Change Your Mindset

Today I’m excited to be talking with Hayden Williams, a national leader in CPA education. Hayden is Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Education at the Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants (WSCPA).

Hayden started as a CPA almost 20 years ago. He was a staff accountant at a small firm in Arizona before moving to Director of Finance at the Arizona Society of CPAs. Following his dream to live in the North West, Hayden became CFO of WSCPA. After two years with WSCPA, Hayden transferred to Vice President of Education.

Hayden and the education department at the WSCPA provide about 1000 webcasts and webinars to their members. 300 are live programs, and the WSCPA actually webcasts about 100 of those live programs. There are also 15 conferences, 5 of which are webcast.

“In the last seven years, education has changed dramatically with the introduction of the Internet. The Internet was always here, but when the downturn in the economy came … there was an onslaught of education being provided via the Web.”

This includes self-study programs, webcasts and webinars, and that changed the landscape totally for CPE, where the state society or a county bar association had a geographic lock on education. That doesn’t exist anymore. Seven years ago WSCPA might have had 400 live programs and a few conferences, but they have actually cut back on live offerings to start producing webcasts.

If you aren’t familiar, there is a difference between a webcast and a webinar. A webcast is a video and audio presentation with a power point. A webinar is the audio with a power point. The difference is that you have a talking head on a webcast. Some entities will market their webinars as webcasts, but you should expect a live presenter in a webcast.

Before Hayden was VP of Education, WSCPA did their first live webcast. They had 300 people from all over the country attend the 990 course via webcast. “That always stuck in the back of my mind, so I thought we should be doing this on a regular basis.” Now, WSCPA has really embraced technology. They have partnerships with five or six states in which the WSCPA provides webcasts for those states, and the WSCPA purchases webcasts from other entities.

“We really embrace that technology and we’re not worried about saturating the market. We will have a class on 1040s, and three days later we’ll have a webcast of 1040. What we’re trying to do is penetrate the market as much as possible with all forms of CPE.”

Seven years ago, the WSCPA came up with the concept of the One-Stop Shop. They endeavor to provide all of the self-study, webcasts, webinars, and conferences and live seminars that a CPA will need, in one digital location. They haven’t grown their market share, but the WSCPA has maintained the market share they had before the economy went south, while many other associations are losing market share.

Online CPE has removed a lot of the barriers that existed even just 10 years ago, but Hayden has an idea of where continued professional education will go in the future. Hayden is working to make webcasts and webinars more interactive, and he believes that an important step is for the presenters to start creating an experience specifically for the web audience. Hayden imagines more cameras, a speaker that can talk to the audience using their names, and generally more engagement with the online audience. Hayden imagines an interactive application to accompany presentations, which offers a live workbook experience and direct interaction with the presenter.

“We have to start thinking about how we embrace that audience, how do we create that experience?”

I greatly appreciate Hayden taking the time to come talk to us. Continuing Professional Education is a big part of my life, and I love that people like Hayden are working to make it more accessible and more effective.

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Resources:

• Learn more about Hayden, CPE and the WSCPA
• Contact Hayden with the subject line “Improv is No Joke Podcast”

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Today’s guest is Tami Gaitten, an integrative nutritional health coach with over a decade of experience in the IT field. I didn’t know anything about integrative nutrition health services before this conversation, and I learn a lot.

Tami went to school for computer science. She did well in the IT field, and eventually moved from programmer to business analyst, which is essentially a liaison between the programmers and the end users. In the meantime, she was taking care of three children – fast food, struggling to get them all in bed, then working until 2 AM. “By the time that fourth baby came along, we were pretty broken.”

Tami decided to stay at home, something she though would be easy after handling major projects at work. “Boy did I have a lot to learn. They pushed all my buttons. I realized nothing was going to go as planned. But we were able to get healthy.”

Tami developed a passion for nutrition, and she went to The Institute for Integrative Nutrition to earn her certificate as a health coach. At about the same time, she was having her own health issues. “I’m eating well, applying all of these things that I know, and I’m falling apart.”

Tami went back to school again in 2013, this time to study Functional Nutrition, which looks at the person as a whole and how all of your system are intricately connected. It also looks at each person as being incredibly unique, so no two people with the same diagnosis or the same problems are going to be helped by the same protocol. Everybody has variations in their genetic makeup, what type of problems they may be working on, and the makeup of the bacteria in their gut can be different.

