leadership

don’t like checklists? find a new job.

by

green checks being made on checklistyup, we have a checklist for that.

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

question: one of my managers does not use the checklists and i need to go over all his work and sometimes go to the client to make sure they are done right.

more: five ways to get staff to own their work | profit sharing for a staffer? | titles can make people happier | reasons to drop your book of business | are you marketing for 2022 yet?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

what can i do to get him to fill out the checklists?
read more →

five keys to becoming a high-performing firm

by

transformation must come at all levels.

“the world accommodates you for fitting in, but only rewards you for standing out.” – matshona dhiliwayo, author, “the art of winning.”

by anthony zecca
leading from the edge

after your assessment of the leadership team, and the assessment of your own leadership, we move on to the challenge of answering the key question – what steps need to be taken (the road map) to move the firm from where it is today to a standout, high-performing firm?

more on edge leadership: assessing your firm | the 4 traits of great cpa leaders | why leaders must ensure clarity | incremental vs. exceptional success | do you lead or just manage? | managing vs. leading | is your leadership team at the edge? | 6 leadership challenges through covid and beyond | edge leaders share 7 strengths | leadership must drive culture | leading from the edge
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the call to action and question for you as the edge leader, for your leadership team, for your partners, and in fact for the entire firm to answer is, do you just want to fit in or are you willing to do what it will take to stand out? if you want to move to the top of the pack, what does the firm need to accomplish and how does leadership drive that transformation?

read more →

are you too generous with your write-offs?

by

five ways to improve operating margin.

by bill penczak

the pandemic has placed new strains on most cpa firms, with a paucity of events other than zoom meetings and many clients hunkering down and not making any changes to anything – least of which their accounting firm relationships, under some semblance of normal.

more penczak: re-thinking today’s firm with five global leaders | 5 things your firm should do differently this summer | do you have the guts to beat the covid crisis? | how to inoculate your firm against covid competition | ‘found money’ delights clients | don’t buy a rolodex, buy a process | the three r’s for beating the corona crisis | 6 reasons why your marketing sucks
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

so when it comes to preserving your original profit goals – or at least salvaging them – firms have an opportunity to seek better processes or staffing options, or both to pivot to the times. as a cfo i once worked with used to say, “you can either raise the bridge or lower the water.”

here are five options for lowering the water (labor cost) as a short- and long-term strategy for greater firm success: read more →

are you productive or just busy?

by

harried business teamyour firm may need to change its culture.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

did you ever notice when you call an associate or a friend or a business of any type, more often than not he or she will always respond with “i’m really busy” or “i’ve been jammed up”? it does not matter the time of the year, much less the time of week or day.

more: the five big rules for powerpoint presentations | how aging boomers impact the accounting profession | accounting is a profession, not an industry
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

has busy become too colloquial or just a throwaway line? what is actually meant by “busy”? or, more specifically, what is the condition of “busyness”?

read more →

why accountants quit

by

yellow arrow painted on a roadhint: leadership can avoid these issues.

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

i have written about cpas who leave public accounting and go to work in private industry. based upon the comments and emails i’ve received, this is an involved topic and i would like to delve into it further.

more: why cpas should stay in public accounting | when cpas leave to work for a client | when parents, children hit an impasse | how bickering can ruin a family business | one hour a year since 1972
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i was writing about my observations, particularly of many people in their mid-50s i have known who cannot get jobs in private industry after spending a major part of their careers there. obviously, there are many people with extremely successful careers in private industry and i was not addressing them, but i do consider them to be in the minority. also, we are all individuals, and we each decide on how we want to work and what we are comfortable with. no one, including me, has any right to criticize them or tell them they should have done it differently.
read more →

profit sharing for a staffer?

by

percentage signs on round hanging tagsthe owner wants to offer a percentage to a staff person, but how?

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

question: i have a small practice and have a staff person with me for eight years (who had nine years of experience before coming to me), and i want to offer him some profit-sharing percentage.

more: the secret recipe for staff retention | writing a reference? here’s how | 44 key attributes for assessing staffers | make cpe worth your while | what to do with a lousy client? | but i am managing! | how to run a practice in 90 pages
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

how do i approach it?
read more →

the five big rules for powerpoint presentations

by

drawing of man giving presentationkeep the focus where it belongs: on you.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

have you ever attended a conference where the presenter plans to supplement his or her key topics by showing an illustration of what is being currently said?

do i look at the speaker or do i look at the slides? will the slides be available later or should i take notes now? should i move up 50 rows so the microscopic wording improves to barely readable? can i ask the speaker to back up a couple of slides?

more: how aging boomers impact the accounting profession | accounting is a profession, not an industry
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

whenever i give presentations i try to put myself in the shoes of the listeners and create a presentation in a way that relies on them briefly glancing at the slide transition and then redirecting their full attention back on me. but what we see today is too many speakers just reading what appears on the slides. they should simply begin their session by saying, “i’ll read out loud and you’ll follow along silently.” thank goodness there was never a request made for responsive reading.
read more →

