the recession has battered most accounting firms. here’s a seven-step plan to start rebuilding trust

a framework for action.

if trust has been broken in your accounting firm—and given the great recession, odds are, it has been—you must start now to rebuild it.

michelle and dennis reina, authors of “rebuilding trust in the workplace: seven steps to renew confidence, commitment, and energy” (berrett-koehler, 2010),  recommend a seven-step process, drawn from two decades of research, for healing and rebuilding trust.

to be sure, the seven-step process isn’t a silver bullet. but it may provide a framework for leaders to demonstrate courage and to take concrete, constructive, and compassionate action. read more →

winning firms know the secrets of keeping good accountants

work/life balance proves essential to recruiting, retaining staff.

by rick telberg

if that cpa working next to you appears stressed out by the job, take a long, hard look because you may not see him or her again in the future.

while cpas in all walks of the profession are strained and face tough workloads, those feeling the greatest stress and workplace demands are more likely to be seriously in the market for another job. at any given moment, according to my studies, about one on three cpas would consider changing jobs, even it meant a pay cut, in exchange for better working conditions. among the most stressed-out cpas, the ratio of job seekers jumps to about half.

so it’s imperative for managers of cpas to offer state-of-the-art workplaces if they want to retain hard-to-find staff. read more →

six steps to building firm-wide accountability

start by stopping.

skip reardon

stop doing things that undermine accountability, says skip reardon at six disciplines business coaching, “stop overseeing, legislating and micro-managing.”

reardon, a veteran of the accounting business dating back to solomon software, says “accountability is not something you ‘make’ people do – it has to be chosen or accepted by people within your organization. people must ‘buy into’ being accountable and responsible. for many, this is a new, unfamiliar way to work. most importantly: individual purpose and meaning come from assuming responsibility and accepting accountability.”

so, how do you build company-wide accountability?

read more →

six ways to cope with technological change

technology isn’t new. but the pace of change is.

and it’s adding new stresses to cpa firms every day, according to l. gary boomer of boomer consulting.

the impact can be seen — and felt — in how firms attract, retain, nurture and leverage talent, he tells the cpa leadership institute. staffing takes on a whole new meaning when it’s done within a firm-wide culture of continuous learning and improvement.

here’s how: read more →