Archive for the ‘Firm Administrator’ Category
Wednesday, January 15th, 2020
“Some heroes save the day. Other heroes keep the day from needing to be saved.” – from a Mark Sanborn tweet
When I read the above quote, I thought of CPA firm administrators. They are the unsung heroes inside so many successful and profitable accounting firms.
Top-notch firm administrators/practice managers keep the wheels turning, eliminate the hurdles and often “take a bullet” for the sake of the firm and the team.
The best part is, as noted in the above quotation, they keep the day from needing to be saved.
How much are you investing in your “Save the Day” person? Are you spending money to send them to the right conferences? Are you, as partners, standing firmly behind them as they take those daily bullets? Are you investing in their professional growth by providing a coach?
A successful firm administrator shields the partners from the daily grind.
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Stones in the road? I save every single one, and one day I'll build a castle.
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Fernando Pesssoa
Thursday, December 26th, 2019
“Being cool is when you win, you don’t get too happy; and when you lose, you don’t get too mad.” – Ice T
You are responsible for the management of a CPA firm.
It is a challenging role and can often be very stressful.
Don’t ever let them see you rattled. If you are nervous, everyone will be nervous. If you look tired, everyone will be tired. If you are angry, everyone will notice and feel the negative vibes.
That’s why I am suggesting three little words that will be your leadership mantra for 2020 and beyond.
Just remember A – B – C.
ALWAYS BE COOL!
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If you've gotta think about being cool, you ain't cool.
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Keith Richards
Friday, December 13th, 2019
“The holidays stress people out so much. I suggest you keep it simple and try to have as much fun as you can.” – Giada De Laurentiis
When holidays fall on a Friday, Monday or mid-week, we often wonder if firms are doing anything more than just the one-day holiday.
When it comes to the December/January holidays – Christmas and New Year’s Day – firms differ on what they offer.
I did a quick survey to see what firms were offering this year for Christmas since it falls on a Wednesday.
- 18.52% – Close only on December 25th
- 18.52% – Close 1/2 day on December 24th and all-day December 25th
- 55.56% – Close all day the 24th and 25th
- 7.41% – Are closing the entire Christmas week
Most firms are just closing one day for New Year’s Day and allowing people to leave a “little early” on New Year’s Eve.
No matter how much time you get off work, celebrate and have fun with family and friends!
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Sharing the holiday with other people, and feeling that you’re giving of yourself, gets you past all the commercialism.
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Caroline Kennedy
Wednesday, December 4th, 2019
“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.” – Andy Rooney
A very common topic this time of year among CPA firm administrators (and partners) is what kind of gift to give the employees for Christmas.
This difficult task usually lands in the COO/Firm Administrator’s or HR Director’s lap. And, it’s a dangerous minefield. Different generations appreciate different things and finding a “one size fits all” can be a daunting task.
Suzanne Lucas, @RealEvilHRLady, gives us a great list this year. She notes: Here are some ideas, gleaned from real, actual humans, and not marketers. You’ll notice some are contradictory. This isn’t bad editing on my part. It’s reality. Get to know your employees!
Here are a few of the suggestions – but, be sure to read the entire list. Money is always a good choice!
- My husband’s boss gives his managers steak. We have really appreciated that!
- If anything, something “consumable.” I don’t want or need any more do-dads. Food is good–a nice bottle of olive oil, a good bottle of balsamic vinegar, anything that can be used and enjoyed and then gone!!
- $100 gift cards to a nice restaurant have always been my favorite.
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Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won't make it 'white.'
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Bing Crosby
Thursday, November 14th, 2019
“Be grateful for what you have and stop complaining – it bores everybody else, does you no good, and doesn’t solve any problems.” – Zig Ziglar
You are in a firm meeting. It could be a partner meeting, a staff meeting, a committee meeting or an admin meeting. Someone complains (gripes.. bitches…) and another person joins in and soon there are several on the bandwagon.
Think about it. It probably happens all too frequently. In some cases, the person running the meeting (a manager, partner, firm administrator) actually joins in. They feel like they are sympathizing and showing support for the concerns.
If you are leading a meeting that suddenly turns into a gripe session, don’t join in. Tone it down! You might think you are building camaraderie but you are actually undermining your own credibility.
Take immediate steps to turn these bitch sessions into productive, problem-solving meetings. You might simply say, “Wait a minute, I hear the problem. Let’s talk about solutions.” Enlist the entire group into voicing possible solutions.
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Everyone has to make their own decisions. I still believe in that. You just have to be able to accept the consequences without complaining.
