Future-Proof

Time to dive into the “purpose” conversation. That’s the idea that we, as leaders, have an obligation, a responsibility, to help our employees find the purpose behind their jobs — the “why” behind their work.

My guest on the podcast this week is Dr. Alan Patterson. He’s a Business Learning Institute thought leader who has guided hundreds of clients in professional and leadership development, including the Broad Institute, Federal Reserve Bank, Hewlett Packard, Johnson and Johnson, Kite Pharma, Major League Baseball, and the United States Navy.

He is a frequent conference and workshop presenter and a best-selling author whose most recent book is out now. It’s called Burn Ladders, Build Bridges: Pursuing Work With Meaning And Purpose. We sat down recently and talked about how we can go about surrounding ourselves with people who will help us do work with meaning and purpose — and just as important, how we can become those types of people for others.

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Resources:

• Dr. Alan Patterson
• Burn Ladders, Build Bridges: Pursuing Work With Meaning And Purpose
• Ladder Burners

Whether you like the phrase or not, “The Great Resignation” is real. People are leaving work in droves. That’s presenting challenges for employers. How do we find the right people? How do we keep them? How do we understand what they want?

Gabrielle Bosche is a bestselling author, two-time TEDx speaker, and is frequently called upon to speak and consult on millennial motivation and engagements for Fortune 500 Companies, presidential campaigns, and government agencies. She’s also going to be the keynote speaker at the MACPA’s 2022 Business and Industry Conference.

She says understanding what employees want often comes down to a single word. Purpose. Does your organization stand for something significant beyond just making money? And do they understand how their jobs help bring people closer to realizing that purpose?

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

Resources:

• gabriellebosche.com
• Instagram: @gabriellebosche
• The Top 6 Things Employees Want in Their Next Job
• To Retain Employees, Support Their Passions Outside Work
• Why the Great Resignation is far from over

Future-Proof is produced and published by Crate Media.

In this episode, we look at recent tax changes through a regulatory and compliance lens with Sona Akmakjian. Sona is Avalara’s Senior Director of Global Accounting Strategic Partnerships. She’s also a CPA with 29 years of transactional tax services and automation experience. 

Sona talks about the impact the pandemic has had on business and taxes, including things like e-commerce, the supply chain, the workforce, and its overall impact on tax compliance. We also talk about Wayfair, where we stand now that the Supreme Court’s decision to grant states the authority to tax remote sales is almost four years old, digital transformation, and the use of technology moving forward as the landscape continues to change.

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

Resources:

• avalara.com
• Avalara tax changes 2022

Future-Proof is produced and published by Crate Media.

Mike Manspeaker is an Assurance Services Partner with Smith, Elliott, Kearns & Company in Maryland and has over 40 years of experience working with private companies and employee benefit plans. He is also very active in the peer review process, performing them as the CPA on Staff for Coastal Peer Review, an organization that administers reviews for North Carolina and Maryland firms. Mike is also a member of the AICPA Accounting and Review Services Committee. And, he serves on the Auditing Standards Board Attestation Standards Task Force as well as the Audits of Less Complex Entities Task Force. 

If it’s not clear already, when it comes to the regulation of our profession, Mike knows his stuff. There’s a lot going on in this area that accounting and finance professionals need to know about. Tune in.

Resources:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michael-manspeaker-cpa-077a8268

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

What you’re about to hear is an incredible true story about resilience, perseverance, and strength while creating and growing a business from scratch – all while dealing with some of the most devastating news a person could face. 

Kelly Mann is a CPA and the co-founder and CEO of AuditMiner, a tool that is used by CPAs to save time and increase quality in their 401(k) audits. There’s no better way to close out Women’s History Month than by hearing more about this amazing journey — taken by one of the most amazing women you’re likely to meet these days.

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

Resources:

• linkedin.com/in/kelly-mann-cpa
• caringbridge.org/visit/kellymann
• 10 causes of stress for small business owners, and how to cope

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

The pipeline into the CPA profession is always an important topic for the future of our industry. How do we make the profession more appealing to young people deciding where to place their future?

