Drawing on more than ten years of research and consulting to these unique and creative companies, David Maister explores issues ranging from marketing and business development to multinational strategies, human resources policies to profit improvement, strategic planning to effective leadership. While these issues can be complex, Maister simplifies them by recognizing that “every professional service firm in the world, regardless of size, specific profession, or country of operation, has the same mission statement: outstanding service to clients, satisfying careers for its people, and financial success for its owners.”

Leadership succession can make or break an organization, large or small. Less than a third of family businesses successfully transition from the first generation to the next. And fewer than 10 percent of near-retirement-age business owners have a formal succession plan.

With more than 60 years of combined experience at Plante Moran, Managing Partner emeritus Bill Hermann and current Managing Partner Gordon Krater have collaborated to capture a formula for creating sustainable organizations. The formula has been successfully used to make Plante Moran one of America s top accounting, tax, and consulting firms and helped it earn a best places to work designation from Fortune magazine for an enviable 13 years straight.