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With promotion season in full swing, newly-appointed accounting firm partners have been encouraged to be observant, remain resilient and choose to model enthusiasm and positivity.
An ex-PwC partner’s leadership advice for up-and-comers
10 July 2025
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8 minute read
With the beginning of the financial year having passed and newly promoted partners settling into their roles, industry members have reminded them to “choose happiness” within their position.
Ken Woo, former PwC partner, took to LinkedIn with advice for new partners following his extensive 35-year stint at the big four firm.
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Woo first joined PwC as a graduate in 1988, before making his way to partner in 1999, completing 25 years in the position before his retirement in January 2024.
In his post, Woo shared that when he was first admitted to partnership in 1999, he was given two “memorable and instructive” pieces of advice that stuck with him throughout his career.
The advice shared included three main pillars: the choice to be happy, fulfilling the duty of being a role model and the idea that becoming a new partner meant new choices.
Woo said the first piece of advice he modelled during his time as partner was about observation.
“One of the senior partners said to me to take a look around the floor, as it’s not hard to see – some partners are generally happy, others, not so much. What we don’t need is another unhappy partner dragging morale down,” he said.
“There will always be challenges, setbacks and frustrations. That’s a given. But what he emphasised was that happiness is, to a large extent, a choice. It’s about perspective – about finding the positive and the opportunity, even in tough situations.”
This sometimes meant partners would need to learn from what went wrong, what failed and any mishaps that occurred, as well as salvaging what could be salvaged and moving forward.
It was noted by Woo that a partner’s team wouldn’t stick around for unhappiness, therefore emphasising the impact this had on the broader firm and its employees.
“Over the years, I noticed something true: some partners live on the miserable side of happy, and others on the happy side of miserable. The difference is subtle – but profound.”
“Most of all, it’s about the joy of exceeding client expectations and bringing your team along with you in that success.”
In addition, Woo outlined that from his experience, people often joined a team with the hope of building a better life, meaning partners needed to be role models who were enthusiastic, resilient and generous.
“If you want your team to commit, to grow, and to stay, you must give them something to aspire to. They must see you and think, “I want to be like that” …and if they don’t, the practice will shrink, not thrive.”
He passed on congratulations to anyone who had just made partner in their firm at the end of the financial year period.
“You now have two important choices to make. Will you choose to be happy? Will you choose to be a role model? It’s not always easy. If it were, everyone would do it. Some will truly embrace it, some will only pretend, and some will be miserable.”
“But it’s a choice. And it’s yours to make.”
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