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Leadership must drive it.

By Anthony Zecca
Leading from the Edge

“Culture is like the wind. It is invisible; yet its effect can be seen and felt.” – Bryan Walker, partner and managing director, Ideo

Edge leaders are magnificent creators and stewards of a winning culture. I use the concept of “creating” because, regardless of what process is used to develop the culture of the firm, it is the firm leader who either gives life to it or modifies it through action and communication.

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Edge leaders reflect the firm culture in all their actions, and they focus on ensuring that the firm’s performance is achieved within the culture and roadmap (strategy) that creates a standout, high-performing firm.
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Commitment matters; size doesn’t.

By Anthony Zecca
Leading from the Edge

Let’s talk about leadership – the type of leadership necessary to drive an organization to become a standout, high-performing organization. Although many of the principles are applicable to any middle-market organization, I have focused on professional service firms and within that, accounting firms where I spent my entire career.

Every firm, every firm leader, every partner, and every team member can stand out and be a top performer. It’s a choice and a commitment to excel.

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Throughout my career, I have worked with some fabulous standout organizations, some that were just improving a little each year and some that could not get out of their own way. I have worked with many leaders who consistently drove their organizations to excellence and significant growth in revenue and profits outperforming most in their industry.

I started to wonder, was there one factor that these standout organizations all shared?

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A team can’t become a standout team by dictate.

By Anthony Zecca
Leading From the Edge

Leadership has responsibility and impact on creating a powerful and united team throughout the firm and an environment that motivates every single team member to their highest level of performance for the benefit of the firm, and not their own career advancement. Teamwork and not individualism is a cornerstone of a strong culture that results in achieving the level of a standout, high-performing firm.

MORE: The Two Sides of the Culture Coin | Four Accountability Steps for Firm Success | Assessing Your Firm | Incremental Vs. Exceptional Success | Is Your Leadership Team at the Edge? | Leadership Must Drive Culture
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In fact, a strong culture cannot thrive in an environment where silos exist, and individuals are more focused on what is best for their career versus what is best for the firm. Teamwork is not only a key aspect of the firm’s culture, but a key factor in driving the firm’s performance to become a standout, high-performing firm.
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And how they relate to strategy.

By Anthony Zecca
Leading From the Edge

As we focus on the leadership of accounting firms need to succeed in a future driven by seismic disruptors, we must address leadership’s responsibility, and impact on creating a culture that results in an environment that motivates every single team member to their highest level of performance.

MORE: Four Accountability Steps for Firm Success | How to Build a Standout Team | Five Keys to Becoming a High-Performing Firm | Assessing Your Firm | The 4 Traits of Great CPA Leaders | Why Leaders Must Ensure Clarity | Incremental Vs. Exceptional Success | Do You Lead or Just Manage? | Managing Vs. Leading | Is Your Leadership Team at the Edge? | 6 Leadership Challenges Through COVID and Beyond | Edge Leaders Share 7 Strengths | Leadership Must Drive Culture | Leading from the Edge
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There are two great quotes that I would like to start with to frame this discussion. The first is from Bryan Walker (partner and managing director at Ideo), who stated that “Culture is like the wind. It is invisible; yet its effect can be seen and felt” in every single organization that exists from the family to the biggest company on the planet. The second quote is from author Tanya Mann: “Your organization’s culture is either an asset or a liability; either helping business performance or hurting it.”
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