As a coach, Tami didn’t just learned physiology; she also learned how to listen. Whenever she begins coaching a new client, they begin by talking. “I listen to their lifestyle, I listen to their background. There’s a lot of stuff that comes out of their history when they talk.” Then they track their lifestyle in a food-mood-poop journal.

Then she starts to address lifestyle and diet changes. “It doesn’t have to be an overall, big diet change. It’s just starting to make little upgrades.” The little things add up like a snowball effect. “Once you start doing one little thing you do motivated, then you start to feel a little better, then you suddenly have a little bit more energy, then that motivation and energy coincide to push you forward.”

One thing that Tami teaches is that we should be eating with the seasons. “Nature is designed to provide us the foods that we need in the season that we’re in.” In spring, you eat leafy greens that are designed to help your liver, to help clear out the sludge from the winter. In the summer, you eat more greens and fruit to keep energy up. As you head into the fall, you’re eating more of the root vegetables. Those things are designed to ground you and get you ready for winter. In winter, we eat more beans and spices: things that are soothing and warming.

On average, Tami works with her clients for 3-month intervals. They meet every other week, but they also have access to her via email every day. “I’m their support person, I’m their advocate, I’m their friend. I’m in it with them, basically, we’re doing this together.”

Tami is a one-stop help desk for your health. I learned a ton from her today, and I hope you did too. I hope you reach out to her and learn how to start upgrading yourself.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• How an integrative nutritional health coach helps people make themselves healthier
• How Tami applies skills from the IT field to improving systems of the human body
• Why one of Tami’s greatest tools as a coach is listening
• How your health can be improved through small changes, as opposed to one major change

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about Tami: Website
• Contact Tami: [email protected] | Sign up for a free 15-minute chat

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I’m really excited to sit down and talk with Jack Park, Certified Speaking Professional, Corporate Advisor, Football Radio Commentator and Best Selling Author. He has some powerful thoughts about what makes a good leader, plus a bunch of fun stories about football history.

Jack formed the business Financial Insights more than 20 years, which does leadership training for corporations and associations across the country. For the past 38 years, he has been a radio commentator for Ohio State Football, with weekly and daily segments when the Buckeyes are in season.

About 10 years ago, Jack married his two passions, football and leadership training, and he created The Leadership Secrets of Football’s Master Coaches. It is a leadership program that explains how to develop leadership within an organization or association based upon what made the greatest football coaches of all time so successful. “With almost no exceptions, the great coaches were great coaches because they were even greater leaders than they were coaches.”

Jack wraps up his leadership course, The Leadership Secrets of Football’s Master Coaches, by highlighting five coaches:

1. Woody Hayes – What we can learn from Coach Hayes is that you will get to a place in life where you can look back and say, “Gee, I’ve been able to accomplish a fair amount, and I’d sure like to thank those people that helped me get where I am. While you can’t always thank the people that helped you, you can pay it forward.
2. Knute Rockne – “Rockne is the type of guy you want to learn a lot about to help create a new industry.” He helped create American Football, and he teaches us that, “Whatever stage we are within the business world, we can enhance that by looking into the future.”
3. Vince Lombardi – Organizations often try to do too many things. Lombardi’s basic philosophy was to focus on what they could do best, and to become the best at that thing at the exclusion of everything else. “He left a lot behind. He left his leadership model.”
4. Urban Meyer – “Urban is basically the organization man … A lot of coaches have plans, Urban has a system.” He has an excellent system, he’s an excellent recruiter, and he surrounds himself with tremendously talented people.
5. Bo Schembechler – “Bo really put a high priority on the people. Now other coaches do too, but I don’t think anybody ever did it any better than Bo.” There is a story from Michigan State alumni that, if any player ever came to his office unannounced, his secretary was to make sure they didn’t leave until Bo could speak to them. Bo recognized early on that the business he was in was not the football business, but the people business.

The one coach that Jack probably uses more than any other, and the coach that Jack ranks as the best of the five, is Vince Lombardi. “Maybe his biggest strength was his persistence.”

It took Lombardi 20 years to find a head coaching position, and at one point it was estimated he got turned down 22 times. “He had confidence in himself when other people apparently didn’t,” but he wasn’t arrogant. He continued to hone his craft. Lombardi was successful because he was a hard worker with a dedication to excellence.

