Different types of partners

Eight posts in 2 days, not bad. Since I've caught up on questions, wanted to blog about something I've been meaning to touch on -

Partner personalities fascinate me. In the beginning, I thought it took a certain kind of personality to become a partner. But having worked with so many partners over the years, I've realized that there is a wide diaspora of personalities that make it to the big leagues. Let's break it down -

a) the partier - These are the partners that are all about client service, not so much the audit work. They come in, chat with the clients, set up dinners, hang out with the audit team, talk about the issues at a very high level, and then head out. They are rarely in the office, and you always wonder what they do on a daily basis.
At the same time, you really want to be like them. These partners are great to have when you're hoping to reduce work, set up happy hours, etc. but when it comes to accounting issues, good luck.

b) the i-don't-give-a-shit partner: These are the partners who just don't care about most issues. You bring up an issue, they ask you to come up with a solution, and then either say yes or no. Most issues are just not big issues, and they'll probably end up siding with the client in that it's not material. In order to survive as such, they'll make sure to pad their teams with rock stars so they can relax at home. They probably work 3-4 days a week, and rarely a full day.

c) the unresponsive partner: These are the partners you have to email/call 10-11 times to respond. Only other way to get their attention is to ambush them in their office. They'll then bring up issues at the last minute when you don't have time, so you have to scramble to work overtime in order to address their issues. Problem with these unresponsive partners is that they always have good questions right towards the end.

d) the anal partner: Oh how I hate these types of partners. Once you reach partner, you'd think your level of review/requirements would go down, but for these partners, it actually goes up. This makes life for the senior manager - manager hell. You'll ask for all sorts of memorandums on everything and anything. Every little issue needs to be addressed. H-A-T-E working with them.

e) the reasonable partner - These are partners who know what they're talking about, understand that the Firm's requirements are sometimes unreasonable, and don't add undue burdens on the teams. They're good to work for since they can help explain how things work for you, and at the same time, make sure you contribute your worth to the team.

f) the jerk - This is the partner who is both unreasonable and unresponsive. He or she then blames you for not doing your job, even though you didn't receive the right guidance on what he or she is looking for. Because of the unresponsiveness, you take matters into your own hands, and are then reprimanded at the last minute when the partner actually reviews the work. They will make your life hell and make you want to quit. I know of a few who either quit or did everything in their power to roll off these specific jobs. I've been lucky so far, but don't want to jinx it.

g) the know-it-all: This is the partner who just talks, and talks, and talks. They actually like what they're doing and love explaining things to you, even though you probably don't understand half of it because it's so technical. They are very good at what they do, and you can always go to them with questions, but you will invariably end up doing more work and tackling more issues because of them. Not saying it's a bad thing, but still.

I'm sure I missed various other personality types. Feel free to touch on them in the comments section.