I am a person of privilege. I was raised by two Caucasian parents, my father with a Bachelor’s degree and my mom with a Master’s. They raised me in a financially and emotionally stable household and are still married today. I am a fourth-generation Episcopalian and my life has been enriched by that supportive community. [...]
As I began writing this blog, I was contemplating the feelings of loss, lack of control, uncertainty, fear of illness and a host of other often intense feelings we have been experiencing since this pandemic began. I appreciated a Harvard Business Review article that said what we’re experiencing is grief. It was refreshing to give [...]
The amount of change in our profession can be overwhelming at times but it definitely is the word of the hour. Everything feels like it's changing, and every one of us needs to change in a lot of different ways. Thus, we've named this first episode, The Change Imperative. Why is so much change happening? [...]
“Most workers, many of whom are millennials, approach a role and a company with a highly defined set of expectations. They want their work to have meaning and purpose. They want to use their talents and strengths to do what they do best every day. They want to learn and develop. They want their job to [...]
According to the latest IPA benchmarking survey, CPA firm profits are under pressure. Across the Top 100 firms in that survey, talent costs are increasing faster than billing rates, resulting in a squeeze that’s reducing the bottom line. There are many strategies you can employ to relieve the pressure, and in this blog, we’ll focus [...]
This week, we launched our ConvergenceCoaching® 2018 Anytime, Anywhere Work™ Survey, where we gather input from public accounting firms about their adoption of flexible work practices. We’re huge proponents of these programs because we have been operating in a 100% flexible and virtual environment for the last 18 years and have experienced first-hand the benefits [...]
I’m confronted by the major news story centered around a senior leader who engaged in unacceptable behaviors across two decades. It’s resulted in a cascade of additional victims sharing their own experiences with the same type of bad behavior - some directly related to the organization in question and others related to their own experiences [...]
CPA firms are simple and complex at the same time. Simple because they consist primarily of people – the clients and the professionals. Granted, firms also require workspace and technology to operate, grow and succeed, but people are the primary value drivers. CPA firms are also complex for the same reason they are simple: because [...]
"Leadership, like swimming, cannot be learned by reading about it." — Henry Mintzberg With the Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964) retiring at a clip of 10,000 per day, the skills transfer necessary to get the next generation ready to take over the reins is monumental. Most leaders have a limited amount of time available [...]
