outlook & analysis

can you really change a partner?

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august aquila
august aquila

take a lesson in change management from weight watchers.

by august aquila
aquilaadvisors.com

david maister in “strategy and the fat smoker” notes that there are two elements needed in order for us to change. the first is a willingness to do it. the second is determination. but alas, we know the path to hell is paved with good intentions.

available at amazon

there are a multitude of platitudes about change. but unless we change we don’t grow and the skills that got us to where we are, won’t get us to the next level. none of us can achieve more unless we become more. if i fail to change, i will not produce different or better results, but only the same thing. this is extremely dangerous because the world around us – our clients, our employees, the market place continue to change.

take a quick acid test. what do you know today that you did not know five years ago? ten years ago? if your list is short, you haven’t changed much. if your list is long, congratulations! the longer the list, the better.

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how to nurture the genius around you — even if you’re not a genius yourself

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available at amazon

l. gary boomer has been talking lately about liz wiseman’s new book, “multipliers: how the best leaders make everyone smarter.”

“multipliers” reports research that shows so-called “multiplier”  leaders get two times more production than “diminishing” leaders.

“multipliers are genius-makers,” boomer says, “where everyone around them gets smarter.” by genius, she is referring to innovation, productivity and the collective intelligence of the team.

multiplier leaders are not just “feel-good” managers, boomer says: read more →

succession planning: what’s your excuse?

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are you scaring away the next generation of owners?

via accountingtoday

you know it’s important. so why do only 35 percent of multi-owner firms and 9 percent of sole proprietors have written succession plans in place?

robert fligel

“most firms don’t have any plan,” robert fligel, president of rf resources tells accounting today. “even to do a memo would be a major accomplishment… it’s human nature; we don’t want to deal with mortality because it’s a very daunting thing. but there’s a fantastic sense of relief when you do these things. and you should think about your clients – you don’t want to leave them in a lurch.”

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cpas surge into wealth management

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the rise of the accountant-adviser.

via smart money

a growing number of cpas are refashioning themselves as more well-rounded financial advisers.

some 5,000 cpas now boast a “personal financial specialist” credential, up 28% since 2008, and another 7,650 accountants are now certified as financial planners by the certified financial planner board of standards.

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good-bye annual budget. hello rolling forecast

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via cfo.com

world moving too fast to plan even a year ahead.

so an increasing number of companies are abandoning the age-old tradition of annual budgeting and adopting instead a system of constantly updated forecasts. they call them rolling forecasts, flexible budgets, or event-driven planning. but they aren’t annual budgets.

cfo.com  cites as examples: unilver, norton lilly international, statoil, and american century investments. “meanwhile, other companies continue to execute a budget but, for the most part, manage the business without it,” russ banham reports. “call it a sign of the times, literally.”

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