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Grace Jones
Monday, November 11th, 2019
“Influence means your behaviors matter. The people around you – to some degree – reflect you.” – Dan Rockwell, Leadership Freak
If you are a partner in the firm and it bothers you when people are not punctual yet, you often come into the office late, others think it is okay.
If you are the manager on a review engagement and because you are experienced, you cut a corner or two, others think it is okay.
If you are at the Senior level in a firm and you are not completely accurate and punctual recording your time on jobs, others think it is okay.
If you are the firm administrator and you occasionally take an extended lunch hour for no particular reason, others think it is okay.
No matter what your title, your peers and others observe what you do and are influenced by your actions. What you do and the behaviors you adopt make a difference – you are an influencer.
You can also strive to be a GOOD example. That also influences others.
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Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.
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Albert Schweitzer
Thursday, October 24th, 2019
“We need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.” – Desmond Tutu
The above quote made me think of CPAs. Of course, almost everything I read makes me think of CPAs!
It has been my observation that inside public accounting firms, a lot of people are constantly “putting out fires.” Firm administrators and some managing partners tell me that they can’t find time to address important firm initiatives because it seems like every day is a fire drill.
Have you ever stopped to contemplate what is causing the fires in the first place?
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My normal routine is pretty much putting out fires all day.
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Vera Wang
Thursday, October 17th, 2019
“There is nothing so exasperating as a confused chain of command.”
I read the above quote in a novel a long time ago. It came to mind recently when I was working with a client. In many CPA firms, there is a partner group and a manager group and it seems all other employees work for all of them.
You have a managing partner. Do his/her directives out-weigh the requests made by other partners? Where does the Firm Administrator or COO fit in the picture? The Firm Administrator is responsible for a smooth workflow and efficient processes and procedures. Is it widely assumed that any partner can by-pass those established procedures?
Many firms seem to lack focus when it comes to establishing a chain-of-command. Some partner groups govern as a committee. Most partner groups govern by consensus. If you have ever been part of a committee you know how slowly things move and how much time is wasted on endless discussions. If you have had the task of gaining complete consensus you also know how frustrating that can be.
Even if the formal management structure is not a committee, client service partners want to be involved in all of the “management” decisions, even things as small as the weight of the paper that is selected for firm letterhead. Yes, I still hear these stories!
As more senior partners retire and firms transition to new leadership (a new managing partner), I hope they will better define the chain of command and the organizational structure of the firm.
Consider a firm governance model that is shared throughout the firm.
Publish a firm Champion List. It is a guide that identifies the go-to person for expert advice on each software package used at the firm or for each segment and discipline inside the firm.
Lay-out a simple organizational chart that shows the chain-of-command and where each person “fits” in the firm. It helps newcomers and even more experienced team members understand where the firm administrator fits or how the partner group governs itself. An org chart can be helpful in large firms and small firms alike.
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Lead me, follow me, or get the hell out of my way.
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General George Patton
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
“All good performance starts with clear goals.” – Ken Blanchard
It has always amazed me how some CPA firm leaders go to great lengths to avoid firing a person.
Francine, a bookkeeper, has been with the firm 15 years but she has never really embraced the technology that is currently needed for her role.
Fred, a 3-year staff person, has struggled to understand and prepare tax returns.
Bobbi, the administrative assistant focused on the tax area, performs the final processing of tax returns before they leave the firm. Her work has to be continually reviewed “just in case.”
The partners are aware of the shortcomings but rather than be completely honest with the employee, they agree that they should create a different role where Francine, Fred or Bobbi might fit.
Rather than looking at a specific, important role in the firm and finding the appropriate person to fill it, partners struggle to establish a role that a poor performing employee might be able to fill. This way they won’t have to outplace someone.
Are you really doing them a favor?
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The highest levels of performance come to people who are centered, intuitive, creative, and reflective - people who know to see a problem as an opportunity.
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Deepak Chopra
Tuesday, September 17th, 2019
“If you put good apples into a bad situation, you’ll get bad apples.” – Philip Zimbardo
I am continually amazed at how many accounting firm leaders tolerate toxic employees.
Over the years, it is one of the issues that I discover inside many firms both large and small. It is the classic case where someone’s work product is fine but almost all of their peers dislike them and even fear them. In some cases, the offender ignores firm guidelines and openly belittles people.
They seem to serve the clients okay, but do you know for sure? Have talented people left your firm because you continually protect the “Attila the Hun” personality type?
Now is the time to deal with it before you get into another busy season.
I have blogged about this topic often hoping it will inspire leaders to deal with bad apples. Yet, the situations still seems to flourish. Here’s an informative article from HBR that might convince you to take action – How One Corrupt Employee Can a Whole Team.
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Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.
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Epicurus
