Managers play a pivotal role in any organization. As a CPA, I would say, it’s especially true in a CPA firm. They are the connection point between the Partner group and the employees. Their responsibilities are vast, including project management, communicating up, down, and outside the firm, displaying a high level of technical and professional competence, and leading their teams. Maybe the most vital role they fill is shaping the day-to-day experiences of their teams to make significant contributions to the overall success of the firm. Holding regular one-on-one’s with their team is a key step in cultivating this environment.

One-on-One’s

In a recent manager development program we conducted with a firm, we asked the managers to rate their one-on-one meetings with their staff. We provided a scale of 1 to 6, with 1 representing transactional interactions and 6 representing relational interactions. To clarify, transactional conversations focus directly on workload, capacity, and client projects—important topics to discuss with your team. On the other hand, relational conversations emphasize human connection, centering on how your staff are doing, not just what they are doing.

Relational > Transactional

As human beings—not human doings—our core motivations stem from what matters most to us. According to Guy Gage’s 2023 article in the Journal of Accountancy, managers who take time to understand their team members’ values create stronger relationships. This, in turn, fosters an environment where people feel engaged and inspired to make meaningful contributions.

We have seen firsthand that when managers connect with their staff on a human level, they are more engaged in their work, perform at higher levels, and therefore, retention increases. In fact, according to a recent Gallup study (How Influential Is a Good Manager? | Gallup), they found that 70% of team engagement is up to the manager alone.

We know that the work needs to get done, but I challenge you to first connect on a personal level, and see how that improves performance.