Most accounting firms claim to put people first, but Shish Cherian knows the difference between a hashtag and actual commitment. Shish talks to Jeremy Clopton on Episode 113 of The Upstream Leader about how as head of people operations at Donovan CPAs, one of the profession's standout firms, he's broken down what separates genuine "people first" culture from marketing speak. The distinction starts with alignment versus agreement—partners must be willing to sacrifice, not just nod along—and from there, it's about challenging directly while caring personally. Cutting through the "we're a family" platitudes plaguing the profession, Shish tackles the hard truths: HR can't manufacture generosity, servant leadership matters more than small talk, and your client base can either support, or undermine, everything you're trying to build. Remote work, clear systems, and clients who respect boundaries aren't perks, they're infrastructure, and this conversation reveals what actually makes people want to build careers at a firm.

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