staffing & recruiting

keeping the right people on the bus

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illustration of different types of people connectednot everyone will work out, and that’s ok.

by jody grunden

there’s a common misnomer when it comes to retention and keeping people on the team. retention doesn’t mean keeping every single person on your team forever.

more: 10 interview questions for unlocking true potential | the hidden cost of running a distributed company | how to develop your leadership team | 4 ways to bill clients | automation and the future of accounting | the only three metrics you need to measure staffers
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

not only do you want to get the right people on the bus, but you also want to get those people into the right seats. we want summit cpa to be a great place to work, and we want great people to be working here. however, we realize it may not be the right place for every person.
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retention starts with the hiring interview

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two women shaking hands across a tableask about real-life situations and look for fit, not personality.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals: practical guidance for today’s accounting firms

what are your strengths and weaknesses? all potential hires are asked this. if you had to plan for these two questions, what would you do to be ready to respond?

more: how motivation is like bathing | the lost art of the interview | the 5 keys to success in accounting careers | the holy grail: finding the right talent | the power of ‘real influence’ | stop wasting time in useless meetings | is your firm’s culture a magnet? | outsourcing the c-suite | getting the accounting firm agreement right | today’s workplace challenge: communicating across generations, cultures, and diversity | negotiate for success, not a ‘win’ | does busyness really mean productivity?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

there have been scores of books offering guidance on interview preparation; what to avoid; how to turn a negative to a positive; and skillfully and persuasively transform what you perceive to be a weakness into a strength.
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10 interview questions for unlocking true potential

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how to think outside the (geographical) box and hire remotely.

by jody grunden

before our firm became a distributed company with a remote workforce, our hiring was naturally limited to a small geographical location – fort wayne, indiana.

more: the hidden cost of running a distributed company | how to run effective leadership team meetings | disc helps remote team work together effectively | 3 ways to keep client files safe from security threats | the rise of the virtual cfo
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

when we really started to grow, we knew we needed to bring in more senior-level accountants to be able to handle the clients we were bringing in at such a rapid pace.

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the hidden costs of running a virtual cpa firm

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happy business professionals giving high five hand slapcombine a retreat with cpe.

by jody grunden

with a brick-and-mortar company, there are a number of standard costs that you would expect to have, such as rent or mortgage, utilities, building repairs, furniture, technology, etc. the total amount of these kinds of costs typically falls in the range of 3-4 percent of the company’s annualized revenue. that amount can be pretty significant for a lot of companies.

more: how to run effective leadership team meetings | toss the org chart for an accountability chart | how core values affect remote work culture | how ‘tech stacks’ can help you standardize | ready to be a virtual cfo?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

some business owners may think they can save the company all of that money by going remote, but i personally believe that’s a terrible idea. while it’s true that a distributed company doesn’t have the costs that come with having a physical space, the very nature of a remote work environment results in a completely different and unique set of needs that should be considered in the company’s annual budget.
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how motivation is like bathing

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two businesswomen sitting at table and talking in office courtyardit’s just one key to employee retention.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals: practical guidance for today’s accounting firms

salary used to be the main driver behind a young professional’s choice of employer. no longer. in fact, salary is now ranked as fourth or fifth among the important criteria.

more: the lost art of the interview | the new way to handle exit interviews | who’ll quit next? | strengthen your firm’s screening practices | smart trust in the workplace | what aspiring accountants need to know | improve job satisfaction or it’ll cost your firm | we hear but do we really listen?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the gen y cohort is looking at meaningful and challenging work, increased responsibility, rapid upward mobility, the freedom to innovate, an opinion to be respected, a system for frequent performance feedback and a work environment that encourages the use of technology – specifically social media.
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build trust through transparency

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make sure your people understand what they’re seeing.

by jody grunden

joel gascoigne, founder and ceo of buffer, a saas product that helps users schedule social media posts, has become very well known for building a transparent organization.

more: how to run effective leadership team meetings | toss the org chart for an accountability chart | how core values affect remote work culture | how ‘tech stacks’ can help you standardize
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

a few examples of the types of information that buffer shares publicly include salaries and equity shares of all team members, company saas metrics and things they’re learning in their journey – good and bad.

