dustin hostetler, a lean six sigma consultant in heavy demand these days by cpa firms overhauling their workflows, foresees a “coming storm” in staff turnover. in short, he says, cpa firm employees are simply fed up with old, inefficient and ineffective ways of working.
how to focus on the big issues.
by marc rosenberg, cpa
guide to planning the firm retreat
most firms spend their time at retreats planning for the future, forming goals and addressing pressing issues and problem areas. the problem areas aren’t day-to-day issues such as purchasing a new copy machine or revising the policy on sick days. the problem areas are more strategic: morale issues, recruiting problems, profitability, etc.
here are some specific examples: read more →
everything changes all the time, but not always the way we expect. be prepared.
by bruce w. marcus
professional services marketing 3.0
if you ask me where i live, i tell you that i live on the corner of x and y streets. it was there yesterday, it’s there today, and will be there tomorrow. but i live on a planet in space that’s constantly in motion, as are the other planets in our orbit. my address in space, then, is always in relation to the other planets in orbit, and therefore, constantly changing.
this dynamic between planets in motion exists between ideas and events as well, and is a major factor in the evolutionary process of change.
this is how the evolutionary process works to create change: read more →
how the best set direction, gain commitment, execute on plan and lead by personal example.
by robert j. lees, august j. aquila and derek klyhn
professional services is one of the most critical sectors in all western economies and an increasingly important one in every other world economy. but, the usual measures of scale, like revenues, the number of firms or the number of professionals, don’t adequately reflect the importance of the sector. what makes professional services so critical is the influence professional firms have on their clients’ activities.
whether the influence comes through strategic advice, legal opinion, transaction origination and support, tax minimisation, or an audit opinion, every business we know is reliant, in some form, on the opinion of a professional service firm.
in addition, and at least as important given the move away from self-regulation, there is the critical regulatory role of the accountants and lawyers tasked with ensuring the probity of the world’s financial markets. all of which makes the task of ensuring that each of the firms is a role model of its profession’s expertise, values and ethics absolutely key.
when firms were relatively small, that wasn’t a difficult task. however, as firms have increased in scale, geographic reach and service offerings, the task of running a professional service firm has become extremely complex. and that’s without considering changing client expectations, increasing competition between firms, threats to the traditional business model from offshoring and the increasing number of virtual firms, the increasing number of western economy-based firms operating in countries with social and business norms sometimes far removed from their own, the arrival of a generation with very different expectations than their predecessors, and calls for greater transparency and regulation in the light of the financial meltdown.
in our twenty year association with professional service firms (psfs), every one of the hundreds of firms we have worked with around the world has seen the number, scale and complexity of the challenges they face increase significantly. being a managing partner, never the easiest of roles, is now one of the most complex and challenging roles in any organisation in any business sector anywhere in the world.
and yet, every managing partner we know admitted that they took on the role without any real understanding of what the role entailed and without being sure if they had the capabilities to do it effectively. they also described how the typical high need for achievement culture within professional service firms, with its intolerance of perceived failure, made it almost impossible for them to ask for help when they needed it and for their colleagues to offer it.
rob lees is a founding partner of moller psfg ltd and consultant to professional service firm leaders worldwide. he is also co-author of the best-selling “when professionals have to lead.”
august aquila is an internationally known speaker, writer and consultant to professional services firms. he is ceo of aquila global advisors. he is also the co-author of “compensation as a strategic asset” and “client at the core.”
derek klyhn is a founding partner and director of møller psfg cambridge ltd and consultant to professional service firm leaders and their teams. he is chartered accountant and has an mba from london business school.
instant download [free for pro members]: to get the complete report, click here: read more →
hint: it’s not about how smart they are or hard they work.
by rick telberg
how do you spot the hidden rock stars on your staff?
and what do up-and-coming tax, accounting and finance professionals need to know to get ahead in today’s profession?
these aren’t idle questions. many firms and individuals are struggling with these issues right now. but don’t take it from me. just listen to the decision-makers from a dozen firms i met with in a milwaukee hotel recently. the mission: learn how to deal with a looming new staff shortage. some took away solid action plans. “our firm,” said one, “is trying to develop our rock stars and this showed me we need to be doing more.” another said, “excellent! it gave us the details and the ‘how-to.’”
