Bridging the Gap

Welcome to the 2015 blog series produced by the thought leaders that comprise the membership of the CPA Consultants’ Alliance (CPACA). This is the first of a series of 15 blogs that will be published by CPACA around the central theme of Bridging the Gap-Strengthening the Connection Between Current and Emerging Leaders.

At our annual meeting last February, our members shared their perspectives of trends in the CPA profession. There are many challenges facing CPA firms today. The core issue we identified countless CPA firms are struggling with is developing and passing the torch to the next generation of leaders. Our members believe many of the symptoms being addressed by firms and consultants to the profession today, such as succession and talent retention, can be traced back to leadership development. Consistent with our theme of strengthening the connection between current and emerging leaders, each blog will explore the topic from both views. I’d like to encourage all our readers to comment and add your perspective on each blog discussion that’s relevant to you. No doubt such deeper discussion will provide more value to everyone.

Some of the specific topics you can look forward to in future blogs are:

• Creating a great culture
• Stewardship/Generosity
• Growing and developing your leaders
• The unspoken conversations
• Staying independent versus selling your practice
• Plus many more

In 2016 CPACA will be producing an e-book which will be a compilation of all 15 blogs.

I also encourage you to visit our website at www.cpaconsultantsalliance.com for more resources produced by our members including the following whitepapers: CPA Firm Leadership: Communication Drives New Possibilities and Measuring Happiness at Work: How Firms Can Win With a Happy Culture.

Thank you for your interest in CPACA and we hope you find the information in these blogs useful.

The Membership of the CPA Consultants’ Alliance is comprised of:

Gary Adamson, Adamson Advisory

Mary Bennett, MLBennett Consulting

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk, BBR Marketing

Sarah Dobek, Inovautus Consulting

Angie Grissom, The Rainmaker Companies

Dustin Hostetler, Boomer Consulting

Rita Keller, Keller Advisors

Roman Kepczyk, Xcentric

Tamera Loerzel, Convergence Coaching

Terry Putney, Transition Advisors

Rick Solomon, Ran One

Carrie Steffen, The Whetstone Group

Sandra Wiley, Boomer Consulting

Jennifer Wilson, Convergence Coaching

About the Author: Terrence Putney, CPA (tputney@transitionadvisors.com) is the President of CPA Consultants’ Alliance and CEO of Transition Advisors, LLC, www.transitionadvisors.com, which exclusively consults on succession and growth strategies for accounting practices nationally and ownership transition. He can be reached at tputney@transitionadvisors.com or 866-279-8550.