Future-Proof

Lack of self-confidence is a key reason why many of us don’t get what we want —  that promotion, that raise, that speaking gig. Our guests this week are trying to change all of that. They are Kate Boorer and Fiona Pearman, two leading Australian business experts who have joined forces to write a book aimed at helping people “own their talents, face their fears, and create their futures.” That’s the sub-head of their extraordinary book Core Confidence. We discuss why that happens, and what we can do with these building blocks to re-tap into that core confidence and walk away with a positive mindset.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• Core Confidence: Own Your Talent, Face Your Fear, Create Your Future
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateboorer
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/fionapearman
• "Yes, Impostor Syndrome Is Real. Here's How to Deal With It"
• "Imposter syndrome: women’s silent career killer"

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

This week we’re talking about the Paycheck Protection Program. A provision of the CARES Act — the massive coronavirus relief bill that was signed into law on March 27 — the PPP is a loan that’s designed to be an incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll.

We know some of our listeners may be applying for it, and if you are, you probably have a few questions.

So we sat down for a conversation with two people who can help put this all into proper context. Erik Asgeirsson is the president and CEO of CPA.com, the technology arm of the American Institute of CPAs, and he is going to give us some perspective on the massive and almost unprecedented legislative undertaking to get this bill passed, as well as recommendations for the types of documents that lenders are looking for under various circumstances during the loan application process. And Tom Hood, the president and CEO of the Maryland Institute of CPAs and the Business Learning Institute, is going to talk a bit about the role that CPAs can play in this process, and give us some guidance of his own for people in the profession as the rest of this crisis plays out.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• SBA Paycheck Protection Program resources for CPAs
• MACPA.org/COVID-19
• AICPA recommends lender documents and key calculations to use in PPP applications

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

The world has been slowly transitioning towards remote work, but we are suddenly in an era where many of us have been forced to adopt remote work practices in a very short time. Some of us weren’t ready for this, and we could all use a little guidance in making the leap. Here to help us through that is Greg Rittler, the founder of Blue Ocean Ideas. We learn what it takes to lead a fully-remote team like this under very difficult circumstances, and he has some great insights into how to lead a remote team in an era of crisis — lessons that many of us need in this profession.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• Blueoceanideas.com
• MACPA.org/COVID-19
• 1. Welcome to the World of Exponential Change: Becoming an Anticipatory Organization | with Daniel Burrus

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

Amidst all the chaos of the coronavirus, we are all trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy in our day-to-day lives. One way people are trying to maintain as much of the status quo as possible is through remote work. Our guest this week, Tina Garza, has some great guidance for businesses and employees alike when it comes to working remotely and returning to business as usual.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• Accountingprose.com
• linkedin.com/in/cristina-tina-garza-small-business-superhero-b5622124/
• The Coronavirus Outbreak Has Become the World’s Largest Work-From-Home Experiment
• COVID-19 Has My Teams Working Remotely: A Guide for Leaders

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

The coronavirus has caught everyone’s attention, and not in a good way. Most of what you read out there largely falls somewhere between paranoia and panic and — given the reliability of the “news” we see in our social feeds — that’s not good for anybody. Jennifer Elder of the Business Learning Institute has compiled a list of questions that business leaders can use to help their organizations prepare for the potential impact of the coronavirus. And now is the best time to do it because things are likely to get worse before they get better.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• Coronavirus: How prepared are you?
• Experts Simulated a Coronavirus Pandemic Last Year and It Killed 65 Million
• www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/Event201
• www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/event201/recommendations
• www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/event201/videos

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

When you’re talking about life in an exponential age, there are few skills that are as important as anticipation — the ability to spot future trends early, before they become truly disruptive, and take advantage of the opportunities they offer.

One person who truly understands the importance of anticipation is our guest today, Rita McGrath. Rita is a longtime professor at Columbia Business School and a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review. She’s considered one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth, and her latest book, Seeing Around Corners: How To Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen, offers an interesting perspective on the concept of anticipation. She joins us to talk about how her thoughts fit into what the MACPA is doing with Daniel Burrus and share insight into how we can all become better anticipators.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• Learn more: www.ritamcgrath.com
• Read: Seeing Around Corners: How To Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ritamcgrath
• "Don't Assume Anything. Prove It."
• "Three Things You Must Do to Conquer Complexity"
• "If Your Team Isn't Doing These 6 Things, You're Doomed"

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

Bots are the name of the game this week. They are all the rage, and they’re setting their sights on the accounting and finance world. No one knows that more than our guest this week. Jody Padar built her “Radical CPA” brand as chief executive officer of New Vision CPA Group near Chicago. But then, in January she was named vice president of strategy for Botkeeper. We ask Jody about the potential of bots to transform this profession. As a future-focused accounting and finance professional, this is a conversation you need to pay attention to.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• Learn more: www.botkeeper.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jody-padar-18a9711/
• Start mastering these Future-Ready skills now by visiting MACPA.org/future-learning-framework

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

When we had a whole show highlighting blockchain last year, the hype around it was sky-high. It was supposed to transform our profession and, in fact, many professions. It seemed like there was no problem that couldn’t potentially be solved through the use of blockchain technology. Now, things have cooled off a bit, but people in our profession are still very interested in how blockchain might transform what we do.

Keith Nichols, General Manager for small to mid-size firms with Thomson Reuters, is one of them. Keith was previously Thomson Reuters’ managing director for government, which meant he had significant say in the global strategy and business operations of the government practice with the Tax and Accounting business at Thomson Reuters. That meant he was recognizing blockchain’s potential to disrupt things like governmental tax transactions, land registries, and things like that. 

He’s been watching this technology for a while now, and he has some pretty interesting insights into the real potential of blockchain and how it might impact this profession and our society once the disillusionment wears out.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nicholskeith/
• Read: Gartner Hype Cycle
• Read: "Get ready for a massive “block” party"
• Start mastering these Future-Ready skills now by visiting MACPA.org/future-learning-framework

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

We spend a lot of time talking about exponential technologies and the disruptive impact they’re having on our world — but today’s guest turns the tables on the mindset and focuses, instead, on the importance of exponential thinking. 

Jeffrey Rogers is the Principal Facilitator at Singularity University, which is a global learning and innovation community that uses exponential technologies to tackle the world’s biggest challenges.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-rogers-ab368658/
• Read: “How Will You Measure Your Life?”
• Watch: "Jeff Rogers: Exponential thinking and creative resolution | SingularityU Brazil Summit 2019"
• Start mastering these Future-Ready skills now by visiting MACPA.org/future-learning-framework

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

In this episode, we’re talking about innovation in CPA firms — and, no, this isn’t the punchline to a knock-knock joke. It’s happening, believe it or not, and on a pretty serious scale.

Joining us to about it is none other than Jonathan Kraftchick. Jonathan is the partner of assurance services in the Raleigh office of Cherry Bekaert, where he is known (informally) as the firm’s Innovation Partner and heads up the firm’s Innovation Team. 

Jonathan has some great insights into what innovation actually looks like in practice within the stereotypically non-innovative environment of a CPA firm, and understanding what innovation looks like is an important first step towards being innovative.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit blionline.org/blog.

Resources:

• Twitter: twitter.com/jkraftchick
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jkraftchick
• "Jonathan Kraftchick Named Triangle’s Funniest Accountant"
• Start mastering these Future-Ready skills now by visiting MACPA.org/future-learning-framework

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media