Archive for the ‘Firm Administrator’ Category
Friday, May 18th, 2012
All of you who know me – either personally, through my speaking or by simply following this blog, know that I am successful because of the wonderful friends and mentors I have had during my many years in the CPA profession.
I believe you take on the characteristics of the people you hang-out with. That’s why it is so important to surround yourself with positive people. You learn from people who set a good example. You change, when you have to, because people have high expectations of you.
Yesterday was a very special day for me. Bill Leach, of Katz Sapper Miller, and I did a joint presentation on Succession for the Indiana Chapter of the Association For Accounting Administration in Indianapolis. We have often co-presented at the National Conference of AAA but this one was special because I first met Bill Leach at the Indiana Chapter of AAA – many, many years ago.
Yesterday was more than special because it was Bill’s last meeting with the chapter – he retires on June 30 this year. To celebrate the occasion many long-time friends, some retired, some working at other places who were members of the Indiana chapter years ago, joined us for lunch to surprise Bill and join in the celebration.
Anita Goets, Colleen Endres, Virginia Lowery, Bill Leach, Nancy Kriner, Diana Sarkine – - is that you with Rita?
Mr. Leach and I will have our swan song presentation in June at the AAA National Conference. I hope you will be there.
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A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.
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Elbert Hubbard
Monday, April 30th, 2012
Do you have your CPE for 2012 planned yet?
One of the comments I often hear goes something like this….“I can’t attend that conference this year. I’m going to the (fill-in a name) conference and that’s all that is in the budget for me.”
Okay, that might be true. Have you ever considered changing your mind and going to something different than the usual technical (tax and audit) track or to the MAP conference you always attend?
CPA owners sometimes wonder why their managers and staff don’t show any interest in firm management or marketing. Perhaps it is because partners do not mandate that these “younger” CPAs attend CPE that has a management focus. It is important that managers and staff always get to hear an “update on the CPA profession” every year.
Managers and staff – - I’m talking to you in this paragraph. Have you ever considered spending you own money (and time) to attend a career- and mind-broadening conference or workshop? After all, it’s your career and ultimately your responsibility to move your career toward greater success. Or, you can remain average (mediocre) for your entire career.
The same thing applies to CPA firm administrators, marketing directors, human resource directors, and IT managers. I also hear you say, “the firm won’t pay for me to attend.” Why not set aside some of your own money and invest in your own future?
Think about it and unleash your entrepreneurial spirit!
Here’s some opportunities:
The Texas Chapter of AAA and the Dallas Area Administrators May meeting in Dallas – May 4, 2012. I’ll be speaking on The Key Role of the Firm Administrator in Succession and A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything.
The Tennessee Society of CPAs Women’s Career Summit - May 8, 2012 in Brentwood. Attend my session titled, A Woman’s National Changes Everything.
If you are in New England, here’s two sessions I am doing for the Massachusetts Society of CPAs. Climb the Ladder of Success – Engage Your Staff and Make Your Firm More Successful: The Importance of Professional Management and Administration – May 23 & 24 – for more information click here.
AICPA PractitionersTECH+ - June 11-13 in Las Vegas. I’ll be speaking on How A Firm Administrator Can Make Your Firm More Successful.
Association for Accounting Administration National Practice Management Conference - Las Vegas, June 19-22 at Green Valley Ranch.
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In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.
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Albert Schweitzer
Friday, April 27th, 2012
Free partners from the administrative jungle.
I have two questions today for those of you who are CPA firm owners. Do you have a professional firm administrator handling the day-to-day operations of your firm?
As you ponder that question, hopefully you will contemplate these two items:
- If you answered no, why not?
- If you answered yes, is that person a highly-trained and motivated administrative (or operations) manager who you have empowered with significant responsibility? Shorter version: are you pleased with their performance?
If you would like more information about hiring a firm administrator, promoting someone from within or helping your current administrator become more successful, here are some options:
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Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.
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John Maxwell
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
The Association for Accounting Administration is offering two specialized sessions for professionals involved in the management of accounting firms.
The two separate two-day educational and networking sessions will be held at the Marriott Detroit Metro Airport on May 8-9, 2012.
The annual Technology Fly-In has become a staple for AAA members involved in planning, implementation and management of the firms technology systems. Follow the link to learn more and to register.
