Fisher German

In professional services, when people are promoted to partnership, it’s sometimes done for the wrong reason; it could be they’re technically very good at what they do and have therefore had great success, or simply that they’ve worked with the company for a long time. 

Fisher German’s partner of the future needed a more innovative and robust approach in order to be different. They wanted their partners to be suited for partnership. This means having the right skills and leadership ability, both internally and externally.

In order to provide a robust assessment of their future partners, PDW provided an objective process both through 360-degree feedback and a combination of internal and external interview processes. This delivered a focused development plan which each individual engaged with right from the start of the programme. We assessed again at the end of the programme to ensure development gaps had been bridged and also provided a return on investment.

Maria Hawley, Fisher German’s HR Director, championed the programme and worked with us to tailor the content to the delegate’s needs. This ensured the content we delivered was bespoke to the individual’s development gaps so that we could facilitate sustained behavioural change.

The Pathway to Partner programme took place over a year and covered several modules including leadership & management skills, new business development, client service, and pitching & presenting. The programme was delivered at PDW’s training centre where we give scenario-based learning through short interactive sessions as well as working with an actor/coach to guide the delegate through achieving the best outcome. These sessions used video to give the delegates immediate feedback on 1:1 basis.

The programme was a great success with the three associate directors being promoted to partner. Not only did they feel role ready, but they also truly represented Fisher German’s vision for a partner of the future.

One of the by-products of the programme was the great team energy between the delegates. The programme built trust and collaboration between the now-partners which has increased collaboration across service lines. 

Those delegates who didn’t make the programme this year were also supported with an individual coaching plan which meant they were then successful in joining the programme the following year.

Following the Pathway to Partnership programme, Fisher German has begun a new management development programme to bring the same experience and skills further into the business. Using the same PDW tools, techniques and language mean that a true cultural shift is taking place!