Whilst coaching or consulting in a professional services firm is sometimes a cross between business coaching and executive coaching, it needs to recognise that it is a different structure and often has a unique culture compared to a typical corporate organisation.

For instance, the following features are often present:

• a partnership or sole practitioner and unlimited liability structure
• a revenue source driven by billable hours
• the largest assets being Work in Progress and Debtors with the policies and procedures around billing and collection critical to the financial success of the business
• a cost structure where salaries and related on-costs are by far the biggest component
• a highly intelligent and qualified workforce
• a distinction between professional and non-professional staff yet an interdependence between them

The business issues therefore can be similar but also very different from a corporate organisation because of these features.  The coaching issues can also be similar (people development, transition and retention) but also different and more critical because of the practice drivers.  For example, attached below and to the right is a possible career progression pathway for accountants in public practice which reflects the interaction suggested between technical and "soft" skills at different levels.

I bring a deep understanding of these issues arising from my 26 years in PricewaterhouseCoopers/Price Waterhouse in Australia, with the last 14 of those years involved in administration, finance, operations and practice management roles. I had significant involvement in the merger of the legacy firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1998/99, the rationalization and reorganization of various business units, significant process improvement initiatives and then an operational execution of a strategic realignment of the firm afterwards to meet market demands.  My roles in PricewaterhouseCoopers included:

• 2005:  Inaugural Pricing Director for the Assurance division responsible for understanding and developing pricing models and the "value proposition"
• 2001-2005: National Firm Operations Director responsible for various firm projects and national shared services including credit control, document processing, facility management, practice management and resource scheduling.
• 1998-2001: National Assurance Operations Director
• 1996-1998: Regional Finance and Administration Director
• 1992-1996: Finance and Administration Director, Parramatta office
• 1983-1991: Corporate Tax Advisory Manager
• 1980-1983: Corporate Auditor 

Since leaving PwC, I have undertaken various practice management consulting assignments for accounting, engineering and legal firms.