surprise: hard work and knowledge aren’t number 1. neither are skills or knowledge.
by rick telberg
above all else, the essential ingredient for career success as a cpa is not what you might think.
it’s not knowledge or ability; although you can’t be a cpa without either. it’s not hard work or integrity. but you won’t go far without them. in one word: it’s about “clients.” read more →
dustin hostetler, a lean six sigma consultant in heavy demand these days by cpa firms overhauling their workflows, foresees a “coming storm” in staff turnover. in short, he says, cpa firm employees are simply fed up with old, inefficient and ineffective ways of working.
how the best set direction, gain commitment, execute on plan and lead by personal example.
by robert j. lees, august j. aquila and derek klyhn
professional services is one of the most critical sectors in all western economies and an increasingly important one in every other world economy. but, the usual measures of scale, like revenues, the number of firms or the number of professionals, don’t adequately reflect the importance of the sector. what makes professional services so critical is the influence professional firms have on their clients’ activities.
whether the influence comes through strategic advice, legal opinion, transaction origination and support, tax minimisation, or an audit opinion, every business we know is reliant, in some form, on the opinion of a professional service firm.
in addition, and at least as important given the move away from self-regulation, there is the critical regulatory role of the accountants and lawyers tasked with ensuring the probity of the world’s financial markets. all of which makes the task of ensuring that each of the firms is a role model of its profession’s expertise, values and ethics absolutely key.
when firms were relatively small, that wasn’t a difficult task. however, as firms have increased in scale, geographic reach and service offerings, the task of running a professional service firm has become extremely complex. and that’s without considering changing client expectations, increasing competition between firms, threats to the traditional business model from offshoring and the increasing number of virtual firms, the increasing number of western economy-based firms operating in countries with social and business norms sometimes far removed from their own, the arrival of a generation with very different expectations than their predecessors, and calls for greater transparency and regulation in the light of the financial meltdown.
in our twenty year association with professional service firms (psfs), every one of the hundreds of firms we have worked with around the world has seen the number, scale and complexity of the challenges they face increase significantly. being a managing partner, never the easiest of roles, is now one of the most complex and challenging roles in any organisation in any business sector anywhere in the world.
and yet, every managing partner we know admitted that they took on the role without any real understanding of what the role entailed and without being sure if they had the capabilities to do it effectively. they also described how the typical high need for achievement culture within professional service firms, with its intolerance of perceived failure, made it almost impossible for them to ask for help when they needed it and for their colleagues to offer it.
rob lees is a founding partner of moller psfg ltd and consultant to professional service firm leaders worldwide. he is also co-author of the best-selling “when professionals have to lead.”
august aquila is an internationally known speaker, writer and consultant to professional services firms. he is ceo of aquila global advisors. he is also the co-author of “compensation as a strategic asset” and “client at the core.”
derek klyhn is a founding partner and director of møller psfg cambridge ltd and consultant to professional service firm leaders and their teams. he is chartered accountant and has an mba from london business school.
instant download [free for pro members]: to get the complete report, click here: read more →
hint: it’s not about how smart they are or hard they work.
by rick telberg
how do you spot the hidden rock stars on your staff?
and what do up-and-coming tax, accounting and finance professionals need to know to get ahead in today’s profession?
these aren’t idle questions. many firms and individuals are struggling with these issues right now. but don’t take it from me. just listen to the decision-makers from a dozen firms i met with in a milwaukee hotel recently. the mission: learn how to deal with a looming new staff shortage. some took away solid action plans. “our firm,” said one, “is trying to develop our rock stars and this showed me we need to be doing more.” another said, “excellent! it gave us the details and the ‘how-to.’”
interestingly, the milwaukee group’s conclusions and recommendations closely parallel our related research findings. so we can be fairly certain that we’ve obtained some of the profession’s favorite strategies.