Between 1959 and 1967, Lombardi led 5 NFL championship victories, in addition to the first two Super Bowls victories, as head coach of the Green Bay Packers.

Jack has written four books on Ohio State history, which won’t surprise anybody who has heard his amazing stories, and he has a fifth on the way, tentatively titled “Buckeye Reflections.” Jack is working with Maureen Zappala, a motivational speaker, amazing writer and huge football fan. “It’s going to be made up of short, anecdotal stories connected to the Ohio football program: unusual things that have happened, outstanding things that have happened, humorous things that have happened.”

I really enjoyed sitting down with Jack and talking to him today. He’s always a delight to be around, and he has collected a lot of wisdom that he is more than happy to share.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• How to take your passion and turn it into something that helps others
• Why the best football coaches are the best models for good leadership
• Leadership tips learned from five of the best coaches in football history
• A lot more about Ohio State football and the Buckeyes

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about Jack: Website
• Contact Jack: [email protected] | Phone: 614-481-0214

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• How to Identify, Explain, and Present Pertinent Financial Information to Non-Accountants

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My guest this week is Bret Johnson, Director of Channel Management and Development at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). For the past 20 years, he has worked to build partnerships and grow businesses, especially in the learning space.

Bret was hired by the AICPA to focus on partnerships and business development. His team looks for different routes to market, handles licensing, works with publishers and grows state society relationships. “Anything that we create in number learning and competency, my team helps to take up.”

The Director of Channel Management and Development did not exist at the AICPA until Bret was hired in February 2014. “Even though Channels is a practice that has been around a long time, in a lot of cases, it’s sort of a little incubator inside of a different organization. You could say I’m in constant startup mode.”

Bret’s biggest challenge at the AICPA is internal education. “There’s a certain amount of fear when it comes to working with partners. You have to trust; you have to take a bit of a leap of faith. And then there’s this understanding that doing business in a different way requires flexibility, it requires forgiveness.”

One of the difficulties of internal education is student perspective. Some view attending professional education as compliance, while others view it as an opportunity to learn. “They couldn’t be more different. Learning you’re exploring, compliance you’re following a set act.” If you’re having trouble getting through an internal education process, remember: the best place to network is in class, and one of the best forms of marketing is referral.

Bret has been using improvisational techniques to develop positive relationships for years, but Improv is no Joke helped him apply the “Yes, and” mindset to other aspects of his life. He has applied these techniques internally at his job, in addition to at home. Improv even helps Bret manage office politics. “There are agendas. It helps you to understand what others are trying to accomplish, because that’s a listening skill, and by using ‘Yes, and’ you’re not even really playing politics; you are digging in and collaborating. It kind of puts politics aside.”

Bret views building relationships and building partnerships as the creative process in practice. You can’t go in with a set expectation, or it’s not going to fit the dialog. Through collaboration and improvisation, we can develop stronger relationships and better business ideas.

I greatly appreciate Bret taking the time to come on the show. I had a lot of fun, and I love how Bret is applying the “Yes, and,” mindset to produce positive outcomes in his workplace and at home.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• The power of improv in developing partnerships and businesses
• Why Channels Management is like working in constant startup mode
• Difficulties in internal education processes
• How to develop positive relationships with partners

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about Bret Johnson: AICPA
• Contact Bret: LinkedIn | Twitter

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I’m excited to have my long-time friend and colleague, Jennifer Elder of SustainableCFO.com, joining me today. With her on the show, you’re guaranteed to walk away with many nuggets of wisdom.

At the Sustainable CFO, Jennifer works with smart business leaders who are interested in developing strategies to ensure their businesses are around for the long haul. Today’s CFO’s and CEO’s can get so overwhelmed with putting out day to day fires that they don’t think about what’s coming in the future.

Jennifer’s role as a coach to CEO’s and CFO’s is two-fold:

1. Supporter and confidence builder – With Jennifer in their corner, they don’t have to go it alone. She aids them as a confidant and sounding board for ideas that they can’t bring up to their teams in the workplace. It helps to know that Jennifer has “been there, done that” with anything that might be causing problems.
2. She offers a different perspective – she doesn’t see things the way the others in the organization do, she has an experienced outsider’s perspective. She can use this to point out blind spots that her clients are missing.

