Getting THEM to change
Is this what it will take to have THEM change?
Mike’s been a managing partner of a CPA firm for the past 11 years. He’s been wildly successful and satisfied for 10 of those years, but this one has been different.
Three years ago, Mike and his partners acquired another firm which was one of the best investments the firm had made. New clients, new staff and new opportunities were driving success at an almost alarming rate.
So it wasn’t surprising that when Mike was approached to acquire a large firm that targeted emerging technology companies, he feverishly began making plans to move forward. That is, until he approached his two partners.
You see, Henry and Stella, Mike’s partners, were at a point in their careers where investing in acquisition seemed too risky. They were ready to slow down the pace of growth and would likely retire in 3-7 years. Why would they invest both time and money in something they wouldn’t be around to see the benefits of?
Mike couldn’t be more frustrated. “Last time, Henry and Stella were completely on board with growing by acquisition. What happened during the past three years? Or, more importantly, how the heck will I convince them that this is what’s best for the firm?” Mike was at a loss.
For the next three months, Mike did everything possible to get Henry and Stella to say “yes” to the acquisition. He painted every financial picture he could create to prove an acquisition would not only benefit the firm immediately, but would offer long-term sustainability since the prospective firm dealt mainly with an emerging market. He even “forced” them to meet with the other firm’s partners.
Henry and Stella wouldn’t budge and Mike was ready to move on to another firm.
Then it hit him. In the excitement of this new opportunity, Mike had failed to ask Henry and Stella what they really wanted. He had been so busy pushing his agenda that he was actually burying the opportunity in a deeper grave.
So he went to Henry and Stella and asked them two questions:
- What is it that you really want out of our firm?
- If you were to invest time and money into our firm, where would it be?
He got his answers and his opportunity to continue growing the firm.
You see, Henry and Stella weren’t resistant to acquiring another firm, but they had a completely different view of how it needed to go. They both wanted to retire within seven years so it was more important to them to acquire a smaller CPA firm that specialized in working with non-profits rather than a large firm targeting emerging technical companies.
Within the next four months, Mike and his partners acquired not just one, but two new firms, have tripled their fee income and have positioned two new junior partners as successors to Henry and Stella.
What were Mike’s biggest lessons? If you want to have people take action in a particular direction, you must:
- Let go of your own agenda and stop trying to control
- Ask them what they really want
- Help them identify what values are most important to them
Mike now realizes that influence is based far more on someone being at choice than on another “proving”, “convincing” or “controlling”.
Leadership Practices:
- Identify three current situations in your business where you are bumping up against resistance to change
- Ask your teammates to list out their top 5 values
- Ask your teammates what changes in their work habits might be required for them to align with their top 5 values
- Ask them what’s possible if they were to work consistently based on those top 5 values
- Finally, ask them what next appropriate action they need to take to move forward
Influence is not command and control (the formula so many of us have learned). Its power lies in our ability to inspire others to take action that is aligned with what they want and value… not what we do.
Happy Influencing,
-Coach Preston
