Exploring Mentorship: A Graceful Exit; How One Firm Helps Departing Staffers Find Opportunities
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When "Jason" told the leaders of Lauterbach & Amen LLP that he wanted to leave the firm, their reaction was comforting. Rather than taking offense, the firm's leaders began working to help him find the position he is looking for. "We know that you have to do what's best for you and your family," said Nathan Gaskill, CPA, one of five partners at the firm. "And we have to do what's best for us in our professional environment. And that turns into, in the case of [Jason], having multiple people involved with his career outlook." Mentoring is a major focus at Lauterbach & Amen, which is located about 30 miles west of Chicago and employs about 100 people. Aside from the founding partners, the partners at the firm rose through the ranks with the help of coaching from others there. These partners' experiences helped spark the commitment to a formal mentoring program that exists today. The firm more often uses the term "coaching," which is embedded at several levels throughout the firm. This includes young people. Staff members with under three years at the firm are responsible for interviewing, recruiting, and coaching interns. It also includes exiting staff", who can expect help from management and leadership in their search for a place that meets their needs inside or outside the firm. The commitment to helping someone leave the firm may seem unusual or awkward to some, but Lauterbach & Amen's leaders have found that a holistic approach to mentoring suits the firm's culture. Since the firm's inception, its leaders have committed to creating relationships that are mutually beneficial to the firm and staff members. This form of mentoring also can be helpful in building relationships outside the firm if the staff member leaves to work for a client, but Lauterbach & Amen views this as merely a residual benefit. From the firm's perspective, the objective is to support its people so that, in turn, the people will support the firm. "Jason" (a pseudonym to protect his privacy during his job search) is an audit manager who has spent seven years with the firm. Gaskill, who is helping Jason pursue other opportunities, said Jason is "crazy smart" with a strong understanding of technology plus technical auditing expertise that makes him an asset in the firm's relationships with the municipal clients he serves. Gaskill said Jason is qualified for an upper-level finance director or CFO type of position. Jason said he appreciates the family atmosphere of Lauterbach & Amen, which has grown its revenue by about 20% per year since it was formed in 1997 by Sherry Lauterbach, CPA, and Ronald Amen, CPA. But a lengthy commute to work is wearing on Jason. It's a 45-minute drive one way from his house to the firms offices in Warrenville, Ill., and some of the firm's clients are even farther from his home. He said it was difficult to decide that he wants to leave, but he felt comfortable approaching Amen to discuss that decision and how to move on from there. …