With so many millennials in the workplace nowadays, Jennifer has some great advice to help them move up from middle-management. “You’re not there just to do a job, you’re there to make your boss look good.” Millennials are in the perfect spot to ask their bosses, “What is it that you hate to do? If you could delegate something, what would that be?” Once you find this out, ask to take this task over then deliver on it the way your boss would like. This will elevate you in the organization’s eyes and make you an indispensable employee.

Middle managers can also look at their department or organization as a whole, figure out where their contributions and skills can make it stronger, then set about doing just that. Utilize your strengths over fixing your weaknesses.

Jennifer learned an important lesson from her father when she first entered the workforce, “The definition of a professional is someone who does their best work when they don’t want to.” We all need to realize that every day at work is an interview, and even when you don’t want to be there, you’re still being interviewed.

One thing she can hear from clients is that they don’t understand people. Well, this is a people business we’re in. We’ve got a big variety of people in the workplace now, from millennials to baby-boomers, and the most effective leaders are able to adjust, improvise and think on their feet to be able to make better connections with somebody. People are more likely to hear what you have to say if you approach it from their perspective. “If you want to be heard, you have to adapt your style to theirs.”

I had a really great talk and I can’t thank Jennifer enough for her time today. She exceeded all expectations and I’m sure we’ll have her back on the show again soon.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• How Jennifer supports her clients
• How having an outside perspective can illuminate opportunities never realized from those within
• How focusing on strengths over weaknesses can lead to success within an organization
• Why it’s important to understand the different generations working in today’s world
• Plus much more…

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about Jennifer Elder and Sustainable CFO: Website
• Contact Jennifer: [email protected] | Phone: 410-231-1881

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I’m excited to have an old school friend on the podcast today – we’ve known each other for nearly 50 years! Kevin Tipton is a professor of Sport, Health and Exercise Science at the University of Stirling in Scotland.

Prior to Kevin’s appointment in July 2010, he was a Senior Lecturer in Exercise Metabolism in the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at The University of Birmingham from 2005-10 and an Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston from 1997-2005. Kevin was involved in some of the seminal studies involving human muscle protein metabolism in response to exercise and nutrition.

Kevin came by to discuss:

1. How easy and effective it is to be active – Whether you’re an entrepreneur or working for a corporation, it is easy to get a quick, productive workout, and it is an effective way to increase productivity.
2. The “Yes, and” mindset and teaching – Kevin had an improvisational mindset when he started teaching, and this helped him develop techniques that make lectures more engaging and enjoyable.

Kevin is someone who has always liked sports, but he feels like he has to work harder than everybody else. This is the origin of his desire to study physiology and nutrition. “I was trying to find out for myself how I could train better and eat better to try to compete with people who were better athletes than I was.”

This is a mentality that should be adopted in the business world. The people in Corporate America often don’t eat well or take care of themselves. The entrepreneurial lifestyle, which often involves working from home or frequent travel, has its own challenges as well. If one approaches the challenge with a “Yes, and” attitude, it becomes an opportunity as opposed to something that’s bad.

You don’t need to have a huge length of time to do a good workout – at home or while traveling. You can do a quick High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) session.

Kevin was practicing a “Yes, and” mindset in education before he even realized it. He tells jokes and stories to his students. This helps get the attention back from students who have drifted away from the lesson, and then they enjoy the lecture more than if you taught straight through class. Bring in things to mix it up.

By consciously reinforcing improvisation in our daily lives, we can have a greater impact on the people we interact with.

Talking with Kevin was really fun. He really understands how practicing improvisation every day makes us more effective.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• How easy it is to be active
• The work benefits of staying active every day
• How improvisation aids education
• Why improvisation allows us to have a greater impact on the people we interact with

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about Kevin: Website
• Contact Kevin: @StirProfTip

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

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I’m very happy to introduce my friend John Barlow today. He is a brilliant thinker, an empathetic automotive engineer and a masterful practitioner of the “Yes, and,” mindset.

John is an accidental engineer. He started his career as a principle engineer at Honda 22 years ago, while pursuing a career as an acoustic engineer. He doesn’t exactly fit the stereotype of an engineer, and he brings an empathetic perspective to the engineering and design process. “I think you can train your brain to use both sides of the brain simultaneously, but if you try to do two tasks with one side at the same time, I don’t know it works so well.”

