From the Russian edition of Managing the Professional Service Firm
by David Maister 2003
It is very exciting to see this book appear in a Russian language edition. Professional firms in Russia are young, and this creates tremendous opportunities for them to begin as they intend to continue.
One of the biggest challenges faced by readers of this book in established market economies has been overcoming a long history of established tradition. I have frequently heard comments that the ideas in this book are common sense, but since they are often different from the way things have been done for decades (if not centuries) in established firms, it has sometimes been difficult to implement the ideas and suggestions I offer.
Many Russian readers will not have this problem. They can create the culture and systems they believe in and choose, without the dead weight of history on their shoulders. There is an old joke that the best way to succeed is to choose the right parents. So it often is with professional firms: the best way for a firm to succeed is to have the right founders. I hope this book helps founders and managers of new firms set their enterprises on the right path.
The reception accorded to this book since its initial publication in 1993 has been very gratifying. It has gone through many printings in hardcover, 10 printings in paperback, sold in excess of 250,000 copies, and has been translated into Dutch, French, Spanish, Japanese, Polish and Serbo-Croatian. It has been referred to as the “bible” of professional service firms in many disciplines and, according to Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, received 5-star evaluations from readers from as far afield as Italy, the US, the UK, Russia, Norway, Hong Kong and Brazil.
In writing the book, I tried to capture the core principles of good management across a variety of professions and, I hoped, across time, avoiding topics likely to be influenced by fashion and fad. Naturally, the book omits some topics that could have been addressed, and includes many subjects that I could have explored in greater depth. Many of these omissions of coverage and depth were addressed in my later books.
However, as I review these pages, is that there is nothing that I would remove or change. In spite of all the turbulent changes that the professions have undergone, I stand by the analyses and views expressed here. Many of the topics addressed here have seen significant changes in practice: client service and an emphasis on marketing to existing clients are much more common than they were ten years ago. The forthcoming “people crisis” that I wrote about then received a great deal of attention as the “war for talent” became palpably real. The one-firm firm model is a goal pursued by many more firms now than it was back then.
There is, nevertheless, work still to be done. The very concept of management remains troublesome in many professions; it is still true that group leaders and others in managerial roles are expected to be “players” first and foremost, and “coaches” only second. Training for managerial roles remains the exception rather than the rule. Similarly, the notion that success is achieved by paying attention to energizing, exciting and enthusing people is a concept that receives more lip service than day-to-day action.
The biggest change in management made by professional firms in the last ten years has been a much greater degree of financial discipline, and the results have been clearly positive. However, in the language I introduced in this book, much of this improvement has been in the area of “hygiene.” The questions of long run “health” remain a constant challenge, and, as noted, I am encouraged that many individuals and firms still turn to this work as a source of ideas on how to get on the path to achieve that long-run success.
David Maister
Boston, MA
April 2003