The 2012 AAA Financial Management Fly-In is designed for bookkeepers, controllers, chief financial officers, financial, administrators and office managers who are responsible for the day-to-day financial operation of an accounting firm. Follow the link to learn more and to register.
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If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent them from growing.
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Coco Chanel
Friday, March 23rd, 2012
I hear from people – various positions – in the public accounting profession:
- Our partners are too busy, they are never available for questions.
- We have a retreat every year but we should just video it and play it again next year since we always talk about the same issues year after year.
- The managing partner is more focused on clients than he/she is on firm initiatives.
- The managing partner is our best rainmaker – we don’t want him/her focused on the day-to-day issues.
- We are trying to identify our next managing partner but no one seems to want the job.
- Our partners and managers never seem to have time to truly mentor us.
- There is definitely a communication problem inside our firm.
What’s the answer to a lot of these questions and the following: How do you enable your partners to be focused on client service, client relationship-building and business development? How do you enhance the communication inside your firm? How do you create a mentoring program that really inspires young people? How do you investigate your processes and procedures and make them more efficient? How do you make sure you are following all of the most current trends in human resources? How do you create a cool culture, a fun culture and move your firm into the digital world?
Hire a qualified, professional firm administrator. Make it their responsibility to keep important initiatives, key to the inside health of your firm, off of the back burner and on the front burner!
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You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
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A. A. Milne
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
Today’s topic is one I write about often. I also speak about it often . “Helping CPA Firm Managers Really Manage” is also one of my most requested presentations for accountants.
In public accounting, when I talk about “managers” it doesn’t mean just the people with the manager title. It means owners, managers, seniors and internal managers such as firm administrators, HR directors, marketing directors, etc. It means everyone in the firm responsible for inspiring, motivating and engaging people in the firm to put forward their best efforts.
Much of my inspiration over the years has come from David Maister’s writings and speeches on managing the professional service firm.
The following is from Maister:
What a Good Manager Does
The only management worthy of the name is one-on-one. Everything else is window dressing. You don’t excite people by giving speeches or posting mission statements on the wall. Again, Practice What You Preach provided some statistically-validated answers. To achieve superior financial returns, managers must:
- Act as if not trying is the only sin.
- Act as if they want everyone to succeed.
- Actively help people with their personal development.
- Always do what they say they are going to do.
- Believe in, and keep the faith with, what they are doing.
- Do what is right, over the long term, for clients and for their people.
- Facilitate, not dictate.
- Give credit where credit is due.
- Manage people in the way that works for each individual, not just in they way they want to manage. Good managers don’t have to be chameleons, just adaptable.
- Deliver bad news in a nonthreatening, nonupsetting way.
- Remember what people tell them.
- Understand what drives individual people.
- Respect confidences.
- Show enthusiasm and drive.
- Take work seriously—not themselves seriously.
- Walk the halls and know all the people.
- Let people know them as human beings, not just as managers.
A common reply I hear to lists like this is: “But they didn’t teach us this in professional school!” No, they didn’t, and—perhaps surprisingly—they don’t teach it in business school either. But that’s no excuse, for any of us, for not working at developing these skills.
I urge you, as a leader in your firm, to be observing your managers/partners right now when everyone is working very hard to serve the firm’s clients. Make notes on what you observe about their performance and about their management skills. Then, after mid-April, decide what you are going to do with the information you have collected. How will you give feedback to your partners? How will you give feedback to your managers? How will you give feedback to your peers?
Are you going to let another teaching opportunity pass by, stay silent and keep hoping people will get better on their own or will you personally commit to the actions above and become a better manager?
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Change before you have to.
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Jack Welch
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011
Jennifer Wilson, Tamera Loerzel and the team at Convergence are launching a new program designed to prepare up-and-comers to lead and manage their firms. It’s called the Transformational Leadership Program and the first session begins in January, 2012.
One of my continual and strong recommendations to CPA firm leaders is to invest in the success of their people. This is one area where you cannot be miserly.
I’m not talking about the required technical tax and audit CPE that CPAs must have, I’m talking about an investment in the success of the firm, as a whole, because the people who are expected to manage, lead, motivate, inspire and set the example know exactly how to do it.
I’m talking about your Managing Partner – Does he/she have have a coach or mentor? Does he/she attend leadership and advanced management training. Read my post about “leading professional service firms” from 2010 and investigate the program offered at Harvard.