John shares the different aspects of his unique perspective on engineering:

• Have a wider viewpoint – Learn the different ways people want to use a vehicle (or any product), even if they can’t tell you how they want to use it
• Be empathetic to other people – Be empathetic to how people do things, use things and want to use things.

John has tactics for imparting empathic processes upon his fellow engineers: Build a logical storyboard and try to show a trend. Try to imagine the future by considering the past – some things that sound unrealistic might happen

John’s position involves imagining how people will use products and technology in the future. Part of this is attempting to establish the relationship between human and machines, because the more of a relationship you can build there, the more trust there is in the technology. “As technology is starting to provide services to people, you don’t want it to come across as a machine. You want it to be more personal than that.”

“Because people are so busy with their lives these days, I think part of that forces the, ‘Yes, but,’ culture.” John sees how the mindset can impact every part of your life and the people you are around. However, if you can take a step back and look at things from a different perspective, you will realize that it is more effective, and more empathetic, to use a “Yes, and,” approach.

I’m extremely grateful to John for taking the time to talk today. He is one of the most empathetic people I have ever talked to, and he really understands the benefit of a “Yes, and,” mindset. I can’t wait to have him back on the show again.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• Why it is important to approach problems with both sides of your brain
• How empathy is important to the engineering and design process
• How someone can learn to be more empathetic
• Why a “Yes, and” mindset can lead to a more positive impact on other people, at work and at home

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about John: LinkedIn

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• Humans are Underrated: What High Achievers Know That Brilliant Machines Never Will by Geoff Colvin
• The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies by Erik Brynjolfsson & Andrew McAfee

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Pam Devine has graced her presence as the guest on today’s show. She is from New England but now has her life in Baltimore. Her favorite quote is from Tom Hood that is, "L is greater than or equal to C."

She has been part of the Business Learning Institute, an affiliate of the Maryland Association of CPAs. This organization focuses on leadership, strategy and communication, the skills that make better business professionals. Learning is what give the organization a competitive advantage and has the saying "The learning curve is truly the earning curve." The organization gives the team within an opportunity to grow by attending various conferences. The organization is also redesigning their office environment in a way wherein it can promote a more collaborative open learning environment expose to different levels from CEO to junior members.

One of the important conferences in topic was the Bersin Conference, which talked about leadership. It talked about learning architecture and how learning has changed from more than just education. In order for an organization to have a truly competitive learning environment, the conference introduced the Four E’s:

• Education
• Exposure
• Environment
• Experience

It discussed also the way to think about a systematic approach to learning encompassing all of the Four E’s. Pam gave the CPA Day in Annapolis event as an example. Here, CPAs get to have a new environment outside the office to learn. CPAs can be exposed to meet various people and legislators and have the opportunity to understand what is going on in the legislative environment. Lastly, CPAs gain the experience at the end of event.

It mentioned also the importance of making the architectural learning environment work, which is composed of curious employee, network employee, holistic employee, agile employee and innovative employee.

Pam would like to share to the listeners of this podcast the quote "Train your people and they are 92% more likely to stay and be loyal." It is better to invest in one's future and gain loyalty.

LEARN FROM TWITTER

• Follow the stream hashtag #impactHR on Twitter
• Learn beyond the traditional education through tweets
• A good way to get an immediate feedback

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Maryland Association of CPAs: website
• Bersin Conference: website

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I’m happy to have Karen Young of HRResolutions.com on the show. She’s a purposeful HR person who believes in creating drama-free workplaces through purposeful communications and a “Yes, and…” approach.

Just as she discusses in her book, ‘Stop Knocking on my Door,’ Karen believes that drama occurs in the workplace when we fail to communicate fully with our people. If we have to say “no”, this is our opportunity to have a courageous conversation and explain our reasoning to them. There are a few key aspects to having courageous conversations:

• Practice with someone – become comfortable with what you have to say in your role as a leader
• Write your talking points down – this will keep your conversation on track and ensure you hit all your important points
• Don’t beat around the bush – the sooner you have the conversation the easier it will be

Karen’s a big proponent of the idea of “hire slow, fire fast.” She recommends taking your time in finding the right person for the job. To aid her company in hiring, she’s instituted a revolutionary new practice: the first step of the application process is for applicants to respond with their understanding of her company’s core values and what they mean to the applicant. This allows her to get the right people on the bus. As long as your bus is full of valuable people, you can fit them where they need to be in the organization and teach them the skills they need along the way.