interestingly, the milwaukee group’s conclusions and recommendations closely parallel our related research findings. so we can be fairly certain that we’ve obtained some of the profession’s favorite strategies.
you could probably adapt one of our methods for your firm. in milwaukee, we divided the group into two teams, the green team and the blue team. after some preliminary coaching, each team hammered out a list of the top five talent indicators – the clues in an employee’s behaviors and attitudes that demonstrate the highest likelihood of the best roi for a firm’s time, energy, and money in training, coaching and mentoring. then the group filled several flip chart pages with their lists and hashed them out with each other. after identifying the key indicators, we moved on to identifying the best strategies for recruiting, grooming and retaining top talent.
by far, the top predictive indicator across all firms is the trait, “they are always trying to improve.” it comes in a few flavors or variations. for instance, the green team at the milwaukee strategy meeting favored a passion for “continuous learning.” the blue team preferred, “they do ‘extra credit’ – things that the partners wouldn’t normally expect from someone at their level.” but they add up to the same thing.
it starts with how to make a successful senior manager.
by marc rosenberg, cpa
how to bring in new partners
how are the duties and responsibilities of a new partner different from those of a manager? this is one of the grayest areas in bringing in new partners. read more →
eight must-have’s and 10 more new ideas.
by sandi smith, cpa
accountant’s accelerator
if you’ve spent any time at all in business talking with prospects on the phone or in person, then you probably have a list of benefits or advantages that you like to mention about your company to every prospect. you may have a very structured way of going about this, and you may not.
in any case, building a prospect kit will help you become even more consistent in the presentation of your company’s strong points to prospects. and, it’s absolutely essential as you move into larger and larger business deals.
see more from sandi smith at 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 (log in now or 2022世界杯足球排名 membership here):
a prospect kit is a sales tool that you can use to communicate information about your business to prospects.
here’s a list of the most basic items that can go in an initial prospect kit: read more →
you run the job, or it runs you over.
by gary adamson
adamson advisory
most of us are thrust into the managing partner role in our firms with little or no training or coaching. who teaches you to be an effective mp? how do you know if you’re performing well?
your partners won’t tell you. if you’re new to the job, do you just do it the same way as your predecessor? is that the best approach for the firm? who will mentor you?
as i can attest from experience in running my firm for over 20 years, it is a thankless job. i just took a deep breath and jumped in. the best feedback that most of us get is from other managing partners and from benchmarking ourselves against other firms. there are not too many places to turn for help.
whether you are new at the job or a veteran, here is an approach to organizing the job into six buckets that will help you. it is how i approached the responsibilities and it lends itself to dividing and conquering with the ability to delegate some responsibilities.
here are my six buckets: read more →
if facebook has a say, maybe yes. four things your firm needs to know.
by becky livingston
royal apple marketing
if your firm has a facebook page with any number of followers, a new app could easily replace other conference video chats and webinar platforms for learning and development, content, development projects, and more.
what’s partner material at your firm?
click here to join the survey; get the results.
by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
early returns from the new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 survey into identifying and managing high-potential professionals suggests that, beyond ability, firms are more intent than ever on finding well-rounded individuals capable of taking initiative and developing new business.
above is a word picture of some of the verbatim responses we’re capturing. what are the traits you look for in new hires? here are a few of the more interesting answers: read more →
accountants pinpoint winning strategies and bottom-line results. join the survey; get the topline results.
by rick telberg
new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research conducted for the seven keys to successful cpa firm management program isolates at least three defining characteristics of peak performing accounting firms.
the research results, to be unveiled in a two-hour workshop, show that so-called sevenkeys leaders are:
the new research findings also reveal the winning strategies and tactics deployed by the leading firms. at the top of the list for sevenkeys leaders: networking, social media and blogging, public speaking, and website upgrades. workshop attendees will get the full survey results, apply the new benchmarks to their own practices using self-assessment scoresheets, and use a specially designed workbook to lay out action plans.
overall, the data seem to show that firms are narrowing their marketing efforts while generally increasing overall activity. and many accountants have been happy to share some of their secrets with 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.
here are a few: read more →