepreneurs.