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remote work success helps solve staffing shortages

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businesswoman relaxing in the office with bare feet up on her desktax reform boosted those ready for consulting.

by carl george

the two most significant changes that i have seen so far are:

  • “covid has forced us to run our businesses better!” with so much being unknown when covid first started, many firms developed plans and forecasts under numerous disaster scenarios. accountability (and in some cases, behavior changes) of each owner was essential and i have seen many firms “pay more attention” to running the business. i believe these changes will become permanent.
  • “we became more comfortable with our technology capabilities and it saved us!”

more: covid-19 shakes up m&a activity | we’re in the fast lane… can your partners keep up? | survey: 2020’s disruptions are only the beginning | covid brought us more and better client communication
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the most significant change we will see long-term will be a significant portion of a firm’s practice will be accomplished by a permanent remote work force – at least 25 percent. we have seen that it works, we will continue to refine the model, and firms will be more efficient and profitable once the final model is in place.
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manage partners with goal setting

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includes 20 sample goals.

by marc rosenberg
the role of the managing partner

the purposes of goal setting are to help the firm achieve its overall goals and to help individuals achieve their performance goals.

more: clarify partner expectations | how the managing partner manages the partners | overarching authority that managing partners must have | exceptional managing partners offer their advice | why management is the #1 key to the firm’s success | herding cats: advice for managing partners
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when individuals and organizations create goals, put them in writing, assign deadlines, follow up and establish a means of accountability for achieving the goals, they are more likely to achieve the goals than if they merely talk about the goals or have the goals in mind.
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firms face business realities

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pandemic means there’s no room for those who can’t embrace change.

by angie grissom

the working from home mandate has changed the way people think, work and communicate and has accelerated the move by four to five years (at least) over what i think would have happened without the pandemic. this has impacted the adoption of technology (teams, zoom, adobe connect, etc.) and has shown team members what works and what doesn’t work.

more: remote work is more productive | we’re in the fast lane… can your partners keep up? | survey: 2020’s disruptions are only the beginning | covid brought us more and better client communication
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people now know how and where they are the most effective. clients are also seeing accounting providers as more essential and more as advisors, especially those dealing with the ppp loans and other programs that assist them with staying afloat during this time.
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increase your odds of success

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young asian woman lifting dumbbellsshrink the gap between strengths and weaknesses.

by bill reeb

there are many self-development books and advisors that proclaim that you should focus on your strengths, develop your strengths and don’t worry about your weaknesses.

more: make tension work for you | when to cut your losses | make worry work for you | are you right where you’re supposed to be? | letting go is not giving up | your obligation to yourself | why we risk change
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this is a great story to tell because it is one everyone wants to hear. who wants to be told that they should work on what they feel inadequate about in themselves or their abilities? in other words, it is easy to get people pumped up about spending time concentrating on what they do well and discard what they do poorly and leave it for someone else.
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more complex work = higher fees, right?

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also: some pushback on virtual work environments.

by jeff pawlow

anytime that complexity goes up, it seems that accounting fees follow. that said, the current economic environment may not allow firms to capture as much additional work as they may have in other turbulent/changing environments.

more: remote work is more productive | advisory services: real commitment or just talk? | 2021: you’ll never see ‘normal’ again
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clearly, clients are tightening their belts, and it now becomes imperative for firms to bring more to the table than just “debits and credits.” the role of a trusted advisor is paramount in this uncertain time and firms that embrace the challenge will leap ahead of the pack. unfortunately, many firms are slow to adopt this posture. providing clear value for fees is a non-negotiable moving forward.
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the value of firm procedures manuals

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scrambled thoughts enter man's head, straightened ones come outwhere does the most potential benefit lie?

by roman h. kepczyk

every firm has accountants who are 10 percent, 20 percent or even 50 percent more productive in their departments than other personnel because they have simply “figured it out.”

more: teach your clients to send info digitally | why you want a digital tax workflow system | why digital communications matter | the right tech tools for covid work-from-home | it’s 10 p.m. do you know where your backups are? | the best scanners to buy today
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

unfortunately, when these people leave the firm, their unique knowledge of specific processes and shortcuts goes with them. it is the responsibility of firms to capture these individuals’ best practices so that that specific knowledge can be shared and accessed by all firm members both now and in the future. this can be accomplished by making a concerted effort to develop a best practices manual within each department.
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granting unconventional request pays off

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car driving on road on pillars through swiss mountainsproof that systems work.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

one time, one of my young and very bright staff people asked me in the beginning of june if he could take off the months of july and august so he could travel by car throughout the united states. after asking him to repeat this three times, i gulped and told him he could.

more: why annual staff evaluations fall short | 10 ways to stay in control | advice to new accountants | clients don’t lose sleep for overpaying taxes | when time-based pricing works | how auditing is like a pirouette | ¿que es bookkeeping? | testifying before congress
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i figured that if i did not tell him he could, he would simply give notice and quit. i also figured that if he returned in september and applied for a job, i would rehire him. i also realized that we have women taking off at least two months at a time to have babies and nothing terrible happens. the world (as defined by my small accounting firm) survives and moves forward.
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you like being remote, but what about your clients?