Jerry Maginnis recently released a new book titled "Advice for a Successful Career in the Accounting Profession: How to Make Your Assets Greatly Exceed Your Liabilities." He is a former managing partner at KPMG's Philadelphia office who is now an executive in residence who supports the Accounting Program at Rowan University in New Jersey, where he helps prepare students for their transition from academia into the workforce.

He talks about the types of advice he's offering young professionals these days, including the importance of working with your strengths, embracing change, and avoiding burnout. He also offers some thoughts for veterans in the profession — including how we can best welcome new folks into the profession and how we can keep them here once they arrive.

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

Resources:

• linktr.ee/jerrymaginnis
• Read: Advice for a Successful Career in the Accounting Profession: How to Make Your Assets Greatly Exceed Your Liabilities
• A bright future ahead for young CPAs - Journal of Accountancy news

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

Pascal Finette is co-founder and "chief heretic" with be radical, which researches, develops, and teaches tools and frameworks designed to transform their clients into practical futurists and successful disruptors.

He recently gave a talk as the keynote speaker at the Digital CPA Conference, where he spoke about the correlation between disruption and "state changes" – moving from one state to another, like solid to liquid to gas

He talks about what happens to our skills, our processes, and our existing strategies when we encounter state changes like this. We also explore how we have to change our mindsets and ask different, better questions to arrive at solutions for today's problems.

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

Resources:

• finette.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pfinette
• theheretic.org
• beradicalgroup.com
• su.org
• Read: Unsafe Thinking: How To Be Nimble and Bold When You Need It Most

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

It pays to be curious. The role that curiosity plays in wellness and well-being, emotional intelligence, and the benefits it offers to leaders are vastly underrated.

Todd Kashdan literally wrote the book on curiosity. He is a professor of psychology at George Mason University and he founded George Mason’s Well-Being Lab. Winner of the 2013 Distinguished Early Career Researcher Award by the American Psychological Association, his work has been featured in media outlets throughout the world. He’s the author of five books, including “Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life.”

We talk about his definition of curiosity, the connection between it and wellness, how curiosity can help us find a little more purpose and meaning in our lives, and how finance and accounting pros can foster a greater sense of curiosity in their work.

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

Resources:

• toddkashdan.com
• Read: Curious? By Todd Kashdan
• Learn more about Todd’s new book, The Art of Insubordination
• Read: A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger
• Read: Questions are the Answer by Hal Gregerson
• 8 Habits of Curious People

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

As we’re wrapping up Black History Month and recognizing the contributions of Black Americans, we are closing down the month with a bit of a look ahead. We’re still taking stock of achievements from our past, but this time we’re doing it with an eye toward the future as well.

Joining that conversation, today, is Dalton Tong. He’s a CPA and a CGMA with a career that’s steeped in health care and health management, in addition to accounting and finance. He's been a senior lecturer at the Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University since 2014. Before that, he worked as Vice President, Executive Vice President, and President and CEO of the Greater Southeast Healthcare System, and as Vice President of Finance at Harbor Hospital Center, formerly South Baltimore General Hospital.

Tong has a number of achievements to his name, but rather than talking about them, he wanted to discuss and highlight the impact those achievements may have on the future generation of CPAs. He calls it “showcasing possibility,” letting future generations know what’s possible so that they can step forward with confidence and hope.

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

Resources:

• Dalton Tong, MBA, CPA, CGMA, FACHE, FHFMA
• 'Limited pipeline' biggest challenge in advancing DE&I, survey finds | Accounting Today

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media

Cybersecurity is more important than ever before. This is not just something that business leaders have to worry about. Everyone, from the top to the bottom of your organization, is responsible for cybersecurity.

Clar Rosso is the CEO of (ISC)^2, or ISC squared, as it’s written. They bill themselves as the world’s leading cybersecurity professional organization. They have more than 160,000 certified members throughout the world, and they’re committed to helping their members learn, grow, and thrive so they can help keep all of us a little safer. Before joining (ISC)2, she worked in communications for the California Society of CPAs and as an executive with the American Institute of CPAs.

She helps us understand just how big the threats are; what businesses should be doing to protect themselves, their employees, and their clients; and what remote employees should be doing to protect their employers.

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

Resources:

• isc2.org
• cisa.gov
• ncsc.gov.uk

Future-Proof is a production of Crate Media