leadership

a rapidly changing business environment requires flexibility

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notepad with word "hire" crossed out and "outsource" written in underneaththis 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
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

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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managing vs. leading

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are you solving too many problems?

by anthony zecca
leading from the edge

one of the biggest obstacles to a firm realizing its potential, its partners and staff realizing their potential, and a firm leader maximizing his impact on the trajectory of the firm is when the line between leading and managing gets blurred.

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.

too often, center leaders believe their job is telling everyone what to do and how to do it (managing things) versus providing the tools, authority and clarity on the firm’s strategic objectives and then getting out of the way (edge leadership). leadership at its most basic level is about inspiring everyone toward a common shared vision and ensuring that the decision-making hierarchy is clear and consistent within the firm’s mission and core values. edge leadership is not about tactics and how things are done, but about making sure everyone is doing the right things, with accountability for results.
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organizational change starts and ends with people

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

as the late chairman and ceo of intel, andy grove said, “success breeds complacency. complacency breeds failure. only the paranoid survive.”
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strategic planning for the small firm

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dial with arrow pointing to word "strategy"plus actionable tips for each area.

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

question: do you recommend strategic planning for a small accounting practice?

more: does your staff know all the services you provide? | four tips for new partners | an alternative to pro bono | 14 better uses for timesheet data | 9 must-haves for firm growth
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

answer: i recommend it for everyone. it is important for larger firms to make sure the partners are on the same page.
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another meeting?!?! … sigh

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business meeting with people around table facing forwardif they’re necessary, so be it. but set some guidelines.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

when in doubt, call a meeting. jeez! how many hours in the u.s. are cumulatively wasted on a daily basis with meetings? are they really necessary?

more: busyness isn’t the same as productivity | 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 | effective communications in the age of covid |the new covid-19 workplace: are you prepared?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

if yes, do you employ rules of courtesy, such as strongly encouraging punctuality? do you have a clearly articulated agenda that was distributed in advance of the meeting? if yes, did it provide advance notice about any preparatory work or research expected to be done by the participants? finally, will the meeting be structured in such a way that it will allow for participation by the complete group?
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busyness isn’t the same as productivity

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stacks of papers on the corner of a deskdo you really need to go to that meeting?

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

did you ever notice when you call an associate, 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: is your firm’s culture a magnet or a repellent? | organizational trust: top-down and bottom-up | how can change management really produce change? | trust: one building block of success | make your presentations memorable | have a real-life conversation | is your message open to interpretation?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

has busy become too colloquial and is simply a throwaway line? what is actually meant by “busy”? or, more specifically, what is the condition of “busyness”?
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is your leadership team at the edge?

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5 ways to evaluate them.

by anthony zecca
leading from the edge

“teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. the ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. it is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” – andrew carnegie, industrialist

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 above quote by andrew carnegie really puts a fence around the key responsibilities of your leadership team:

  • ability to lead their team to work together toward a common vision
  • ability to direct (drive) their individual team members’ efforts and accomplishments toward maintaining alignment with the firm’s objectives and
  • ability to inspire and motivate each team member to achieve more than they have and to reach top performance and top results as a team

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why create an accounting firm business model?

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process touch screen showing workflow designpsst … it includes checklists.

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

running a professional services business requires the ability to manage multiple types of strong-minded and -willed individuals.

more: advice to new accountants | what does the client want to see? | 6 ways to increase your fees … if you dare | the clients that got away | upselling made painless
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it works, but it needs a discipline and a model to follow.

here is mine:
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is your firm’s culture a magnet or a repellent?

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magnet drawing in three peoplethe partners want the money; the younger professionals want the meaning.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

in the famous words of management guru peter drucker, “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” accounting firms are starting to get this message because now they are instituting initiatives that would have been laughed at years ago: a) every day is jeans day, b) shorts when there is no client meeting, c) work from home and d) reduced saturday hours during busy season. and on it goes …

more: organizational trust: top-down and bottom-up | staff orientation: a little investment goes a long way | managing information overload | 6 types of non-listeners | political correctness or just common courtesy? | syncing up for the covid era
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

attracting and retaining quality staff has become one of the top concerns for cpa firms that want to grow and remain competitive. salary is no longer the number one concern for today’s younger professionals. opportunity, responsibility, accountability and a well-defined career path are the motivators. firms are pulling out all the stops to attract professionals who will be viewed as tomorrow’s leaders.
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6 leadership challenges through covid and beyond

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illustrationhow do you handle them?

by anthony zecca
leading from the edge

within every firm, every leader (edge or center) faces challenges every day. sitting here in 2020 as i write this book, the challenges presented by covid-19 are seismic in terms of impact as well as being totally unanticipated. covid-19 has forced firm leaders to examine their own firm down to its very core and to make decisions that challenged their leadership in ways never imagined.

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.

covid-19 has also resulted in new leaders emerging from the chaos of the pandemic to rise to a level of edge leadership. edge leaders will see the opportunities created by covid-19 while center leaders will only see the challenges. edge leaders will examine every challenge and find the opportunity making the firm stronger as a result.
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the myth of multitasking

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more activity doesn’t mean better productivity.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

how many people believe they thrive on doing at least two things at a time and believe that they are achieving optimal results? when you are on the phone, do you ever hear the clack, clack, clack of the keyboard in the background of the other party? or if you are in the middle of a conversation do you sense that the other party has to put you on hold because there was someone who may have entered his or her office? or, finally, you use a hands-free device for your conference call, do you put it on mute and then conduct in-person conversations in your office, or go through your email?

more: building teamwork under covid pressure | how can change management really produce change? | trust: one building block of success | make your presentations memorable | exchanging knowledge has no downside | political correctness or just common courtesy?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

what happens? you lose the essence of the conference call; you may have been given an assignment you missed or you did not respond to questions that were directed toward you. what does this tell the host of the call or the other participants? not only are you rude, but you may be the person who will throw a wrench into the spokes of an initiative that everyone is invested in.
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