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Achieving Best Practice: Shaping Professionals for Success - Softcover

 
9780077097493: Achieving Best Practice: Shaping Professionals for Success
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The professional sector is coming under increasing pressure from a variety of quarters. Not only is the external market place becoming more competitive and price sensitive, but also clients are becoming more informed and more critical of the professional advice they receive. Based on the author’s extensive work with professionals across the board, this book provides the reader with the practical help needed to manage professionals and their firms effectively. It looks at leadership skills and management processes, how to develop and maintain a client focus, future strategies, shaping the firm and affecting change and growth.

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From the Author:
This book is written by a professional for professionals
This book is what I needed years ago. It closes the gap between the theory and the practice. It has stemmed from my own experiences and frustrations. In the late 1980s, I had made it to equity partner in one of the larger law practices in Scotland. As part of its management team, I was well aware of the particular problems facing professional service firms! Speaking with colleagues and friends, I realised that my firm was not alone. All of the professions, including law, accountancy, architecture, medicine, and teaching, seemed to be experiencing drastic reductions in lifestyles and quality of living. Common themes included the erosion of traditional areas of fee income, the impact of technology and increasing "consumerism" from clients.

Looking for help in traditional management books, I found them cumbersome and written in a language more suited to large corporations rather than the professions. They talked about strategy, production and marketing in such a way as made little sense to the informality of partnerships and client services. Yet, the more I became involved in the challenges in running a professional firm, the more convinced I was that solutions did exist. Yes, the marketplace was changing but the core values of professionalism should not be compromised. Yes, clients were demanding more of their professionals, but that had to be good news for organisations committed to high quality services.

I worked alongside my partners, seeking solutions to these problems. I worked with my commercial clients observing how they developed strategies and implemented change. I served on the Steering Group of an Enterprise Centre dedicated to support business start-up and growth and saw it develop into a European model of best practice. I became UK Chair of a multi-discipline network of construction professionals and learned the strengths of these professions and their similarities. And for the past six years, I have concentrated on helping organisations grow and develop - to build on the strengths of their firms and their clients. Ten years on, I know success is possible. There are examples of professional organisations who have succeeded in tackling these challenges without compromising their professionalism.

The content reflects the needs of professionals trying to manage themselves and their organisations. Over and above, it is written by a professional who cares about the professions – who believes that they have a future and deserve success.

Extracted from the Preface to the book Fiona Westwood August 2000

About the Author:
Fiona Westwood has over 20 years of experience as a solicitor and now runs her own management and training consultancy Westwood Associates. She specialising in strategic planning and management development for a broad range of professional firms and her direct pragmatic style has resulted in a reputation for excellence and value. She writes regularly for business and professional publications and is frequently invited to speak and host seminars at UK and international conferences. Fiona is based in Glasgow.

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Westwood, F.
Published by McGraw-Hill (2001)
ISBN 10: 0077097491 ISBN 13: 9780077097493
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Westwood, F.
Published by McGraw-Hill (2001)
ISBN 10: 0077097491 ISBN 13: 9780077097493
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Anybook.com
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Book Description Condition: Fair. This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside.This book has soft covers. In fair condition, suitable as a study copy. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item,450grams, ISBN:9780077097493. Seller Inventory # 9367409

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