leadership

team expectations: a checklist for busy season

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what do you think your staff knows about tax season? check again.

by kristen rampe

busy season is here. are you ready? is your team ready?

you might feel your team “should know” your expectations, but that’s not always the case.

more rampe: pandemic lesson: innovate faster | tax season savvy: five ways to stay sane | why host a partner retreat? | survey results: effective stay interviews for cpa firms | the 16 biggest #fails in delegation | survey: work-life balance: according to whom? | new survey results: two ways your strategic plan can reduce turnover |

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a client of ours once assumed a five-year staff they hired from a top 10 regional firm would know tax professionals work on saturdays from february – april. she chose not to show up for any of them in february.

while the managing partner stewed over this behavior, we realized three key factors were in play:

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reaching for authenticity in client service

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female executive greeting coupletechnology is a tool, not an end result.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

do you ever wonder if events you attend have an air of authenticity around them or are they simply staged? what about the options offered on new cars or the latest and greatest upgrades to a tech gadget? is the hype greater than the actual product? is what is considered innovation really just an incremental change that competitors can duplicate, albeit with minor modifications?

more: bigger firm, bigger thinking | can a cpa firm be different in a changing market? | a rapidly changing business environment requires flexibility | another meeting?!?! … sigh
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as for professional services firms, are they providing a unique service in a unique fashion? today, clients are looking at the cost of traditional audit and tax work. because they are commoditized services, the decision is price-driven, so lowballing becomes routine for firms.
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incremental vs. exceptional success

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stylized industrial 3d number 8eight seismic changes have altered the future of accounting firms.

by anthony zecca
leading from the edge

“all organizations are perfectly designed to get the results they are now getting. if we want different results, we must change the way we do things.” – tom northup, author of “five hidden mistakes ceos make”

what a great statement not just about accounting firms, but all organizations – “perfectly designed to get the result they are now getting.” there is another old saying that goes something like this: “if you want different results you have to do things differently.” center leaders hold onto the status quo whereas edge leaders constantly push the envelope of what is possible – pushing to the future edge.

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
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leadership is a topic that has been researched, talked about, written about, training sessions built around, and endless models developed – yet it is also one of the most challenging issues in most firms today. over my career, i have worked and consulted with leaders of all shapes and styles and firms that experienced varying degrees of success. based on working with hundreds of companies, my conclusions – and two of the primary reasons that drove me to write my book – are that in many cases, firms are performing below their capabilities and every firm has the potential to reach higher levels of performance if and when leadership moves from the center to the edge. edge leaders want to be at the top of the pack when it comes to all metrics that matter whereas center leaders are content to remain average.
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how to run a practice in 90 pages

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another author provides a step-by-step guide.

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

question: do you have a simple checklist that i could use as a guide to run my practice?

more: the wrong way to look for staff | how to get the most from cpe | does your staff know all the services you provide? | price your practice by gross | advising estate executors: the newbie guide to getting started | how’s your overhead?
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answer: actually my monthly q&a newsletters is a great and easy way to get information on how to run your practice. also my 101 book with my first 101 q&as is another great resource.
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bigger firm, bigger thinking

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businessman reading and reclining on part of red arrow trending upwardseven steps for newly formed midsize firms.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

there has been talk about consolidation within the accounting profession for the last several years. will the big 4 become the big 2, or will there be the big one?

more: can a cpa firm be different in a changing market? | deadlines? ha! don’t make me laugh | organizational change starts and ends with people | busyness isn’t the same as productivity | staff orientation: a little investment goes a long way
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or, on the other hand, will there be a combination of regional firms whose size will be in the neighborhood of the top 10 or top 15 firms that are considered super-regional firms – and who may consider themselves direct competitors to the big 4?
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can a cpa firm be different in a changing market?

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red rocket rising above white hot air balloonswhat sets you apart … if anything?

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

your firm conducts audits, prepares tax returns and offers some consulting services. yours is one of 42,000 non-big 4 firms in this country, a large majority of which offer the same three packages. firms in the same geographic market may not serve the same slate of industries, but through hiring niche expertise or merging in a firm can make inroads into the same markets.

more: deadlines? ha! don’t make me laugh | 5 steps to better time management | swot’s the purpose? | 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
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

this happens frequently, making a competitive market even more crowded. the challenge that your firm faces is how do you show a real value-added distinction from the firms you compete against? differentiation does not mean a relaxed dress-code policy.
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not all employees want the same perks

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dog sleeping in home office as woman works at computer in backgroundeducation and tech stipends? why not?

by jody grunden

in addition to the more traditional benefits, we also offer a few creative perks that i think our employees really appreciate, including an education stipend and a technology stipend.

more: not all employees will work out | uncover potential in 10 interview questions | try an accountability chart instead | do you have the right people?
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education stipend

we believe that continuing education keeps our team members sharp and ahead of the game. one of our core values is “curiosity” because we want our employees to always be thinking about how we can improve our services, become more efficient and do things better. we want people to think outside the box because we’re not a typical accounting firm, nor do we ever want to be one.
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do you lead or just manage?

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group of businesspeople hiding their faces behind question mark signs at office5 questions to answer.

by anthony zecca
leading from the edge

let’s look at examples of managing versus leading from two actual clients.

stuck in managing – center leadership

i was retained by the owner/ceo of a $40 million manufacturer of a home products company. the current leader inherited the business from his dad, and over 20+ years grew the business on the top line, but always struggled with profitability. over the last few years, however, there was no top-line growth and he was frustrated.

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.

his leadership view of the future was the next quarter, and the company had no strategy or vision beyond the current year. the most he thought about the future was when they were preparing their annual budget. this was an incremental process versus a real bottom-up process coupled with a growth strategy so as a management tool, the budget was relatively useless.
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deadlines? ha! don’t make me laugh

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blindfolded at computerwhen they’re missed, figure out why.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

distractions, distractions and more distractions, coupled with deadlines. ah, deadlines! those are the bête noire of executives, journalists, record producers, book authors and anyone else in the workforce whose deliverables are expected by a certain date.

more: 5 steps to better time management | a rapidly changing business environment requires flexibility | another meeting?!?! … sigh | organizational trust: top-down and bottom-up | building teamwork under covid pressure | listening: how a conversation works | political correctness or just common courtesy? | effective communications in the age of covid | syncing up for the covid era
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and what about those dates? are they arbitrary or do they have the real urgency of, say, a court order?
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5 steps to better time management

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young businessman punching and breaking clock with fistbeing “too busy” may signal a need to reprioritize.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

some firms encourage expanding workloads, creating questionable tasks or keeping people occupied under the pretense that their actual activities provide real value. what is the meaning of busy, really? and how are outcomes from efforts measured for value?

more: a rapidly changing business environment requires flexibility | organizational change starts and ends with people | busyness isn’t the same as productivity | staff orientation: a little investment goes a long way | managing information overload | 6 types of non-listeners
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part of the illusion of being busy is that you can master many things at the same time. it certainly would keep you busy (or occupied) but you won’t nurture new skills and discover what your real aptitude is to help yourself and/or your firm.
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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
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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
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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
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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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