I’m talking about your Firm Administrator and your Human Resources professional – Does he/she have a coach or mentor? Does he/she attend MAP conferences (more than one per year)? Has he/she had the opportunity to develop a network of other firm administrators to use for advice and ideas. The Association for Accounting Administration is a MUST professional organization for professionals managing CPA firms. The AICPA also offers a Human Capital Forum annually, where HR professionals can build a network of advisors.
Your marketing professional should be a member of AAM and attend the national conference. Your technology professional inside the firm should be active in the Boomer Technology Circles.
And…. your future leaders should be building their own network of “professionals managing accounting firms” via leadership training specifically directed at the public accounting profession. State societies, the AICPA and proven, experienced advisors to the profession are offering such programs.
Take action! – Investigate them now.
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There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you are committed to something, you accept no excuses; only results.
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Ken Blanchard
Monday, December 5th, 2011
I like to believe I am a communicator and a connector for people working the the public accounting profession.
I realize that my clients, CPA firms and the people who lead them, are very busy taking care of their own clients and their own firms – so I try to take care of them.
One way I take care of clients and readers is, of course, via this blog and my monthly newsletter. Both are intended to trigger CPA firm leaders into action! Of course, clients get more personal contact and involvement from me – you should consider becoming one.
As for today’s topic – what other CPA firms are doing. I like to feature innovative, proactive firms on this blog and today is a great example.
I have known David King of Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith for many years and have admired his efforts in designing a workplace that is unique in public accounting.
Here’s an example – watch the career video on their website and listen to how two of their own team members describe the firm.
I’ve been nagging you for two years now on the importance of your website and this year it has become even more imperative that your site is cool.
Just FYI, here’s another example from my March 7, 2011 blog.
Are you the cool firm in your market?
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What fun is it being cool if you can't wear a sombrero?
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Calvin & Hobbes
Monday, November 28th, 2011
As you know, I do a lot of writing. I have typed since 7th grade. I taught myself with instructions via an LP instructional record album (if you are old, you remember those) and my Dad’s brand new electric typewriter. When I was older and took typing in high school, I got straight As, of course.
I am aware that in blogging and in the cloud world you are suppose to use one space following the end of a sentence. I was not aware that it now applies to all business writing.
So, if you are typing an email to a client, remember to use only one space after the period.
Here is a blog that your administrative team (and all those who type – which is EVERYONE) might find helpful. It is Lynn Gaertner-Johnson’s Business Writing Blog.
The most common writing error of 2011 per Lynn, as noted on her November 15th blog:
Although today is only November 15, I can already tell you the most common error in people’s business writing this year. It is the use of this word:
memo’s
When people sign up for my writing courses, I ask them, among other things, what kinds of business messages they write. Their responses reveal the error:
I write email, reports, memo’s, and presentations.
I write memo’s requesting funds for capital purchases.
The plural of memo is memos–not memo’s. We should all write memos.
The word memo’s can be a correct possessive form. Examples:
I could not understand the memo’s intent.
The memo’s format was unconventional.
Follow the link above to learn more about business writing. With so many accountants doing their own typing now, this is an important topic. Enlist your admin team to assist and advise the accountants. Punctuation and grammar are both issues.
I think an in-house CPE session on business writing taught by a high school teacher (during the summer) is a great idea.
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Spel chekers, hoo neeeds em?
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Alan Bean
Tuesday, October 4th, 2011
Inside CPA firms, people with authority often avoid difficult conversations. You can call them crucial conversations, critical confrontations or even honest performance feedback. If there is something unflattering to say, people often choose to simply avoid it or ask someone else to do it.
An example might be that the firm has a very clearly defined dress appropriate policy, however, Julie constantly ignores it and everyone notices. Bill, a manager, stops the firm administrator in the hall and says, “Did you see what Julie has on today? Could you please talk to her about it?”
I usually find this happens to firm administrators in CPA firms and sometimes to managing partners. It happens to some managers but not all, because there are select people in a firm who seem to have a natural ability to actually talk about the tough issues with people.
What do you do when a “messenger” discusses a performance problem they are having with someone or uses you to complain about another person in the firm?
Delivering unflattering feedback and becoming a problem-addresser rather than a problem-bearer is a skill that can be learned.
Check-out this helpful blog post, How To Respond When Someone Brings You A Problem, on a site called Leadership Coaching, Inc.
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Boredom, after all, is a form of criticism.
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Wendell Phillips