13 traits of the best managing partners

by

senior businessman with his team at officethat smile, that teamwork? genuine.

by marc rosenberg
the role of the managing partner

i have worked with over a thousand cpa firms during my 20-plus years of consulting. i’ve worked closely with hundreds of them. the 80/20 pareto principle certainly applies here: 20 percent shine brightly and are worthy of adulation. (managing partners, please, please, don’t call me to ask if you are in the 20 percent or the 80 percent group. i’ll plead the fifth!)

more: top issues for millennial managing partners | 44 hard-earned tips from new managing partners | how to enforce the partner agreement | the 9 biggest merger pitfalls | 10 ways to hold partners accountable | make sure partners focus on two things
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

today, i’ll share with you the traits of those managing partners who, in my opinion, were the best.
read more →

how aging boomers impact the accounting profession

by

businessman and the cloud computing conceptyour people are your biggest assets.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

there are about 80 million baby boomers today, and this cohort of 65 and older is projected by the us census bureau to reach 83.7 million in the year 2050.

more steven sacks: would you buy your own services? | the future of the accounting profession | avoid last-minute deal making | business is about relationships | can a cpa firm be different in a changing market? | a rapidly changing business environment requires flexibility | accounting is a profession, not an industry

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

by 2030, more than 20 percent of u.s. residents are projected to be aged 65 and over, compared with 13 percent in 2010 and 9.8 percent in 1970.

read more →

why remote workers need retreats

by

happy business professionals giving high five hand slapinvest in face-to-face interaction.

by jody grunden
building the virtual cfo firm in the cloud

with a brick-and-mortar company, there are a number of standard costs that you would expect to have, such as rent or mortgage, utilities, building repairs, furniture, technology, etc. the total amount of these kinds of costs typically falls in the range of 3-4 percent of the company’s annualized revenue. that amount can be pretty significant for a lot of companies.

more: take the pain out of online meetings | leaders need time to lead | better understanding = better communication | why your firm’s core values matter | when value billing eliminates guesswork | make tech your ally in protecting clients | be more efficient with tech stacks
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

some business owners may think they can save the company all of that money by going remote, but i personally believe that’s a terrible idea. while it’s true that a distributed company doesn’t have the costs that come with having a physical space, the very nature of a remote work environment results in a completely different and unique set of needs that should be considered in the company’s annual budget.
read more →

top issues for millennial managing partners

by

group of four young professionalsbonus: six ways to prepare for the role.

by kristen rampe
the role of the managing partner

the next wave of cpa firm leaders is here, and millennials are already making the best of this role as leaders in smaller firms.

more: 44 hard-earned tips from new managing partners | partner compensation: a potent weapon | how long should it take to make partner? | the managing partner’s role in mergers | five ways to evaluate partners | manage partners with goal setting
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

to understand and share the perspective of this up-and-coming group, we interviewed eight millennials who are relatively new to the position of managing partner.

revenue for the firms averaged $2.3 million, with two equity partners and a total fte headcount of 15. some of their views on the role of the managing partner were traditional, while others were somewhat unconventional. this group is pioneering some interesting changes because they are less restrained by historical approaches.
read more →

titles can make people happier

by

but some people will never be happy enough.

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

question: my top staff person wants a better title than manager, or senior manager. any suggestions?

more: help! key staffer refuses to supervise people | 44 key attributes for assessing staffers | make cpe worth your while | what to do with a lousy client? | but i am managing! | how to run a practice in 90 pages | how improv can help accountants
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

answer: in larger firms, senior manager is one step below partner.
read more →

44 hard-earned tips from new managing partners

by

//www.g005e.com/2021/07/08/advice-from-new-managing-partners/

everything from gaining credibility to where to turn for help.

by marc rosenberg
the role of the managing partner

the toughest lessons for new managing partners have nothing to do with taxes, accounting, or even textbook management. it’s all about people – such as people issues and handling partners, according to our straw poll survey of a handful of top-flight firm leaders.

we gleaned comments from 10 relatively new managing partners. eight are from firms with revenues from $10 million to $30 million and two are from $5 million to $10 million firms.

more: partner compensation: a potent weapon | the managing partner’s secret weapon | how a good managing partner impacts profitability | how a great managing partner impacts firm growth | clarify partner expectations | exceptional managing partners offer their advice
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

we posed three questions to the new managing partners:

  1. what advice would you give a new managing partner?
  2. what were your greatest challenges when you became a managing partner?
  3. if you had to do it over again, would you approach your ascension to the managing partner job differently? in what ways?

their responses tell us as much about how to do the job well as how to fail at it.

read more →