you could probably adapt one of our methods for your firm. in milwaukee, we divided the group into two teams, the green team and the blue team. after some preliminary coaching, each team hammered out a list of the top five talent indicators – the clues in an employee’s behaviors and attitudes that demonstrate the highest likelihood of the best roi for a firm’s time, energy, and money in training, coaching and mentoring. then the group filled several flip chart pages with their lists and hashed them out with each other. after identifying the key indicators, we moved on to identifying the best strategies for recruiting, grooming and retaining top talent.
by far, the top predictive indicator across all firms is the trait, “they are always trying to improve.” it comes in a few flavors or variations. for instance, the green team at the milwaukee strategy meeting favored a passion for “continuous learning.” the blue team preferred, “they do ‘extra credit’ – things that the partners wouldn’t normally expect from someone at their level.” but they add up to the same thing.
if facebook has a say, maybe yes. four things your firm needs to know.
by becky livingston
royal apple marketing
if your firm has a facebook page with any number of followers, a new app could easily replace other conference video chats and webinar platforms for learning and development, content, development projects, and more.
what’s partner material at your firm?
click here to join the survey; get the results.
by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
early returns from the new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 survey into identifying and managing high-potential professionals suggests that, beyond ability, firms are more intent than ever on finding well-rounded individuals capable of taking initiative and developing new business.
above is a word picture of some of the verbatim responses we’re capturing. what are the traits you look for in new hires? here are a few of the more interesting answers: read more →
accountants pinpoint winning strategies and bottom-line results. join the survey; get the topline results.
by rick telberg
new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research conducted for the seven keys to successful cpa firm management program isolates at least three defining characteristics of peak performing accounting firms.
the research results, to be unveiled in a two-hour workshop, show that so-called sevenkeys leaders are:
the new research findings also reveal the winning strategies and tactics deployed by the leading firms. at the top of the list for sevenkeys leaders: networking, social media and blogging, public speaking, and website upgrades. workshop attendees will get the full survey results, apply the new benchmarks to their own practices using self-assessment scoresheets, and use a specially designed workbook to lay out action plans.
overall, the data seem to show that firms are narrowing their marketing efforts while generally increasing overall activity. and many accountants have been happy to share some of their secrets with 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.
here are a few: read more →
“30 minutes or it’s free;” “absolutely, positively overnight;” “no surprise billing. ever!”
by edi osborne
mentor plus
what do these three tag lines have in common? predictability.
dominoes and fed ex built their entire business model on making (and keeping) an uncomplicated predictability promise to the customer. dominoes and fed ex looked at their marketplace and asked one simple question, “what is your number-one frustration in dealing with pizza and package delivery?” those frustrations were dissected and turned into game-changing promises that rocked everyone else in their industry.
in the same way, accounting firms that adopt a “no surprise billing” promise could be game changers in their marketplace as well.
more from edi osborne for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 pro members (go pro here):
game changing innovations are not limited to big companies. in fact, even the smallest of accounting firms are in a position to be game changers.
the tax, accounting and bookkeeping services industry is cracking a new record high in persons employed full-time.
the nation’s economy as a whole added 115,000 new jobs in april pushing the unemployment down by one-tenth of one percentage point to 8.1%.
but employers in the tax, accounting, payroll, and bookkeeping industries added 2,000 new jobs last month, marking the ninth month in a row of growth for public practice, according to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 analysis. read more →
a new study by an email marketing agency for accounting firms finds that “bi-weekly newsletter launches are the most common sending frequency.”
some 44% of accounting firms launch email maketing blasts to clients, prospects and referral sources about every two weeks.
get the instant download: click here for the complete report (19 pages, pdf)
seven steps to getting things done right.
strategy, they say, is easy. execution is hard.
excellent execution beats excellent strategy most of the time. unfortunately, at many accounting frims, good strategies die a slow death as intertia, obstinacy or simple disinterest take hold.
the roadmap to success may seem easy to follow. but, as management consultant august aquila says, “it takes real commitment from the firm’s leaders to do it and follow through.”
aquila is ceo of aquila global advisors, specializing in succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, and compensation plan consulting. here’s his seven-step formula for translating good intentions into real results. read more →