Partner 🐡: How much of the work related stuff posted in here provides you meaningful insight vs. comes across as unfounded griping?

Very helpful for me to understand what motivates some people and what bothers them. I'm a true believer that everyone has been gifted and it's our mutual responsibility to explore how we fit together to excel. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but I like to understand people before believing it's their fault something isn't working. As a long time and senior partner of the firm, these forums provide me with authentic feedback to help me be a better leader. I would rather hear your truth than your platitudes and I would hope you'd feel the same way.

I know there aren't a lot of senior partners on this forum but I'm not typical either. The fact that I had awareness and joined this forum demonstrates the diversity at the partner level as well. What I need is folks on this forum to be brave enough to stand behind your convictions and help people like me improve our firm. I can't do it without your support and I would welcome more people into these spaces to tell me what you think we need to do differently. Be honest and courageous.

Good questions. I can tell you there is more scrutiny now than ever before in my tenure. That should serve as a warning to some and a relief to others.

Just so you all know, I'm taking inventory...and encouraging others to join this forum. It's unfortunate that it needs to be anonymous but I get it. We are tryinh, believe me. It's a big firm and sometimes we have to convince a lot of people because it is a partnership. That's why feedback from you guys is valuable. It provides data points and as long as it's professional and constructive, it's very helpful to me. Thank you.

OP with the learning part of the problem is that SMRs are asked to develop the materials and give it to people with no context... in addition to their day job... and it's not recognized as valuable. I noticed a lot of errors with the intern training but there is no budget provided to fix the training materials.

Big 🐟 what practice are you in?

🐋 what practice?

Isn't this what ED is for?

But smaller sales than PP?

Yes

Response for partner:
50/50

EY OP, I couldn't agree more. Need more transparency and conversations that are not blocked between ranking levels to keep people more honest. You have some very bad apples from Mgr and up vying to take each other out and throwing people under the bus to get ahead. Many inexperienced and incompetent ones are the most dangerous as they write scathing lies on team member feedback to cover themselves before they're exposed. And partners that side with such folks are just as bad for turning a blind eye instead of investigating what's going on with the account and who's doing the crucial work to deliver good work to the client despite the constant obstacles the account leads fumbling up. I recommend partners provide safe space and opportunities for team to discuss concerns or positives without the account lead to get to the bottom of what really goes on with the account otherwise, the lead manages to isolate and keep partners in the dark...rendering them powerless and ineffective when trying to maintain personal strong relationship with client sponsors. It happened on all accounts led by 1 very sneaky Sr. Mgr that has no business being in management position. He will damage the EY brand. Unfortunately, he us not the only one.

PWC1, 1st, very sorry to hear of such abuse during your personal trying experiences. 2nd. You are so righr, couldn't have said it better. Why do mgmt speak as though we're not rated simply based on utilization and billable hours? really insulting to our intelligence, no? I sacrificed my dying father's last days not being by his side bc I had to deliver work of 2 people as I had a dead weight team member. My review from the partner? Wished this person delivered on time. Let's do numbers...months of 1 person carrying the weight of 2, delayed bc pivotal client stakeholder announced last minute 1 week off for her son's wedding just before deployment...and I'm supposed to force her to skip the wedding so I could close the engagement as scheduled prior to the surprise announcement from the client when I'd been soliciting for their PTOs on a weekly basis? Seriously... and such feedback when my father passed away only less than a week prior.

EY1, have to disagree. Many of us are great at driving innovative solutions that excite clients. Perhaps you should stop listening to account leads' version of the story and get to know your people better. The only reason I've seen strong SMR go or get let go is bc of the shady ways their work is represented by ineffective account leads (mgrs and Sr mgrs) that are afraid of being overshadowed by talented thinkers and doers.

I've never met a partner. Do they even exist?

EY8, you're being an idealist with blinders on. People that work hard, are very competent, and with high ethics are the ones not bring promoted or recognized. That is the reality I've observed for way too many working under delusional partners that prefer to look the other way and leave we die openings for bad seeds to focus on dirty politics and kidding up to climb the ladder quite easily with the help of partners blinded by $ resulting from incompetent fools that just charge inflated hours for utilization without delivering quality work.

Folks we have to hold each other to a higher standard. This behavior is just wrong. When I was younger I got a reputation for always calling people out and many people tried to ruin my reputation in retaliation. I had to tow a very straight line to prove I wasn't disingenuous but over time, people believed me and trusted my judgement more and more. I also used every available resource, other partners, HR, local leadership. I met with them regularly, not just when I needed to complain. Too often I see folks in meetings with partners on their phones or laptops and they leave as soon as the meeting is over. You have very few informal opportunities to find an advocate or a mentor, don't squander them by being so absorbed that you don't even get to know them. Some of us have significantly more influence than people with titles because we have objective feedback and direct lines to the top. Don't judge partners based on their title. Look for those who are respected without one, they can help you navigate these difficult situations.

Meant to type kissing up, not kidding up.

EY1, too late on my end. Changes coming for specialized tracks is 10 steps too late and the shady practice leaders have already done their worst to cover up by letting me go with false utilization numbers and inappropriate feedback from the account lead desperate to prevent me from exposing his ineptitude. How do I know utilization is false - bc it conflicts with the monthly reports I receive via email and bc of confirmation from PAS that I'm good bc of my consistent 115% utilization when I proactively checked mid-year. Don't have to believe me. My counselor was part of the discussion. As far as the feedback goes, it will be used to light my fireplace on a cold night as it is baseless and contradicts 5 stellar feedback from PPED and other mgmt ranks that had nothing to gain by writing true accounts of my work ethics and performance. I've compared notes and I'm not the only casualty under the same corrupt and deluded PPED. We've found consistencies in our cases to be associated more clearly with our higher ages and salary for our rank. Call it what it is and we'd have some respect left. Trying to get away with lies is just pathetic and idiotic to think we'd buy any of it. Karma is a real thing and I've observed it in action many times. I hear many that the PPED had burnt in the past now hold high decision making positions on the client side and are now blocking sales calls from the PPED. Good luck to him trying to grow the businesss. He shot himself in the foot and no one sympathizes. He has cost EY high potential revenue loss and he's not the only one. I wish you luck sussing them out and being rid of them.

What's a partner? Never heard of her

Do we have partners?

Now that's passive aggressive and a lazy response. Go seek them out and stop waiting for them to come to you. Be an adult. Send an invite for a meeting. It's a skill you will need when you have to prospect for clients and trust me, if you stay in consulting, you will have to seek out clients or you won't make your sales goal.