Comments on: What Kind of Leader Do You Think You Are? http://cpatrendlines.com/2010/07/29/what-kind-of-leader-are-you/ Actionable Intelligence for the Tax, Accounting and Finance Community from Bay Street Group LLC Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:42:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jeri Quinn http://cpatrendlines.com/2010/07/29/what-kind-of-leader-are-you/comment-page-1/#comment-548910 Jeri Quinn Wed, 04 Aug 2010 20:23:53 +0000 http://cpatrendlines.com/?p=6541#comment-548910 Many of our baby boomer CPA's manage and lead the same way that was modeled for them when they were coming up through the ranks. I've worked with CPA's who figured it was the staff's job to follow them and they didn't have to give much attention to proactively leading. They didn't have to praise or thank or give meaningful direction or care about the welfare of individual staff members. They didn't have to enlist the staff in the firm's vision or help them understand how their efforts mattered in the achievement of the vision. The firm's culture lacked motivation, initiative and accountability. The concept of emotional intelligence is often disregarded by people who perceive that they make their living by managing numbers. The key word, of course, is perceive. Emotional intelligence also is only a couple of decades old, well after the training period that many managing partners underwent as new partners, if they indeed had any training at all. Yet emotional intelligence, addressing people's needs as human emotive beings, is much of what separates transactional and transformational or servant leadership styles. There's also an ego component which makes servant leadership difficult for CPA's. Yet if we want to keep women in the profession and we want to attract Gen Y millennials (in the workforce since 2000)into the CPA profession, this transformational and servant leadership is necessary. Those firms who take the time to develop their peoples' 'soft skills' will have the sustaining advantage. Thanks for putting this information out there. Many of our baby boomer CPA’s manage and lead the same way that was modeled for them when they were coming up through the ranks. I’ve worked with CPA’s who figured it was the staff’s job to follow them and they didn’t have to give much attention to proactively leading. They didn’t have to praise or thank or give meaningful direction or care about the welfare of individual staff members. They didn’t have to enlist the staff in the firm’s vision or help them understand how their efforts mattered in the achievement of the vision. The firm’s culture lacked motivation, initiative and accountability. The concept of emotional intelligence is often disregarded by people who perceive that they make their living by managing numbers. The key word, of course, is perceive. Emotional intelligence also is only a couple of decades old, well after the training period that many managing partners underwent as new partners, if they indeed had any training at all. Yet emotional intelligence, addressing people’s needs as human emotive beings, is much of what separates transactional and transformational or servant leadership styles. There’s also an ego component which makes servant leadership difficult for CPA’s. Yet if we want to keep women in the profession and we want to attract Gen Y millennials (in the workforce since 2000)into the CPA profession, this transformational and servant leadership is necessary. Those firms who take the time to develop their peoples’ ‘soft skills’ will have the sustaining advantage. Thanks for putting this information out there.

]]> By: Nick Pawliwec http://cpatrendlines.com/2010/07/29/what-kind-of-leader-are-you/comment-page-1/#comment-548907 Nick Pawliwec Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:41:42 +0000 http://cpatrendlines.com/?p=6541#comment-548907 I think this was a pretty good read. Many folks aspire to certain standards of behavior but have not learned the mgmt skills to meet those expectations. I think this was a pretty good read. Many folks aspire to certain standards of behavior but have not learned the mgmt skills to meet those expectations.

]]> By: Millian Toms CPA http://cpatrendlines.com/2010/07/29/what-kind-of-leader-are-you/comment-page-1/#comment-548906 Millian Toms CPA Wed, 04 Aug 2010 17:50:12 +0000 http://cpatrendlines.com/?p=6541#comment-548906 I am not surprised that employee's see it as "transactional" leadership, mostly because the initial work they do is transactional. Until they have experience behind them and move themselves into more tranformational/servant responsibility on client work, I am not sure it would change. They have to show the skill's to be evaluated on them. I am not surprised that employee’s see it as “transactional” leadership, mostly because the initial work they do is transactional. Until they have experience behind them and move themselves into more tranformational/servant responsibility on client work, I am not sure it would change. They have to show the skill’s to be evaluated on them.

]]> By: Tom Hood http://cpatrendlines.com/2010/07/29/what-kind-of-leader-are-you/comment-page-1/#comment-548883 Tom Hood Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:06:05 +0000 http://cpatrendlines.com/?p=6541#comment-548883 Rick, the lack of leadership or 'bench strength' may be the biggest problem we face in our profession's history. It should be no surprise that CPAs would rank highest on the 'transactional' style, isn't that where we all come from? We get great at our technical skills and soon we are promoted to be in charge of people, a practice area, a team where our individual skill is not as important as leading others. Our work with the AICPA Leadership Academy and our New Young Professionals Network indicate that these young leaders are hungry for tools and training to help them become strong and effective leaders. However, they say that there is an unwillingness by many to invest in these 'soft skills'. Recent research shows that the return on Leadership and a Culture are the highest ROIs you can get per dollar invested (10 to 1 & 20 to 1 respectively). This data should serve as a wakeup call. Our old ways of OJT training and the school of hard knocks will not cut it in today's highly competitive and rapidly changing environment. It is time to bet serious about leadership development! Rick, the lack of leadership or ‘bench strength’ may be the biggest problem we face in our profession’s history. It should be no surprise that CPAs would rank highest on the ‘transactional’ style, isn’t that where we all come from?

We get great at our technical skills and soon we are promoted to be in charge of people, a practice area, a team where our individual skill is not as important as leading others.

Our work with the AICPA Leadership Academy and our New Young Professionals Network indicate that these young leaders are hungry for tools and training to help them become strong and effective leaders. However, they say that there is an unwillingness by many to invest in these ‘soft skills’. Recent research shows that the return on Leadership and a Culture are the highest ROIs you can get per dollar invested (10 to 1 & 20 to 1 respectively).

This data should serve as a wakeup call. Our old ways of OJT training and the school of hard knocks will not cut it in today’s highly competitive and rapidly changing environment. It is time to bet serious about leadership development!

]]> By: [...] Michelle Golden: As a fly on the wall, I'd agree: "What Kind of Leader Are You?" http://bit.ly/9follG [...] http://cpatrendlines.com/2010/07/29/what-kind-of-leader-are-you/comment-page-1/#comment-548845 [...] Michelle Golden: As a fly on the wall, I'd agree: "What Kind of Leader Are You?" http://bit.ly/9follG [...] Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:18:54 +0000 http://cpatrendlines.com/?p=6541#comment-548845 [...] Michelle Golden: As a fly on the wall, I'd agree: "What Kind of Leader Are You?" http://bit.ly/9follG [...] [...] Michelle Golden: As a fly on the wall, I’d agree: “What Kind of Leader Are You?” http://bit.ly/9follG [...]

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