strategy

who should participate in a retreat?

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overhead view of five businesspeople discussing something at a table with an open laptop nearbyinclude the relevant folks – but no more than 15 unless you plan on breakout groups.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm retreats

what to discuss at a retreat is important, but so is who will be doing that discussing.

firms naturally tend to limit participation to key people – the partners, plus professional staff such as the coo, firm administrator, marketing director and hr director – so that sensitive and confidential issues are more easily discussed. also, keeping the group small lends itself to better group participation and more fruitful discussions.

more on retreats: retreat logistics: how long, what kind? | what should cpa firms discuss at retreats? | why do cpa firms conduct retreats?

on the other hand, there are benefits to involving others in the firm beyond the key people… if the objectives include five key items:
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how to target what skills to develop now

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reeb-and-cingoranelli-with-cpatr-si-logo-200bonus checklist: 12 competencies everyone in the firm needs.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 / succession institute

in discussing how to become a more effective people manager and developer, the first question we ask is, “what skills and aptitudes are you trying to develop?”

more on performance management: what having your employees’ backs means | 5 harmful management attitudes (and how to fix them) | do cpa firms need management or leadership? |  job 1 for the practice owner: client management

in other words, just saying to someone, “you need to improve” is weak advice.

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retreat logistics: how long, what kind?

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happy business professionals giving high five hand slaphow often you gather plays a role.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm retreats

the great majority of retreats i have facilitated over a period of 20 years have been one-and-a-half to two days long.

more on retreats:what should cpa firms discuss at retreats? | why do cpa firms conduct retreats?

consider these six factors when deciding the length of your retreat:

1. timing. resist the temptation to convene the retreat beyond a 9:00­-5:30 or 8:00-5:30 work schedule. even though you may work many more hours than this back at the office, a retreat is different. most adults are not used to sitting in a classroom all day, and many find it quite draining.  participants should be able to spend every minute of the retreat refreshed, sharp and engaged.  so in planning your retreat, don’t count on more than 7.5 or 8 meeting hours per day. be sure to provide for an hour for lunch and two 15-minute breaks.

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what having your employees’ backs means

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why failure is a value proposition.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 / succession institute

i want to start by talking about the phrase “having your employees’ backs.” so what does this mean? simply that, as the boss, you will take the bullets publicly for your people’s mistakes. this is such a rare phenomenon that many of you have never experienced what i am referring to – a boss taking the heat for his or her people.

more growth & succesion: 5 harmful management attitudes (and how to fix them) | do cpa firms need management or leadership? | job 1 for the practice owner: client management

most of the time, when problems are uncovered, company cultures are “at the ready” to quickly identify someone to blame regardless of the situation. in these organizations, those with exceptional cya skills are the most highly valued. no, i did not misspell this acronym as it was not meant to be cia (as in the government intelligence agency or certified internal auditors), but rather those good at covering their butts (i guess i should have referred to it as cyb).

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