Acknowledgments

As trite as it may sound, no book is written without help, suggestions, and reference to previous work in the field. We could not have written this book without the help and encouragement of many competent people, all experienced and each outstanding in his or her field. Their contributions ranged from encouragements to sharing experience and documents. As mentioned in our first book, the writings of Stephen R. Covey have had a profound influence on our thinking about principled-centered leadership, aligning compensation with both character and competence, and the true meaning of ‘thinking’ win-win.

Among other influences are:

Patrick McKenna whom we consider one of the leading law and professional firm consultants in the world;

Robert J. Lees, the co-author of When Professionals Have to Lead, and an internationally known consultant to professional service firms who made his vast knowledge and experience available;

Bruce Marcus, a longtime friend and true pioneer in the field of professional service firms marketing;

Marc Rosenberg, another longtime friend and colleague who was always open to sharing his ideas and to whom we are thankful for letting us reprint his Managing Partner Evaluation Form;

Haydn Shaw, an abundant consultant and expert on generational issues and differences, who provided some last minute support;

Paul Walker, General Manager at FranklinCovey, a leader who truly knows how to inspire people with a clear articulation of mission, vision, strategy, and measurable goals and who has created trust with the many by focusing on the one;

Stephen M. R. Covey, author of The Speed of Trust and Smart Trust, who is the most humble leader on the planet—which also makes him one of the most powerful and respected.

And finally, our clients, who have taught us so much, perhaps without realizing we were always learning even when we were teaching or consulting. We are fortunate to work with some of the best firms, and we are both awed and inspired by them. To all our clients we say, “Thank You!”

We must also acknowledge and thank two substantial contributors to this effort—two wonderful, patient and supportive people—our spouses, Emily Haliziw and David Rice. We thank them for putting up with the many calls, especially those on the weekends, and all the family disruptions that writing a book imposes. We deeply appreciate their support and ongoing encouragement.

A vast measure of gratitude goes to the team at the AICPA responsible for turning words into a book. Erin Valentine, Whitney Woody, and a team of professional copy editors truly enhanced the work.

Heidi Brundage and the AICPA’s Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS) provided tremendous support and resources for the 2011–2012 Performance Management and Compensation Survey that we reference throughout the book.

We were fortunate to have them on our team.

August J. Aquila                                           Coral L. Rice

Minnetonka, MN                                          Edwardsville, IL