Leadership
Bridging the Gap-The Conclusion
On behalf of the members of the CPA Consultants’ Alliance, I hope you have enjoyed and benefited from our 2015 blog series focused on the central theme of Bridging the Gap-Strengthening the Connection Between Current and Emerging Leaders. The membership of the CPA Consultants’ Alliance is comprised of many of the top thought leaders in…
Read MoreBridging the Gap: Staying Independent vs. Selling or Merging
Most of the firms we work with on succession planning start off with a strong preference to remain independent, and not sell or merge in order to address the need to payoff and replace retiring owners. The common reasons we are given for this inclination are- Control-Most owners of small to mid-sized CPA firms like…
Read MoreA Call For Change: An Open Letter To Each Generation
With three distinct generations in the workplace today, the impacts are phenomenal. Firm leaders are challenged to balance and blend each generation’s unique historical context, motivators and somewhat differing values systems to create a unified team and a sustainable firm. To ensure that the generations co-exist and collaborate, it is helpful to understand the…
Read MoreMarketing is Not Just for Partners Anymore
Marketing in the accounting industry has an interesting, and fairly short, history. It is not unusual to find partners who still remember when it was against AICPA rules to advertise, market, directly solicit or even participate in competitive bidding. Virtually non-existent for most of the 20th century, accounting marketing has evolved at a rather slow…
Read MoreThey Don’t Want to Be Owners!
In our ongoing series about bridging the gap between management and emerging leaders, we would be remiss in not addressing the topic of moving from emerging leader to owner. The perception among many in our profession is that there are fewer individuals at the senior and manager levels who aspire to be an owner and,…
Read MoreGrowing and Developing Future Leaders is a Two-Way Street
Firms are at a crossroad when it comes to transitioning to the next generation of leaders. According to the CPACA study on Succession Readiness 48.3% of firms of all sizes cite “lack of future leadership talent” as a primary obstacle in their succession. While some partners believe there is a lack of leadership talent within…
Read MoreWhat’s the Why?
As firms wrestle with Baby Boomer succession, the differences in attitudes, thinking and motivators between current and future leaders can sometimes be great. More often than not those differences or gaps are major contributors to the absence of future leaders who are on deck and ready to step into the shoes of the retiring partners.…
Read MoreA Winning Culture is an Intentional Culture
“People will typically be more enthusiastic where they feel a sense of belonging and see themselves as part of a community than they will in a workplace in which each person is left to his own devices” ― Alfie Kohn, Author Your firm’s culture is the essence of its being and the way it feels to work…
Read More6 Tips for Fostering Leadership in Your Organization
Leadership is one of the top issues facing accounting firms today. We often hear firms say they can’t find or don’t have good leaders in their organization. As most of us know, leaders don’t usually fall off trees. In any organization, fostering leadership takes time and intention. As a current leader, you have to be…
Read MoreA Simple Way to Dissolve the Gap
There is a fundamentally false assumption that’s responsible for the gap between current and emerging firm leaders. This gap limits what we can accomplish, makes things harder than necessary, and undermines the very quality of our lives. What is this false assumption? That the reality we experience is “the reality” when in fact it, is…
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