Maister - Managing the professional service firm

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Praise for
Managing the Professional Service Firm
by

David H. Maister

David Maister steers clear of popular fads and grandiose theories. Instead, he offers a wealth of common-sense, practical ideas that can be implemented quickly and easily. Managers of professional services firms should find his new book to be extremely rewarding.

Lawrence A. Weinbach, Managing Partner and Chief Executive, Andersen Worldwide

What Peter Drucker, Tom Peters and Warren Bennis have done with corporations, David Maister is doing for professional service firms. His book cuts through all the entrepreneurial idiosyncrasies and provides a blueprint for managing the enterprise and institutionalizing success.

Tom Neff, President, SpencerStuart

No manager of a service business should be without this collection of sensible advice. David Maisters ideas are among the most useful I have found.

Keith Reinhard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DDBNeedham Worldwide

A thoughtful and practical work from an experienced observer of law firm management. Readers of every level of experience and sophistication will benefit from his practical advice.

Mark Kessel, Managing Partner, Shearman & Sterling

David has the unusual ability to combine the academic and the practical, with the result being credible, challenging and useful advice. Maister is a master for a service company that is driven to be the best.

Arthur J. Mirante II, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.

David Maisters approach has been highly effective in helping us understand our global engineering and construction business, and in improving the effectiveness of business development in our group.

Darryl Marshall, Vice President Sales, Mining and Metals Group, Fluor Daniel, Inc.

David Maisters insights on managing the professional services firm are always practical and insightful as well as analytical. His provocative metaphors and analogies shine new light on old problems and make them seem manageable.

Fred G. Steingraber, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, A. T. Kearney, Inc.

The more attention my colleagues and I pay to what Maister says, the better our company performs.

John Beardsley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Padilla Speer Beardsley

David Maister is, quite simply, the clearest, wittiest, smartest law firm strategist ever. And reading or listening to him is about as much fun as it is productive.

Steven Brill, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, American Lawyer Media, L.P.

David Maisters approaches to profitability measurement, service quality, business promotion and staff development have been widely adopted. A key test of a management advisor is: Will you act differently after exposure to his ideas and counsel? I consistently leave encounters with Maister with ideas which when implemented produce real improvement.

Edward G. Pringle, Executive Vice President, William M. Mercer, Incorporated

David Maisters name is synonymous with the latest thinking in professional service firm management. This book suggests why.

James L. Heskett, Professor, Harvard Business School; co-author of Service Breakthroughs

David Maisters work is not only intellectually stimulating and inspiring for professional practice leaders, but his articles are always practical, down-to-earth and readily implementable. I have personally profited from David Maisters advice, and I am convinced that his articles are most valuable to those who manage a professional firm anywhere in the world.

Egon P. S. Zehnder, Chairman, Egon Zehnder & Partner Inc.

David Maisters grasp of both the theoretical and practical concepts that underlie the dynamics of a professional partnership make him and his work incredibly valuable.

Edward A. Kangas, Chairman and Chief Executive, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu International

David Maisters material is not only thought-provoking, it is action-provoking. Golin/Harris has been a fan and a follower for years. This collection is a valuable resource for everyone in public relations.

Rich Jernstedt, President and Chief Executive Officer, Golin/Harris

I have found David Maister to be one of the best thinkers in the law firm consulting arena. His writings apply common sense and a long background in business consulting to provide practical advice about law firmand other professional service firmmanagement.

Peter P. Mullen, former Managing Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

When David Maister speaks, managers at professional service firms listen. There is no more knowledgeable expert about professional service firms than Dr. Maister.

Paul H. Alvarez, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Ketchum Communications Worldwide

It is often said that one of an executives biggest decisions these days is what to read and what to throw away. I always read David Maisters articles. They are insightful and practical, and they demonstrate a true understanding of the issues facing professional service firms.

John T. Lynch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Towers Perrin

The work of Maister is a masterwork: the art of managing the unmanageables.

Ren Kottman, Managing Partner, Berenschot Group (Netherlands)

David Maisters thoughts and writings apply original strategic insight combined with practical management advice to the difficult area of professional service management. I can think of no higher compliment than that his thinking and advice are being used on a daily basis in practice management across Europe.

Willem Brocker, Coopers & Lybrand

David Maister understands the keys to success in professional service companies like no other. His insights are precise and his recommendations manage to be both original and down to earth. Even the most successful managers of professional companies can learn from his writings.

Jon Moynihan, Group Chief Executive, PA Consulting Group (UK)

Maisters work offers not only the strategic vision but the practical deliverables for firms to differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Wed like to keep this book a secret.

Robert E. Hallagan, President and Chief Executive Officer, Heidrick & Struggles Inc.

Maisters work is enjoyable because it follows the three Rsit is readable, relevant and, most important, it deals with reality. He is always both stimulating and practical.

Ian Brindle, Chairman, Price Waterhouse, U.K.

Maister is a master at identifying the management issues and problems faced by law firm leaders. The solutions he presents are incisive and insightful. His written materials are excellentalmost as good as his personal presentations. This collection is recommended reading.