Making people the secret to success

You can go a long way in most businesses if you take care of your clients and your people.

As a new partner in EY’s US assurance practice and one of 753 people across the world that the organization promoted to partner this month, I know one thing for sure: career success often comes from the people with whom we work – both within one’s organization and client-side as well.

Along with other EY people and no doubt many elsewhere, I have benefitted from the comprehensive mentoring programs that the firm has in place for professionals at every stage of their career. Certainly being mentored by some truly exceptional people can make a big difference. 

I have also learned a huge amount from the great clients that I look after, which is why I believe that being willing to listen is crucial for any client-facing professional. 

In today’s competitive marketplace with lots of choice, every firm or company talks about delivering exceptional client service. In my experience it comes down to a few things.   

Quest for excellence 

Delivering exceptional client service is every individual team members’ responsibility and not just that of the person managing the account or client. This means every individual needs to know the client, find out what matters to them and build a meaningful relationship over time. It also means sharing examples of client-service best practice with other team members within the firm so this client is treated consistently exceptionally across the organization. A problem created elsewhere will ultimately become your problem as well, so it’s worth the effort of ensuring your peers and colleagues are also set up for success. 

Occasionally in our careers, we all come across a client who seems more difficult and demanding than most. In these situations, it may be a challenge to provide exceptional client service, but if you succeed, you will probably have landed yourself one of the most loyal clients there is. 

Quality relationships 

I remind my team that the clients we work with today won’t necessarily be with that same organization tomorrow. We will see clients with whom we’ve built strong, trusting relationships move on and if we have done a good job of building a relationship with them and serving them well, they will take us with them. 

Ultimately, providing exceptional client service is just as important as providing exceptional work. And in order to achieve both, you need an exceptional team. So I am committed to developing my people and ensuring that they get the right experiences to enable them to learn and grow. 

My aim is to engage with all the members of my team to find out what they want from their careers and what they think we, as a firm, can do better. I want to invest in my team members in the same way that other people in and outside of EY have invested in me over the years. And setting the right tone at the top is critical to success.