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the lost art of the interview

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two men sitting across from each other shaking hands5 things you’re trying to find out.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals: practical guidance for today’s accounting firms

“you’ve gotta understand – when you interview someone, it’s not an interrogation. it’s not the nuremberg trials.” – joan rivers

the process of interviewing candidates can be done more effectively if less reliance is placed on the resume. much has been written on this, from psychologists to organization behavioral scientists and everyone in between. the prevailing view is there needs to be the “knowing of the unknown.”

more: the new way to handle exit interviews | be a talent magnet | make crap a badge of honor | the job interview: a make or break proposition | 10 elements to balancing shareholders’ needs
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

filling a position, after all, is a two-way street of mystery: the candidate will have no idea of what the actual work environment will be like, and the organization will not know if the candidate matches up with his or her resume. if you are responsible for selecting candidates or at least screening them in the early phases, use your time wisely and ask relevant and insightful questions. it will be a mutually beneficial exercise.
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how to run effective leadership team meetings

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four people on each side of a videoconference3 ways to make it happen.

by jody grunden

doing the disc assessment with our team, we learned that some people love meetings and some people despise them. the “d” (dominance) personality on the disc scale tends to be direct, very results-oriented and less collaborative in meetings. the “i” (influence) personality enjoys meetings because they provide an opportunity for social engagement and collaboration.

more: toss the org chart for an accountability chart | how to develop your leadership team | disc helps remote team work together effectively | how core values affect remote work culture | 4 ways to bill clients | 3 ways to keep client files safe from security threats | how ‘tech stacks’ can help you standardize
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the “s” (steadiness) personality may not feel comfortable speaking up in meetings unless they are called upon. the “c” (conscientiousness) personality may need to rally more energy within themselves for meetings because they tend to value working independently over collaboration. knowing the personalities of your leadership team members will help you run more effective meetings.
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the new way to handle exit interviews

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woman and man shaking handskeep the door open and don’t burn bridges.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals: practical guidance for today’s accounting firms

a more mobile workforce should make accounting firms think seriously about how effectively they handle staff departures.

more: be a talent magnet | the 5 keys to success in accounting careers | the holy grail: finding the right talent | the power of ‘real influence’ | stop wasting time in useless meetings
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

in fact, the whole process of recruitment and retention needs careful evaluation so the same mistakes are not repeatedly made. otherwise, firms engage in the act of insanity, the definition of such usually attributed to albert einstein is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

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toss the org chart for an accountability chart

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blank organizational chartare the right people in the right seats?

by jody grunden

“getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats – these are all crucial steps in the early stages of buildup…” – jim collins, “good to great”

more: how to develop your leadership team | disc helps remote team work together effectively | how core values affect remote work culture | 4 ways to bill clients | 3 ways to keep client files safe from security threats | how ‘tech stacks’ can help you standardize | automation and the future of accounting | the rise of the virtual cfo | ready to be a virtual cfo? | the only three metrics you need to measure staffers
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

when adam and i first started the company, we didn’t have much organizational structure. we didn’t need it. but as the company grew, it became necessary to develop an organizational structure. there’s a great quote by michael e. gerber in his book “the e-myth revisited” that says, “without the organization chart, confusion, discord and conflict become the order of the day.”
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be a talent magnet

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five young business people at work in an office setting.retention will naturally follow.

“things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” – abraham lincoln

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals: practical guidance for today’s accounting firms

younger professionals are looking for cpa firms that will enable them to move up the career ladder faster than what had been the traditional time frame. depending on the existing firm structure and size, there may not be any partnership opportunities until such time there is retirement, resignation or death.

more: got great people? work to keep them | the 5 keys to success in accounting careers | the holy grail: finding the right talent | the power of ‘real influence’ | stop wasting time in useless meetings | is your firm’s culture a magnet?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

at the same time, the roles and responsibilities of a partner have evolved; clutching tightly to a book of business or pulling needed staff from others when engagements are not concluded has reduced the sense of collaboration and entrepreneurship. this has made the attainment (and the pursuit) of partner less appealing.
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got great people? work to keep them

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sword hanging over businessman running with briefcaseah, the damocles sword of staff retention.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals: practical guidance for today’s accounting firms

there is an old adage: “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.” this covers everything from people to technology and things in between. some people might make the argument they know or knew what they had, they just always thought they would have it – whatever “it” is.

more: the 5 keys to success in accounting careers | who’ll quit next? | strengthen your firm’s screening practices | smart trust in the workplace | what aspiring accountants need to know
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

this situation reveals itself in the work environment. you have done all you could (or so you think) to attract and recruit a high-performing team; created programs to keep your team members enthusiastic and jazzed about coming to work; and spent vast sums on training and education.
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disc helps remote team work together effectively

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overhead view of five people in a meetingbetter understanding = better communication.

by jody grunden

working in a remote environment can be great, and it can also have its challenges. communication is one of the biggest hurdles distributed companies have to overcome. to tackle this issue head on, summit cpa has implemented many initiatives.

more: how core values affect remote work culture | 4 ways to bill clients | 3 ways to keep client files safe from security threats | how ‘tech stacks’ can help you standardize | automation and the future of accounting | the rise of the virtual cfo | ready to be a virtual cfo? | the only three metrics you need to measure staffers
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

one of our favorites is the disc profiles. let me start off by telling you a little bit of the background on the disc profiles.
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