Never stop learning: How Grant Thornton is developing its people

How do firms train and retain their best talent? We’re exploring that pressing question in a brand-new series, “Never stop learning.” We’ll take you inside well-known firms to hear directly from senior executives about their human capital priorities. First up is Grant Thornton, a leading global professional services firm. 

As the business world continues to react to the sea change brought about by the COVID pandemic, roller-coaster labor market and recessionary fears, leaders at firms of all sizes are doubling down on professional development. In a heated war for talent, attracting, keeping and developing the best people has become a key competitive distinction.  

That’s especially true for professional services firms like Grant Thornton, whose service offerings encompass technology-enabled solutions and the invaluable acumen of their client-facing teams. The U.S.-based arm of Grant Thornton International Ltd is a community of nearly 10,000 professionals based in 47 offices across the country. Specializing in audit and assurance, tax, and advisory services, Grant Thornton reported $2.4 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2023. 

We sat down with Harry Riggs ’89, who leads partner development. He gave us insights into the firm’s professional development agenda and its custom programs implemented in partnership with Kellogg Executive Education. 

The lesson plan 

When planning Grant Thornton’s professional development programs, there was a high bar to clear. “Our partners and principals are a highly intellectual group,” says Riggs. “Everybody here brings a wealth of knowledge and are often armed with graduate degrees and multiple professional credentials such as an MBA, JD, or CPA — sometimes all three. To keep them engaged, we must deliver world-class information from credible experts, a standard Kellogg has met since day one.” 

The firm has opted to run five different programs, each taught by Kellogg’s world-class faculty members and practitioners in the field. The suite of programs covers various career levels and topics and are tailored to Grant Thornton’s needs. The programs include: 

Advanced Strategy and Scenario Planning

Delivered to senior leaders and emerging senior leaders, this in-person class taught by Matthew Ranen ’94 MBA examines the role and process of scenario planning. Participants engage in an abbreviated scenario planning exercise to appreciate how to identify sources of advantage and the risks and opportunity tradeoffs under different scenarios. 

As Riggs says about the program, “Our experienced partners and principals have the opportunity to collaborate around future scenarios and how they can be more responsive and resilient if that future becomes reality. They can apply this to Grant Thornton as well to help guide their clients to engage in these future-oriented discussions.” 

Enterprise Decision-Making

Offered to mid-career partners and principals, as well as high performers, participants use a self-assessment called Assessment of Judgement and Insight for Leadership or AJIL™, developed by Professor Fred Harburg, to better understand their decision-making propensities. Harburg and Ranen teach the 10+ hour course — taught in a series of live, virtual two-hour sessions to fit into professionals’ busy schedules. 

“This program allows our emerging leaders to understand what they need to develop in order to become successful as an enterprise leader,” says Wendy Wright, head of Learning & Effectiveness at Grant Thornton. “It's one thing for our people to lead a team or a practice area. It's a very different thing to take on the responsibility of leading across multiple functions and managing networks. This course instills a one firm mindset and a much broader view of our business.” 

Change Champion

This course taught by Professors Steve King and Shana Carroll helps participants become effective change champions — a necessary skill for the professional services industry where change is a “ubiquitous and perpetual reality,” adds Riggs. While select leaders already have an excellent grasp since Grant Thornton offers change management services to its own clients, this program offers leaders the space and time to focus internally. “Kellogg stepped in to provide motivation, skills, capabilities and roadmaps that empowered us to engage in our own change programs with greater confidence and resolve,” he says.

Leading Across Generations

This highly sought-after course, created exclusively for Grant Thornton, consistently draws a waiting list for good reason. Professors Lauren Rivera, Loran Nordgren and Nicholas Pearce examine what motivates the five generations currently present in the workforce and what meaningful differences — if any — exist for a business built around people. “This course is by far our most popular,” says Riggs. “It engages our people and has them putting away anything else that they might be paying attention to, because it is so riveting. You come out profoundly changed.” 

Leveraging Leadership Styles

This course is all about learning how you lead. Grant Thornton utilizes the Insights® Discovery self-assessment and Transformational Leadership profile for leaders to understand how they are perceived by those they lead. After an introduction by Amy Happ, director of Leadership Development at Grant Thornton, participants enroll in specific sessions around each of the four leadership styles, promoting flexibility and adaptability in leaders. For these sessions, the firm tapped into Professors Fred Harburg, Harry Kraemer, Lecturer Heather Barnes, and Rob Wolcott. “As a result of this program, we’ve seen our leaders gain the self-awareness to adjust and adapt their leadership style to be more responsive to the needs of those they lead,” said Happ.

From the participants

“Kellogg Executive Education wasn't just training; it was a turning point in my leadership journey at Grant Thornton. Three perfectly timed courses — Advanced Strategy, Change Champion, and Enterprise Decision-Making — equipped me with the tools and frameworks I needed to excel. The instructors were superstars, the material cutting-edge, and the methods truly impactful.” — Deborah Newman, Media & Entertainment Industry leader 

“The course I took through the Kellogg School of Management was invaluable in helping me understand where my growth opportunities lay to further develop my leadership skills so I could more skillfully guide my teams to approach projects with deeper collaboration, thereby producing higher quality deliverables.” — Nola Showers, Tax Reporting and Advisory managing director 

“As our firm embarked on significant strategic changes over the past 12 months, Kellogg helped me fine-tune and tailor my leadership style to my audience. This enables me to encourage and empower team members to embrace change in a way that resonates with them. These techniques are powerful and can apply to leaders at any organization, especially those looking to drive toward the achievement of a long-term strategy.” — Luke Ratke, Pittsburgh market managing partner 

From the faculty

“The Grant Thornton participants' intellectual prowess and discerning expectations have been extraordinary. Their seasoned skillset challenges us to ascend new heights in curating engaging, relevant content instantly transferable to their professional contexts. Witnessing their dynamic response has been profoundly rewarding — it’s an authentic affirmation of our program’s impact.” — Fred Harburg, Professor of Executive Education 

“Putting people first is how you build a company to last. This program offers practical tools for bringing out the best in everyone.” — Loran Nordgren, Professor of Management and Organizations 

Interested in a custom professional development program for your company? Learn more about Kellogg Executive Education or send an inquiry to our team to start the conversation.