Managing The Professional Service
Professional service firms occupy a peculiar position in the business world. Unlike companies that manufacture or distribute physical goods, they deal in something far less tangible: the knowledge, judgement, and skill of their people. That distinction matters enormously, and it shapes almost every management decision a firm's leaders face. You can't simply borrow a playbook from a product-based industry and expect it to hold up. David Maister spent over a decade researching and advising these kinds of organisations, and that depth of experience shows. His book covers a wide range of practical territory, from winning new clients and developing a market presence, to shaping careers, improving profitability, and building strategies that work across borders. It's a broad scope, but Maister handles it with clarity rather than superficiality. What grounds the whole thing is a deceptively simple idea: that every professional service firm, whatever its size, location, or specialism, is ultimately chasing the same three goals. Clients who are genuinely well served. Professionals who find their work rewarding. Owners who see a financial return. Hold all three in balance, and you have something worth building. Let any one of them slip, and the cracks tend to show quickly. For anyone responsible for running, growing, or simply understanding a firm that sells expertise, this book offers thinking that is both structured and refreshingly grounded.
- Author: David Maister
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster
- Genre: Industry-Specific Business
- ISBN: 978-0743231565
- Pages: 400 pages