Archive for the ‘On My Mind’ Category
Monday, January 2nd, 2012
A while back I was reading a Starbucks cup. Yes, I told you I read a lot, but even for me that’s pretty pathetic.
But wait, the simple message on a cup “spoke” to me. I adapted it for a CPA audience and wanted to share it with you as you enter yet another NEW year.
I invite YOU to LISTEN to your DESIRES and to renew your hope to SEE your firm not as it is, but as it could be. Go ahead. WISH. It’s what makes the NEW YEAR exciting and NEW.
While wishing is fun, it is only the first step. Take the time to wish and dream so you can visualize where you want to be. Then you must take action.
During 2011, most accounting firm leaders invested money into partner retreats and strategic planning meetings. Perhaps you have already identified the “wishes” and drafted a plan for 2012 to accomplish your strategic goals. Do not waste this investment, beginning tomorrow, take ACTION to make 2012 exciting and NEW (and rewarding).
-
While wishing and hoping makes you a dreamer, acting and doing makes you someone who can turn dreams into reality.
-
Nan Russell
Friday, December 23rd, 2011
In CPA firms, in accounting departments and in business in general, time is the focus.
In the vast majority (although we are seeing some progress towards value pricing – be sure to read Ron Baker’s new book Implementing Value Pricing), time is the focus of what everyone does and employees must account for every minute of every day. As I talk with CPAs around the country, I hear, “If I only had more time.” “I’m too busy to give attention to a lot of things at the firm.” “If I had more time I would….(fill in the blank).”
One of my favorite quotes comes from the late Jim Rohn, motivational speaker and personal development guru:
“Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.”
I not only want you to find a way to get some spare time, I want you to USE it to think and re-energize. Read this post, Free Time Ain’t Free Unless You Use It, on the Inc. site by John Baldoni.
Mr. Baldoni had to spend some time recuperating from foot surgery and could not “work.” Of course, I was extremely pleased that he used the time to read plus, he took some important management lessons from his reading.
During this extremely busy holiday season (at home and at work), please try to find some down time, just for yourself, to think and read even if it is only for TWO hours.
-
Time is money, especially when you are talking to a lawyer or buying a commercial.
-
Frank Dane
Thursday, December 15th, 2011
I’m sure you have already mailed your holiday cards for this year but it is never too early to be thinking about next year.
What can you do to make your CPA firm unique? Yes, I mean unique in MANY ways but how about holiday greetings?
Back in 2006, I shared an idea about using a graphic artist to design a card that uses your logo in a unique way. Follow this link to see the 2006 blog post and picture.
I’ve received some unique greetings this year from some firms (who are friends) that demonstrate some clever online holiday wishes.
One came from Dave Katri, CEO of Clark Nuber in Bellevue, WA and another from Gary Shamis of SS&G, headquartered in northeast Ohio.
Don’t hesitate to show your creative side with something beautiful, inspirational, funny or even weird.
-
You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.
-
Robin Williams
Thursday, November 24th, 2011
Happy Turkey Day!
Special message today:
I count you…. readers of this blog, hardworking owners of CPA firms, dedicated CPA firm team members and all the wonderful people I have met who are connected to the CPA profession who have become my dear friends…. as my blessings.
Many blessing to all of you and Happy Thanksgiving.
-
Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.
-
Erma Bombeck
Monday, November 7th, 2011
It’s November.
At your CPA firm, I bet you accomplished a multitude of great things in 2011 to help business owners (your clients) be more successful.
What did you accomplish for the future growth and profitability of your own business – your firm? It’s been another year of significant change for the CPA profession and as I talk with practitioners around the country, I find that many are not early adopters, they are slow adapters.
Get out of the office (no, not a vacation!), take a walk or go a coffee shop by yourself and do some thinking. Please don’t give-up and say to yourself, “well, 2011 is almost gone, we don’t have time to make changes before busy season.” As the year draws to a close, it’s time to play beat the clock.
Here’s some of my favorite quotes for you to think about over a cup of coffee or during your walk.
