Keeping Leadership Supply Ahead of Demand at Crowe Chizek

Crowe, Chizek and Company LLCis one of the largest accounting and consulting firms in the United States. Like other similar firms, Crowe Chizek has expanded since their beginnings in 1942 as a traditional accounting firm to include a number of different businesses under their organizational umbrella. This hyborg strategy allows for diversification within the marketplace, and flexibility to deliver in a wider range of markets.

Today, Crowe Chizek faces the challenge that, as the complexity of their organization grows, their previous strategy of letting leaders develop at their own pace is no longer effective. With continued growth objectives, Crowe Chizek realized that they would not have enough leaders to execute their strategic plans if they did not take a more aggressive approach to leadership development. Like other consulting firms, because their core business is serving clients, they are externally focused. As a result, it is imperative for the Firm to have the processes in place to support an internal focus on people and leadership.

Jackson Leadership Systems (JLS) has been working with Crowe Chizek, and running Leadership Assessment Centres for them, since 1991. However, recent changes to organizational strategy meant that a much more accelerated approach was needed. JLS put a Leadership Development Program in place for Crowe Chizek to ensure they will have the leadership bench strength to fill positions – not only this year but for many years to come. In this program, high potential leadership talent is identified through a structured nomination process. Using an Assessment Centre approach, and involving senior leaders from the Firm in the process, solid data are gathered about participants which provide information about who has the potential to grow – and grow quickly. The two-year development program which follows the Assessment Centre acts as an accelerator to individual growth. The processes in place ensure that new leaders are brought up the learning curve faster.

Crowe Chizek’s mission for the Leadership Program is to have leaders who are ready and available. Ready means their leaders have the knowledge, skills and personal attributes that allow them to lead successfully. Available means that a succession planning process is in place to maximize promotion from within the firm and avoid “gridlock”. To fulfill the mission of the program, the leadership development mechanism needs to continue to grow at the same rate as the Firm growth, keeping leadership supply ahead of demand.

One key to the success of leadership development at Crowe Chizek is a corporate coaching and mentoring program. A great deal of time and thought is put into this process to ensure that coaches and mentors are matched according to participants’ strengths and developmental needs. While every participant has an internal coach from Crowe Chizek, JLS consultants also provide one-on-one coaching – helping individuals elicit deeper behavioural change on issues from conflict resolution to attitude change.

Participants are also brought together three times throughout the two years for leadership workshops. Meeting with their cohorts provides participants with networking opportunities and exposure to the Firm’s various business units and industry strategies. With Crowe Chizek’s strategy of growing leaders quickly, JLS consultants, together with the Firm’s internal coaches and mentors, ensure that every day counts! Developmental plans are clearly tied to aligning individual leadership growth to business strategies.

This accelerated approach to growing new leaders has been highly successful. Emerging leaders are brought up the learning curve quickly enabling them to take on key leadership roles when needed. Additionally, statistics gathered over the 10 years since JLS began working with Crowe Chizek, show that the Leadership Development Program has the serendipitous effect of retaining high potential talent. As experts in leadership, JLS provides the consulting advice needed for Crowe Chizek to ensure they are fitting square pegs into square holes, making effective selection decisions, and retaining executives during career transition.

The Leadership Program has also provided Crowe Chizek with a common language to talk about leadership issues, a shared understanding throughout the Firm about leadership development, and has created a culture of coaching and mentoring. But perhaps most important, it has launched leadership development to a top line strategic issue, not a “nice-to-have” perk.

JLS and Crowe Chizek are vigilant about providing enhancements to the leadership program to ensure processes stay current with industry trends and changing leadership needs. At the present time, leadership specializations are being rolled out which will ensure that more people at more levels through the organization can lead.

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