At Microsoft, they worry about motivation, says Bruce W. Marcus, author of Professional Services Marketing 3.0. When everybody who holds any kind of a responsible job is making more money than any of them ever dreamed they would, and when they’re in an industry that would pay anything to hire them away, how do you motivate people? How do you get them to stay, and to produce at the high levels demanded by Microsoft and other high tech companies? Two ways. In this report: Five mistakes firms make. Four strategies that can’t miss.
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In this report, Sandi Smith, CPA and creator of Accountant’s Accelerator, directs practitioners to an online psychology test from a top university and shows how to put it to work for yourself. She describes a process for identifying personal characteristics that can aid in building a practice.
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Stress management is critical to a successful season. By Sandi Smith, CPA Accountant’s Accelerator I don’t want to stress you out, but we really do need to do something about our stress levels. The American Psychological Association says our kids are getting headaches, having difficulty sleeping, and eating too little or too much due to pressure from school and household finances. The worst part is that most parents were not aware of the severity of their children’s stress. Many adults reported not knowing what to do to change their lifestyle so they could reduce their stress, so it just makes sense to talk about this a little. Here are the most common stress-reducing tasks that some people do, according to [...]
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And a couple more ideas for high performing firms. by Ed Mendlowitz Tax Season Opportunity Guide If you have staff, have happy, cheerful, helpful people. Don’t surround yourself with downers and nay-sayers. Make sure they are team players. Part of this is your firm’s culture. It takes work to get people to work together and to focus on doing what it takes to service the client fully, properly and timely. Everyone working together gets it done. You need to create that atmosphere. Here are three things that might help:
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15 strategies for a first-time supervisor’s success. Here at CPA Trendlines, Ed Mendlowitz answers some of the toughest questions practitioners can throw at him. He’s the right one to ask. After more than 40 years in the business – building his own practice, running the firm, and eventually selling it to a major regional firm, WithumSmith+Brown, where he remains a senior partner and consultant to professional services clients – he has the answers. We’re happy to have him at CPA Trendlines. Send your questions for Ed here, or chime in with Comments below. More from Ed Mendlowitz, The Practice Doctor Q&A: Why No One Listens to You | Fun Reads for Busy Season | When NOT to Offer a Free Initial [...]
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Three things that are different. By Sandi Smith, CPA Accountant’s Accelerator Are men’s and women’s brains different, when it comes to the workplace? The answer is a resounding YES, and more importantly, science is finding that men and women work differently. When a woman works like a man does, her health suffers More for soloists and small firms from Sandi Smith at CPA Trendlines: 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Seeking New Clients • The Top 12 Business Card Blunders Accountants Make • Seven Tips to Keep the Clients You Have • How to Attract Clients Like a Magnet • Eleven Easy Ways to Deliver More Value to Clients • Five Things Accountants Take for Granted That Costs Them Revenue• What’s [...]
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[CLICK TO PLAY] Indiana society CEO calls for a new paradigm…
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One of the key ways to improve client and workplace relationships is by showing appreciation. “Too often” Leo Buscaglia, the author, once said, “we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” We can extend appreciation anywhere and everywhere — at home, at work, at school, and wherever you want to acknowledge those who make your life brighter. Here are a few ideas that might work for accounting firms:
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Surprise: Hard work and knowledge aren’t Number 1. Neither are skills or knowledge.
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“The mushroom theory:” Keep employees in the dark and feed them crud. Well, it doesn’t work. And now there’s proof.
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Jason Blumer asks: Did you see the video where Mike Rowe of the “Dirty Jobs” TV show…
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Accountants may be winning the war for work-life balance. The number of average weekly hours worked for non-supervisory employees in the accounting and bookkeeping industry slipped to 33.2 in 2011, down from 33.4 and continuing a 20-year trend since 1990, when the average was 36.4 hours. To be sure, the latest declines could be directly related to a general business slowdown and the numbers are subject to revision. And, it would seem from looking at the trend lines that once firms cut back on hours worked due to economic circumstances, they don’t add them back. That could mean firms are finding and gaining lasting efficiencies, leading to higher productivity per worker. But, these days, we’ll take our good news where [...]
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Here are just seven types of difficult co-workers. You may know more. by Sandra Wiley Anyone who has managed a team has most likely stumbled across a challenging employee. Identifying the challenging behavior is easy; finding ways to change the behavior and motivate the team member so they exhibit superstar qualities is the true challenge. Why are they so difficult? Why do they continue the unpleasant behavior, even when they are told that it needs to change? Because it is working for them! This is behavior that has worked for them before, and allows them to get what they want.
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State-of-the-firm vid lands Rachel Ray TV show appearance.
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Entry-level auditors at KPMG win class-action certification. A New York federal court conditionally certified a national collective action lawsuit that alleges that KPMG LLP violated the federal labor laws by denying thousands of entry-level audit employees overtime pay. “Denying associates overtime pay is a problem among all of the Big Four accounting firms, not just at KPMG,” says attorney Justin M. Swartz. “We hope that this case, as well as audit, advisory, and tax cases against Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Ernst & Young will reform the accounting industry.”
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Accounting Today’s fourth year for the list. Top winners are to be announced at Accounting Today’s 2nd Annual Growth & Profitability Summit on Oct. 25-27 in Las Vegas. The Best Accounting Firms to Work For list includes 50 small firms (15-49 employees), 45 midsized firms (50-249 employees) and five large firms (more than 250 employees).
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