December is planning season in accounting and consulting firms, a time when we look ahead to “what’s next” in the new year. As you envision the future, we expect that the talent needs of your business will rank high on your priority list. Specifically, be sure to identify and communicate the top three things you’d [...]
If you want to ensure collaboration and buy-in during strategic planning meetings or when you have a big decision to make, it’s imperative that all stakeholders are able to weigh in and be heard. Facilitating these meetings and driving critical decisions can be challenging with diverse personalities, competing self-interests, internal politics, limited time and other [...]
"Everything that can be invented has been invented." This quote is often attributed to Charles H. Duell, the Commissioner of US patent office in 1899. We know this to be far from that truth and that new inventions are happening all the time and at a faster pace than ever. Just look at our cars, [...]
Firms around the country are struggling to recruit and retain experienced professionals to serve their clients. Partners are nearing retirement, and many don’t have clear successors in place to ensure their firms keep running. Given the need for talent, we should leave no stone unturned in our quest to identify our next generation of leaders. [...]
Our ConvergenceCoaching, LLC® 2018 Anytime, Anywhere Work™ (ATAWW) Survey results are due out October 22, and in them, I’m pretty sure we’ll hear at least a few participants say that flexible, remote work is not for everyone. Often people say that it requires a certain kind of worker, one who is self-motivated and driven. Or [...]
“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 [...]
I recently wrote a column for the Journal of Accountancy CPA Insider, talking to employees that are unhappy in their work. In this blog, I am talking to firm leaders about how to deal with partners who may be some of the cause of that unhappiness. I don’t know how many times I have had Managing [...]
When speaking with participants of our Transformational Leadership Program, or meeting with young leaders at firm retreats, one consistent complaint we hear is that people don’t get enough feedback on the work they’re doing and consequentially, on their individual development. We’re talking a lot these days about improving feedback mechanisms, how firms need to deliver [...]