If you don’t change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.” – General Eric Shinseki
Do one thing every day that scares you. – Eleanor Roosevelt
Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. – Helen Keller
Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead
We have a strategic plan, it’s called doing things. – Herb Kelleher
To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all. – Oscar Wilde
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. – Charles Darwin
Picture: I took this picture of aspen trees last fall in southern Utah.
-
I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
-
The Shawshank Redemption (Tim Robbins)
Monday, October 24th, 2011
This Monday morning, as he does every Monday morning, Alan Weiss shared a one paragraph post he calls Alan’s Monday Morning Memo. If you sign-up, it comes to your mailbox every Monday morning.
It especially interested me this morning because it mentioned David Maister. Here’s Alan’s post:
This week’s focus point: Business growth superstar David Maister was my guest at my annual Thought Leadership Workshop in Palm Beach last week. Among his gems: “How much you really want something will determine how hard you work to achieve it. Most of us know what to do, we just don’t do it.” That’s why passion is so important in our personal and working lives. Don’t try to make money and become passionate about it. Find your passions, engage and help others, and you’ll earn a wonderful living.
If you know me or have heard me speak, you know I use many Maister’s quotes, advice and thoughts. If you play a role in managing a CPA firm, please give every new hire a copy of Maister’s book, True Professionalism.
The following is from Maister in the opening of True Professionalism:
There are relatively few new ideas in business, if any at all. “Listen to your clients, provide outstanding service, train your people, look for and eliminate inefficiencies and act like team players.”
Professional firms expend immense efforts trying to get their people to do the “right” things through systems, structures and monetary incentives. Not only have all of these frequently failed to create excellence, but they also leave a bad tast in the mouth. “Do it and we’ll pay you” smacks more of prostitution than of professionalism.
When things are presented as a management tactic, it is easy to argue with and dismiss. It is harder to argue with a matter of principle. Principles (or values) are the most effecive management tools a firm can use. Successful firms are clearly differentiated by a strict adherence to values, i.e., to professionalism.
Here are some of my prior posts mentioning Maister:
November 4, 2010 – More on Strategic Planning for CPA Firms
October 19, 2010 – Top Quality Work Is A Given
February 8, 2010 – Are You Getting Paid?
Check out the Maister quote below. Is this how it sometimes feels to you as you work in the public accounting profession?
-
I did tolerable work for tolerable people because they paid me.
-
David Maister
Tuesday, September 13th, 2011
Today I’m not talking about your well-thought-out succession plan – - for the firm, for all the owners and all that jazz. Today I am talking about your immediate succession plan in case you need to replace your managing partner.
I was contemplating this because of a line in Steve Jobs’ letter of resignation. Did you read it? If not, here it is:
To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:
I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.
I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.
As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.
I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.
I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.
Steve
I want you to focus on the 3rd paragraph….”I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan…”
Do you have enough of a succession plan that would clearly and quickly name the next CEO of your firm if your MP (you) became unable to serve?
Stats and studies tell us that most CPA firms do not have a formal succession plan. Sure, I want you to work on that one. But more importantly, I urge you to have a short, concise CEO succession plan in case of emergency.
If you are the MP/CEO, much of the detail of what you do everyday is a mystery to your partners. Perhaps you are in very preliminary discussions with a merger candidate. Perhaps you are deeply involved in helping a client sell their business. Perhaps you are one of those partners I hear managers talk about all the time…. “Joe keeps so much in his head and never documents his client conversations. I sometimes call the client and feel like an idiot because Joe has already covered the topic with them.”
It’s easy these days to keep notes. If you are the MP/CEO simply create a digital folder and quickly make notes everyday regarding the status of current projects and activities. Or, use the “notes” section of various software tools.
You could call the folder the ICIGHBAB folder (in case I get hit by a bus).
Okay, I’ll get real – you probably won’t keep notes daily on what you are doing. However, please do go through a process with your partners to designate who will immediately step-in as MP/CEO if you do get hit by a bus or something similar.
-
Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.
-
Steve Jobs
Friday, September 2nd, 2011
I bet, inside your CPA firm, you do NOT have any whiners.
Whenever I say that statement during my presentations, I ALWAYS get giggles, smirks and people glancing at each other. That tells me you certainly DO have them and remember, I lived inside a growing CPA firm for 30 years, I’ve known some personally.