With the whole hiring and firing process, Karen says that most employers don’t know that as soon as they hire their first employee, they’re now responsible for at least 12 different employee regulations. From unemployment exposure to age discrimination to disability issues, employers need to do some research before they make their hiring and firing decisions. Explore your options and don’t be accidental in your choices. Making well-informed decisions can save you lots of headaches down the road.

Regarding the idea of firing fast, “If you’ve made the decision to fire, you are not doing anyone any favors by dragging that out.” Don’t use excuses and don’t talk around it. Make your conversation short, sweet and honest and practice ahead to make it easier.

Karen recommends keeping in mind that even though you have to fire someone (or just not hire them in the first place), they can still be a valuable referral resource for you in the future. Handling the situation correctly with compassion and dignity is the smart thing to do as you never know what the future can bring and how a relationship can re-develop at some point.

I had a really great talk with Karen today and I truly appreciate her taking the time to share herself and her wealth of HR knowledge with us.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• How the “Yes, and…” approach is applicable to human resources work
• How you can protect yourself from legal exposure through correct hiring/firing practices
• How to judge the “fit” of a prospective employee within your company culture
• How interns can be a valuable piece of your company’s pie
• Plus much more…

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about Karen Young and HR Resolutions: Website | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn
• Karen’s Book ‘Stop Knocking on my Door: Drama Free HR To Help Grow Your Business’: Amazon

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Steve Sacks is a right-brain thinker in the left-brain world of accounting. I first met him when he attended one of my workshops in Las Vegas, and since then we’ve had many spirited discussions centered around leadership and communications. It’s great that we’re able to continue our conversation here for the audience.

Steve’s always been more enamored with what happened to generate the numbers in accounting rather than the numbers themselves. To him, a financial statement a few months after the fact doesn’t add any value, and because of this he got into consulting. Through consulting, he can offer real help to his clients in the form of advice or direct action steps that need to be taken.

He’s looking to differentiate himself from other consultants in the field. He wants to go from just offering advice and a report to helping the client implement and get to the next level. “Identifying problems is not enough.”

Steve believes that the accounting profession is really a relationship building profession. When you meet with a prospective client you want them to leave the meeting knowing that you care and want to be a partner in their success. You can only do this by listening and asking great questions. You’ve got two ears after all, so you should be listening twice as much as speaking. Ask a question, listen to the answer then deliver on what the client wants. That’s what builds great relationships.

In all accounting firms now and in the future, we’ll be relying on the next generation of associates to help build the business. It makes sense to bring the younger, newer staff into meetings to learn from the conversations of the more experienced partners. “You gotta bring up the next generation sooner rather than later.” They should pay attention to the questions asked and the way the clients react.

Steve also believes it’s of extreme importance to foster in the younger generation an intellectual investment in the firm. Our management styles need to change to be more collaborative in our efforts, actually working with our new associates to create a more interesting and imaginative workplace. The younger generation doesn’t take too well to the rigidity of the old ways.

This also has the effect of developing the company’s culture. We need to walk the walk and talk the talk, and being in-step with our nice and inviting marketing collateral. “Culture will be the determining factor whether you’ve created a home for that future star or not.” It used to be that job jumping made for a toxic employee, but now we’ve got to expect it and do everything we can to get them to stay.

Hiring practices need to be improved as well, and interviewing has become a lost art. It’s important to get the right people on board, as well as on-board them properly to the company. Steve recommends that every new associate be assigned to a mentor within the firm, and be given a career roadmap right from the start. Also, skip the yearly formal reviews as this should be an ongoing process throughout the year.

Steve gave us many of his insights into the future of leadership with accounting firms. There’s so much that he discussed that we all should be trying to implement. My thanks again to Steve for the time that he gave us today.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• Why the accounting trade really is a people business, not just a numbers game
• How firms are adapting to the next generation of employees in regards to a comfortable workplace
• Why Steve thinks the old standard partnership model of firms will change over the next 15-20 years
• What you should never discuss during a performance review
• Plus much more…

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Learn more about Steve: LinkedIn

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• “Talk Less, but Ask ‘Why’ More”: Article

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