When it comes to career development, our strong culture of empowerment means the firm and staff each have distinct jobs to do.
The firm’s job? To provide tools and programs to help staff develop and advance as professionals and support one another in order to best serve our clients and grow the firm. It’s also our job to inspire staff as they travel along their individual career paths.
Our staff’s job? To take ownership of their careers, find a healthy work-life balance, and make their mark.
Finding the right career path
Our focus on career development starts early. When staff join the firm, it’s important they find the practice that’s the right fit for their career today; though that path can change as people grow and develop within the firm. Within our assurance and tax practices, we offer Focus & Choice, an apprenticeship model that exposes staff to multiple industries within these service groups so they can later make an informed decision about where to specialize. Staff often compare it to selecting a major in college after taking introductory courses. For our wealth management and management consulting practices, students start off in their chosen discipline but are exposed to various service delivery segments within each practice through special projects or rotations.
And that’s just the beginning. Our internal fellowship program allows staff to work in a service group or specialty area outside their primary focus with the intent to broaden a specific skill set or competency. Fellowships offer new opportunities for staff to tackle different challenges and to find the right fit within the firm.
Charting your career development course
At Plante Moran, career development is more than an annual “review.” In fact, we’ve implemented a flexible review model to replace the one-time-per-year performance appraisal model. These meetings, called “Compass meetings,” occur two-to-three times a year so staff have a constant pulse on their progression. Conversations reflect on past performance and, more importantly, help staff plan for the future roles they aspire to.
Valerie, who was selected to lead our new opportunity zone service area, explains how it was empowering to try something new in her career.
“While I wanted to embark on this opportunity, I had my hesitations. I wondered if my managers would hold it against me if I didn’t succeed. What made it possible was remembering the firm’s culture of support and mentorship. Many firm leaders talked with me about their successes and their failures. They let me know that if you’re smart about a new venture and passionate about the outcome, then the process is what matters. It’s been a dream to work at a place that encourages innovation and growth.”
Making a difference
Our work is intensely gratifying. We work side by side with business owners and other C-suite staff to make their businesses better. In some cases, we even help save them.
And we do it in a way where we aren’t competing with one another for work. Our offices don’t operate as individual profit centers; instead, we assign staff with the industry and service experience that aligns with the need — no matter where that client may be. This “we’re all in this together” mentality is a big part of how we enable our staff to make a difference in their clients’ businesses and their own careers. In the words of one staff member: “Even the busiest people always make time for a quick chat — when you ask and need them. There really are no boundaries with whom you can talk/collaborate with and what you can do with your career. Even nonpartners feel a sense of ownership in the firm. ‘We Care’ isn’t just a tag line, it’s a way we treat each other and our work.”
As you can see, we take career development seriously. Sure, it might be common for people to move from one company to another every few years, but we want Plante Moran to be different. We want to be the place where you have a rewarding career — a place where you’ll make your mark.