I was reading an Alan Weiss newsletter this morning and one of his bullet-points (well more than one) hit home with me relating to life inside a CPA firm.
Here it is: “You have two choices with annoying actions and behaviors of others: Deal with it or forget about it. But fretting is not an option.”
How do you “deal with it” inside a CPA firm? One of my great clients took a major step toward creating a really cool culture inside their firm this week.
Day One: The owners met and via lots of open, honest discussion agreed they really were on the same page. A memorable statement I heard that day was “Let’s build something!” Sure, they have been building something for many years but they renewed their passion and agreed on a vision they could take to their team.
Day Two: The owners brought their entire team together for a full-day of discussion, debate and many avenues of open, honest feedback that resulted in a few important initiatives they feel they can accomplish to contribute to the building of a “cool” culture, during the next 18 to 24 months.
As a firm leader, don’t whine and don’t tolerate whining – DO THINGS. The CEO of JPMorgan keeps a huge “No Whiners” sign on the wall in his office. Why can’t you?
-
We have a strategic plan. It's called doing things.
-
Herb Kelleher
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011
Zappos, CEO Tony Hsieh did a keynote at the HR Florida 2011 Conference & Expo this week. I read about it on HR Capitalist. I agree with the author. There is a problem.
Once you hear a keynoter, like Tony, you want to be like Zappos. However, are you willing to do what it takes, it’s to reset your culture?
Are you willing to put up the most active employees you have on Twitter on a rolling widget on your firm’s website without controlling the messages? No? Then you’ve got some work to do before you can be like Zappos.
Hsieh doesn’t advocate being just like Zappos, he thinks you should build it in the way you want. That’s what I advocate for CPA firms, however, do you know what you want? Do you know how to build YOUR culture?
To me, a huge part of it is….. do you TRUST your people? Do they TRUST you? If you won’t show-off your team members, in various ways, perhaps you feel like some of them are not ready for prime time? What are you going to do about that?
Here’s the question from the HR professionals hearing a motivational keynote like the one at the HR Florida Conference: Culture is the wheelhouse of what HR is supposed to own. But no one really knows how to get started. How do you reset a culture that’s driven by your founder being around for the last 20 years and doing it the way he (and his wife) wanted?
Of course, I translate this into the CPA world: Culture is the heart and soul of a CPA firm and it is often the HR Manager, Firm Administrator or Managing Partner who should own it. But no one really knows how to get started. How do you reset a culture that’s driven by a group of partners who have been around for 20 years doing it the way they have always done it and not open to change?
Even if you do not manage and define your culture, you have one. Culture grows on its own and doesn’t always turn out like the owners think it should unless they are actively involved.
Be sure to check my blog post tomorrow to learn about Zappos Core Values.
-
Businesses often forget about the culture, and ultimately, they suffer for it because you can't deliver good service from unhappy employees.
-
Tony Hsieh
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011
Slow adapters.
I talk to a lot of CPA firm consultants, leaders of various associations, vendors focused on the profession and team members inside firms. During these conversations, I hear this phrase, “CPAs are slow adapters.”
That’s why a recent blog post by Seth Godin keeps replaying in my head. Here it is:
Adopt vs. adapt: An early adopter seeks out new ideas and makes them work.
An adapter, on the other hand, puts up with what he has to, begrudgingly.
One is offense, the other is defense. One requires the spark of curiosity, the other is associated with fear, or at least hassle.
Hint: It’s not so easy to sell to the adapt community.
In the world of public accounting, it’s time for firms to play offense.
Places to hide and keep doing what you have always done are disappearing.
Adopters are beginning to become leaders inside firms.
Some of the most successful, fun and profitable firms are early adopters. I believe that was the secret to success in my long career inside a growing firm. We weren’t afraid to make mistakes and learn from them. We were tuned-in to the most current trends and we adopted them early on.
How about you? If those partners in your firm who are begrudgingly trailing along, slowing your firm down and holding your people back – send them a link to this blog post. Or, send them out the door.
-
Change before you have to.
-
Jack Welch
