Sample Seminar

I conduct a wide variety of seminars. Here is one illustration.

Practice Management Workshop

The goal of the Workshop is to give each participant the opportunity to reflect on their role as a leader in a professional service environment, and to consider how they can have maximum beneficial impact on the practice or firm. In addition, there is a particular focus on what the individual practice leader can do to influence the success of the/their practice.

The seminar will be conducted entirely by discussion rather than a series of formal presentations.

The program will be broad in scope, in order to address the variety of issues faced by the different participants. A major theme is the need to achieve a balance in managing the practice between achieving good (short-term) income statement results and building a strong practice with a good balance sheet (e.g. building a strong inventory of skills and in-depth client relationships)

The agenda will include the following topics:

1. The Practice Leader’s Role.
2. Creating a Strategy for the Practice.
3. Profitability Improvement.
4. Managing the Business Development Effort.
5. Client Service Planning.
6. Organization of the Practice.
7. Specialization of Industry or Function.
8. Human Resources.
9. Dealing with other Partners.

1. Getting and Using Information.

   Practice Leader Workshop – Outline

   PART ONE: THE PRACTICE LEADER’S ACTIVITIES

   • The Practice Leader’s Time
   • Getting and Using Information
   • Management Styles

• Optional: Participant Issues

  PART TWO: PROFITS AND STRATEGY

• The Profitability of Professional Practice
• Positioning and Differentiation

• Office/Firm Strategic Planning

  PART THREE: THE CLIENT MARKETPLACE

• Managing the Marketing Effort

• Client Service Planning

  PART FOUR: INSIDE THE OFFICE/FIRM

• Resource Allocation
• Human Resources

• Managing Other Partners

  Practice Leader Workshop – Details

  PART ONE: THE PRACTICE LEADER’S ACTIVITIES

  The Practice Leader’s Time

• How does a Practice Leader “add value” (i.e. really affect the performance of the office/firm?)
• What activities should the Practice Leader engage in?

• How much time spent on each?

  Getting and Using Information

• What information does the Practice Leader need to run the practice well?
• Which ratios should receive particular attention?
• How can the leader get this information?
• What should the leader look at weekly? monthly? annually?
• Management Styles
  • What management styles are effective for leading professionals?
  • To what extent can an individual Practice Leader choose or change a personal style?

• (If desired, this session can be built on a survey of the senior professionals and/or staff in each participants’ office / firms, to provide confidential feedback)

  PART TWO: PROFITS AND STRATEGY

  The Profitability of Professional Practice

  • What are the main levers available to a Practice leader to influence profitability, short-term and long-term?
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of the alternate routes to improving profitability?

• How should profitability within the practice be measured by the Practice Leader?

  Positioning and Differentiation

• In what ways may a practice be differentiated in the eyes of clients?

• What actions are necessary to achieve true differentiation?

  Office/Firm Strategic Planning

• What is a strategic plan and how do you get one?
• How much effort should be spent on this activity?
• How should the Practice Leader develop a strategic plan for the practice?

• How much of this activity should the Practice Leader do, and how much should be delegated?

  PART THREE: THE CLIENT MARKETPLACE

  Managing the Marketing Effort

• What is the Practice Leader’s role in the marketing effort?
• How should the Practice Leader influence the direction of marketing effort in the practice?
• How should the Practice Leader monitor marketing activities in the practice?
• How much should be spent on business development efforts?

• How should this budget be allocated to the various types of marketing activity?

  Client Service Planning

• How should business development efforts with existing clients be designed and managed?
• What is the Practice Leader’s role in ensuring a high level of service to existing clients?
• What is the Practice Leader’s role in establishing a cross-selling program?
• What is the role of the Practice Leader in Client Relations?

• How much time should the Practice Leader spend on this, and what should be done?

  PART FOUR: INSIDE THE OFFICE/FIRM

  Resource Allocation

• How should the resources of the practice be organized?
• Who should be responsible for allocation of resources, e.g. staffing of engagements?

• How does the Practice Leader ensure that resources in the practice are being used wisely?

  Human Resources

• How involved, if at all, should the Practice leader be in managing non-partner resources in the practice?

• How can the Practice leader establish a Human Resources program in the practice?

  How can the Practice Leader monitor this program?

• What information should the Practice Leader “track” with regard to Human Resources.

  Managing Other Partners

• How should the Practice leader interact with other partners in the practice?
• How should he Practice Leader establish goals for each partner?
• How can he Practice Leader motivate other partners?

• Should he Practice Leader conduct performance appraisals of other partners?