leadership

being radical is all about your customer

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think in a new way, starting now.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

once you begin brainstorming about your new processes, you need to think about it from as many different viewpoints as possible, with an emphasis on design thinking. the easiest way to define design thinking is to look at it from your customer’s perspective instead of yours.

more on radicalism: being radical starts with being the change | why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

it’s not all about you. i know, i know. but hear me out. it’s hard to look at your firm from a customer’s perspective. that’s why we gravitate to a firm-centric point of view. this point of view asks questions like:

  • what do we sell customers?
  • how can we reach customers?
  • what do we need to establish with our customers?
  • and how can we make money from our customers?

we’re think­ing about ourselves internally. nobody wants to hang out with someone who only thinks of themselves, yet that is the way we run our firms.

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why women are overlooked (and how to fix it)

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five young business people at work in an office setting.3 reasons why men don’t pick women protégées.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

let’s assume a powerful man works with two junior colleagues, a man and a woman, who are both equally talented, motivated and superbly skilled performers. according to what we know from research and experience, that powerful man is more likely to sponsor the man than the woman.

more on sponsoring women for leadership: 3 ways men are favored in the workplace | women need promotions, not just advice | mentor or sponsor? how to distinguish roles | 4 ways women leaders improve firms | cpa firms must ‘man up’ and get women on board

why is that? what factors go into a sponsor’s calculation about where to place his most active support and for whom to expend his political capital? and why don’t more women come across as “leadership material,” even when their talents and abilities should make them great candidates? i have some answers.

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3 ways men are favored in the workplace

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businesswoman looking directly aheadleaders sometimes don’t see women in the same light.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

let’s assume a powerful man works with two junior colleagues, a man and a woman, who are both equally talented, motivated and superbly skilled performers. according to what we know from research and experience, that powerful man is more likely to sponsor the man than the woman.

more on sponsoring women for leadership: is sponsorship right for your firm? | and now, a few words about sex (and 14 tips) | make flexible scheduling work for everyone | your protégée needs your feedback mentor or sponsor? how to distinguish roles | 4 ways women leaders improve firms | cpa firms must ‘man up’ and get women on board | 5 ways gender bias plays out at cpa firms

why is that? what factors go into a sponsor’s calculation about where to place his most active support and for whom to expend his political capital? and why don’t more women come across as “leadership material,” even when their talents and abilities should make them great candidates? i have some answers.

read more →

being radical starts with being the change

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here are the questions you need to ask.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

“say it with me now: i am a change agent.”

before you consider adopting the cloud or any of the “new firm” mindset, you have to ask yourself if you are willing to be the change.

more on radicalism: why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

once you decide, first things, first. own it! you have to commit. if you teeter it will be harder. jump in feet first and feel the shock of the cold water. i’m not saying it won’t work if you wade in, i’m just saying it’ll be more of a challenge.

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why start being radical now?

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your competition can come from anywhere now.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

i’ve been in the cloud for eight years so it’s old news to me.

the biggest thing to do is to look around and look at the competi­tion. you can probably leave your firm and start your own firm with less than $400 a month in software and without or very limited overhead. isn’t that terrifying for you old-timers!

more on radicalism: going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

that’s what the next generation of accountants has at their disposal. and they are doing it whether it’s good or bad, whether they have the experience or not. they are opening their own accounting firms. the times they are a-changin’. read more →