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businesswoman with headache at laptop2020 shed new light on diversity.

by tamera loerzel

wow, we have learned so much from this pandemic. the toll of the illness, deaths and impact to our medical providers and so many more has been staggering; there are lasting lessons and change that can benefit us all.

more: advisory services: real commitment or just talk? | covid-19 shakes up m&a activity | we’re in the fast lane… can your partners keep up? | 2021: you’ll never see ‘normal’ again | survey: we adapted to remote work … now what? | survey: 2020’s disruptions are only the beginning | covid brought us more and better client communication
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

obviously, one of the most significant changes firms made is the swift move to remote back in march. this move to remote can be a competitive advantage for firms that truly embrace it now and aren’t waiting (or hoping) to “go back” to how it was.
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the wrong way to look for staff

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classified ad for an accountantconsider why the person is leaving.

by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor

question: please explain why you told me this ad was off base.

more: how to get the most from cpe | how improv can help accountants | four tips for new partners | an alternative to pro bono | 14 better uses for timesheet data | 9 must-haves for firm growth | 5 ways to build teamwork
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

answer: the ad was placed in a local newspaper by a small cpa firm looking to hire someone with two years of experience. this firm obviously does quality work since they do audits.
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become a thought leader

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the pros and cons of curation vs. creation.

by anthony glomski and russ alan prince
your $5-million high-net-worth practice

becoming a thought leader is one of the most effective ways to effectively position you and your practice to the ultrawealthy and the other professionals who serve them. think of it as complementing and augmenting the powerful relationships you are building using the everyone wins process.

more: personal wealth creation can be coached | covid-19 brings high-net-worth opportunities | product-neutral or product-inclusive? | what the wealthy want | the essential process for building a high-net-worth practice | 4 components of a high-net-worth practice | the coming boom in tax services for the super-rich
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

while there are different ways people define a thought leader, the following captures the actions and outcomes of becoming a thought leader:
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top five cas killers and how to overcome them

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industrial metal number 5how many of these are you telling yourself?

by hitendra patil
the definitive success guide to client accounting services

why fall in the same trap that other firms have fallen into during their client accounting services journey? if you know what those traps are, you will save significant money and time in establishing your cas practice.

more: identifying the right clients for cas | communicating cas to clients and prospects | 21 ways to adjust your practice in 2021 | which of your existing clients are cas-fit? | the 8-step method for launching client accounting services | how to develop the cas mindset | client accounting services: the definitive guide
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fortunately, the cpatrendlines cas survey identified which are the top five cas killers, for firms of different sizes, that the accounting profession has experienced.
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deadlines? ha! don’t make me laugh

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blindfolded at computerwhen they’re missed, figure out why.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

distractions, distractions and more distractions, coupled with deadlines. ah, deadlines! those are the bête noire of executives, journalists, record producers, book authors and anyone else in the workforce whose deliverables are expected by a certain date.

more: 5 steps to better time management | a rapidly changing business environment requires flexibility | another meeting?!?! … sigh | organizational trust: top-down and bottom-up | building teamwork under covid pressure | listening: how a conversation works | political correctness or just common courtesy? | effective communications in the age of covid | syncing up for the covid era
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

and what about those dates? are they arbitrary or do they have the real urgency of, say, a court order?
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what my boss did all day

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older man and younger man in meetingsome things never change … and shouldn’t.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

on an early job i had – in a time long, long ago with no computers, smartphones, copiers or electronic adding machines – i used to go to a client in the morning, write up their books, prepare a financial statement, drop it off at the office at end of the day and then go home.

more: why annual staff evaluations fall short | 10 ways to stay in control | advice to new accountants | clients don’t lose sleep for overpaying taxes | when time-based pricing works | how auditing is like a pirouette | ¿que es bookkeeping? | testifying before congress | underpaying others hurts you, too
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the secretary typed the report in the morning. i often wondered what my boss mr. ruben did, and whether there have been any changes in that in the half-century since i started.
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