business development activities shouldn’t be a chore
be ready when the time comes.
by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals
management
the myths of performance management
be careful what you measure, says management guru gary cokins
^ click to play
with steven sacks
cpas and finance leaders must start asking some really painful questions, according to gary cokins, an internationally recognized expert in performance management, in this interview with steven sacks for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.
questions like:
• do we know where we make or lose money?
• do our managers understand the strategy? the executives?
• are we measuring the right things?
^ download and subscribe to the podcast on itunes here
business is about relationships
there’s no secret sauce.
by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals
business can usually be conducted by phone, videoconference or in person. it really doesn’t matter the approach; what is important is how you comport yourself – irrespective of whether the individual(s) with whom you are dealing are superiors, peers or subordinates. i can’t tell you how many times i have witnessed conversations that were best conducted behind closed doors. the old adage of praise in public, criticize in private is underused or completely ignored.
more: reaching for authenticity in client service | bigger firm, bigger thinking | 5 steps to better time management | swot’s the purpose? | is your firm’s culture a magnet or a repellent? | building teamwork under covid pressure
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
when did we fall down on practicing the basics of common courtesy: returning phone calls, knocking before entering an office or saying “excuse me” when certain situations call for it?
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team expectations: a checklist for busy season
what do you think your staff knows about tax season? check again.
by kristen rampe
busy season is here. are you ready? is your team ready?
you might feel your team “should know” your expectations, but that’s not always the case.
more rampe: pandemic lesson: innovate faster | tax season savvy: five ways to stay sane | why host a partner retreat? | survey results: effective stay interviews for cpa firms | the 16 biggest #fails in delegation | survey: work-life balance: according to whom? | new survey results: two ways your strategic plan can reduce turnover |
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a client of ours once assumed a five-year staff they hired from a top 10 regional firm would know tax professionals work on saturdays from february – april. she chose not to show up for any of them in february.
while the managing partner stewed over this behavior, we realized three key factors were in play:
reaching for authenticity in client service
technology is a tool, not an end result.
by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals
do you ever wonder if events you attend have an air of authenticity around them or are they simply staged? what about the options offered on new cars or the latest and greatest upgrades to a tech gadget? is the hype greater than the actual product? is what is considered innovation really just an incremental change that competitors can duplicate, albeit with minor modifications?
more: bigger firm, bigger thinking | can a cpa firm be different in a changing market? | a rapidly changing business environment requires flexibility | another meeting?!?! … sigh
as for professional services firms, are they providing a unique service in a unique fashion? today, clients are looking at the cost of traditional audit and tax work. because they are commoditized services, the decision is price-driven, so lowballing becomes routine for firms.
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how to run a practice in 90 pages
another author provides a step-by-step guide.
by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor
question: do you have a simple checklist that i could use as a guide to run my practice?
more: the wrong way to look for staff | how to get the most from cpe | does your staff know all the services you provide? | price your practice by gross | advising estate executors: the newbie guide to getting started | how’s your overhead?
answer: actually my monthly q&a newsletters is a great and easy way to get information on how to run your practice. also my 101 book with my first 101 q&as is another great resource.
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bigger firm, bigger thinking
seven steps for newly formed midsize firms.
by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals
there has been talk about consolidation within the accounting profession for the last several years. will the big 4 become the big 2, or will there be the big one?
more: can a cpa firm be different in a changing market? | deadlines? ha! don’t make me laugh | organizational change starts and ends with people | busyness isn’t the same as productivity | staff orientation: a little investment goes a long way
or, on the other hand, will there be a combination of regional firms whose size will be in the neighborhood of the top 10 or top 15 firms that are considered super-regional firms – and who may consider themselves direct competitors to the big 4?
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can a cpa firm be different in a changing market?
what sets you apart … if anything?
by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals
your firm conducts audits, prepares tax returns and offers some consulting services. yours is one of 42,000 non-big 4 firms in this country, a large majority of which offer the same three packages. firms in the same geographic market may not serve the same slate of industries, but through hiring niche expertise or merging in a firm can make inroads into the same markets.
more: deadlines? ha! don’t make me laugh | 5 steps to better time management | swot’s the purpose? | is your firm’s culture a magnet or a repellent? | building teamwork under covid pressure | make your writing count | etiquette never goes out of style | make news, not noise | take that extra breath with email
this happens frequently, making a competitive market even more crowded. the challenge that your firm faces is how do you show a real value-added distinction from the firms you compete against? differentiation does not mean a relaxed dress-code policy.
read more →
not all employees want the same perks
education and tech stipends? why not?
by jody grunden
in addition to the more traditional benefits, we also offer a few creative perks that i think our employees really appreciate, including an education stipend and a technology stipend.
more: not all employees will work out | uncover potential in 10 interview questions | try an accountability chart instead | do you have the right people?
education stipend
we believe that continuing education keeps our team members sharp and ahead of the game. one of our core values is “curiosity” because we want our employees to always be thinking about how we can improve our services, become more efficient and do things better. we want people to think outside the box because we’re not a typical accounting firm, nor do we ever want to be one.
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deadlines? ha! don’t make me laugh
when 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
and what about those dates? are they arbitrary or do they have the real urgency of, say, a court order?
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5 steps to better time management
being “too busy” may signal a need to reprioritize.
by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals
some firms encourage expanding workloads, creating questionable tasks or keeping people occupied under the pretense that their actual activities provide real value. what is the meaning of busy, really? and how are outcomes from efforts measured for value?
more: a rapidly changing business environment requires flexibility | organizational change starts and ends with people | busyness isn’t the same as productivity | staff orientation: a little investment goes a long way | managing information overload | 6 types of non-listeners
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part of the illusion of being busy is that you can master many things at the same time. it certainly would keep you busy (or occupied) but you won’t nurture new skills and discover what your real aptitude is to help yourself and/or your firm.
read more →
a rapidly changing business environment requires flexibility
this includes outsourcing.
by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals
one of the revelations arising from the great recession was that cpa firms found they could do more with less human resources, or at least maintain the same level of productivity. we are now operating in what is referred to as the gig economy, in which important functions can be outsourced and firms and companies can still focus on core competencies that impact growth and profitability.
more: organizational change starts and ends with people | swot’s the purpose? | is your firm’s culture a magnet or a repellent? | building teamwork under covid pressure | make your writing count
because it is increasingly challenging to maintain high standards in all functions while still focusing on core competencies that drive growth, seeking outside help is becoming an attractive option. so, when should you outsource services?
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organizational change starts and ends with people
what is your firm’s social contract?
by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals
you read about companies every day: those that separate themselves from the competition by disrupting the norms and those that remain steadfast, much to their detriment. for the former, think about amazon, uber, netflix and other “change agents.” now, think about the latter: jcpenney, kmart and sears.
more: swot’s the purpose? | another meeting?!?! … sigh | organizational trust: top-down and bottom-up | how can change management really produce change? | trust: one building block of success
as the late chairman and ceo of intel, andy grove said, “success breeds complacency. complacency breeds failure. only the paranoid survive.”
read more →