Rita Keller, an award-winning and widely respected voice to CPA firm management, is uniquely positioned to help CPAs and their teams face rapid and significant change.
“Growth is painful. Change is painful. But, nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you do not belong.” – N. R. Narayana Murthy
Check out this flashback post from December 25, 2016. Apply it to this coming year.
“I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
I am thankful for so many things and so many people in my life. Today, I want you to know that I am thankful to all of you who read this blog daily. I hope it is helpful, in some way, as you manage your way through the minefield of CPA firm management. Happy Thanksgiving!
Most of you have seen this many times. However, I feel a strong desire to share it with you almost every Thanksgiving. At the time, I watched this episode live and now, thanks to the internet, I can watch the clip every Thanksgiving.
Have a joyful day with family and friends and always make time for laughter.
“There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people; Religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.” – Lucy Van Pelt
Here’s a post from October 31, 2015. The thought still applies. People spend a lot of money on Halloween. Maybe it wouldn’t be too scary if you raised your billing rates! Boo!
“You control your own life. Your own will is extremely powerful.” – J. K. Rowling
I am assuming you are familiar with Harry Potter. I read all the books and watched all the movies. J. K. Rowling created a fascinating world. Let’s take a somewhat light-hearted look at how Dementors might apply inside your firm.
When you read the following meaning of Dementors, I wonder what it brings to mind.
Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. … If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself – soulless and evil.
I know I am weird, but it brings to my mind, some managers in CPA firms who seem to “suck the life out of people.” Thankfully, it doesn’t apply to all managers.
Some Managers are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the accounting firms that are stuck in the past and glory in the status quo. They drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. If they can, the Manager will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like themselves – uncaring and demanding.
J. K. Rowling has revealed that the inspiration for Dementors came from her bout with severe depression before her phenomenal success. She described the feeling as an “absence of being able to envisage that you will ever be cheerful again. The absence of hope.”
I have said all of that to remind you that, as firm owners, you must invest in the non-technical training and education of your managers. Managers need to be people developers. In some firms, they are simply highly-trained technicians charged with getting the most work out of subordinates. They don’t know how to build strong relationships and engage with the people they supervise.
I’ve been working in public accounting for decades. I have heard many stories about inadequate managers. And yes, they have been described as “sucking the life out of people.” I have also heard the same about some partners.
“Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handly available, they will create their own problems.” – Scott Adams
In today’s above quotation, you could easily replace engineeers with accountants. Scott Adams is the creator of Dilbert.
If you work in a professional service firm office, you can almost always relate to the Dilbert comic strip every day.
Reading a comic strip might be a good way to lighten-up on this Monday workday. It appeared in yesterday’s Sunday newspaper and I just had to share it with you in case you missed it.
It begins with Dilbert saying, “I invented a technology that will manipulate people’s brains for our profit.” Read more here and see if you agree.
Have a good week!
“There is freedom waiting for you, on the breezes of the sky, and you ask, ‘What if I fall?’ Oh but my darling, what if you fly?” – Erin Hanson
It is Monday and you need to smile.
I was looking for some hand-outs I have on the topic of partner sabbaticals. It was a popular topic a few years ago but I haven’t heard much discussion about it lately. Maybe because partners (and others) have had a lot of time away from the office because of COVID (although they were still working).
I honestly don’t know who gave me this but here’s a sample sabbatical policy for CPA firm partners that will make you smile:
Sabbatical Program for CPA Firm Partners:
We take a vote to decide which partners we’d prefer not seeing around the office.
The remaining partners pool their funds and try to collect enough to send them as far away as possible for the longest period of time. The idea is that most of us will be retired by the time they return.
We find that the system works pretty well, the staff is happy and the office environment much more relaxed.
We’ve set up a system whereby partners can contribute to the fund through their cafeteria plan so they can send others away with pre-tax dollars.
“When you’ve seen beyond yourself, then you may find, peace of mind is waiting there.” – George Harrison
TAXMAN – The Beatles
Let me tell you how it will be
There’s one for you, nineteen for me
‘Cause I’m the taxman, yeah, I’m the taxman
Should five percent appear too small
Be thankful I don’t take it all
‘Cause I’m the taxman, yeah I’m the taxman
If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat.
If you get too cold I’ll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I’ll tax your feet.
Don’t ask me what I want it for
If you don’t want to pay some more
‘Cause I’m the taxman, yeah, I’m the taxman
Now my advice for those who die
Declare the pennies on your eyes
‘Cause I’m the taxman, yeah, I’m the taxman
And you’re working for no one but me.
Songwriter: George Harrison Taxman lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC Want to hear it? Click here.
“Here cometh April again, and as far as I can see the world hath more fools in it than ever.” – Charles Lamb
I thought of playing an April Fool’s joke on you but then had second thoughts….. things like:
I could go on and on and you can probably come up with some good ones yourself. Instead, I thought I would share with you the #1 April Fool’s Day Hoax of all-time:
April 1, 1957: The respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in. Many called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this, the BBC diplomatically replied, “place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.” Even the director-general of the BBC later admitted that after seeing the show he checked in an encyclopedia to find out if that was how spaghetti actually grew (but the encyclopedia had no information on the topic). The broadcast remains, by far, the most popular and widely acclaimed April Fool’s Day hoax ever, making it an easy pick for number one.
Here’s a link to the Top 100 Hoaxes:
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/
“May you have all the happiness and luck that life can hold—and at the end of your rainbows ay you find a pot of gold.” – Old Irish Blessing
I like this post for St. Patrick’s Day. I have used it a couple of times before. It still applies – So eat some green bagels or cupcakes and have a green beer this evening and think about NOT being green. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Can CPAs relate to Kermit and his tale about: It’s not easy being green?
As Kermit says, “Wouldn’t it be nicer being red, or yellow or gold? Green seems like you blend in with so many other ordinary things and people tend to pass you over ’cause you’re not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water.
Perhaps, because you are a CPA you might feel ordinary or under-appreciated. Well…. YOU ARE NOT!
As Kermit continues, “But green’s the color of Spring and green can be cool and friendly-like and green can be big like an ocean, or important like a mountain, or tall like a tree. When green is all there is to be it could make you wonder why, but why wonder why wonder, I am green and it’ll do fine, it’s beautiful and I think it’s what I want to be.”
“The blues ain’t nothing but a good man feelin’ bad.” – Leon Redbone
My husband, Darrell, enjoys the blues and we often listen to Bluesville on satellite radio when we are driving. The names of the artists display when the music is playing and it amazes me how so many have colorful nicknames.
We grew up in a small town so nicknames are nothing unusual for us. I often wondered how my parents’ acquaintances got their nicknames but I never thought to ask. I remember… Fat Parks (it was evident how he got his name), Doc Owens (he was definitely not a doctor), Coon Dog Oakley, Toad Steele, and others that were easy to identify like Red Reid (he had red hair), Whitey for Jim White and Elmo for Larry Wenning because he resembled the Dagwood comic strip character Elmo.
The wonderful blues legend, B. B. King (Riley B. King), is a good example. Early in his career he was a radio personality and became known as the Beale Street Blues boy, later shortened to Blues Boy, and you guessed it, even shorter to B. B.
I guess, to be a really great blues artist you need a cool nickname. Well, here’s your chance. Use your three initials to find your perfect blues name from the chart below. Mine is Skinny Bones Smith- Ha! If I was selecting my own I would choose Washboard Mama Blue – how cool.
Share this with your team and have some fun today.
