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Influence: Winning Others Over
A five-step process.
By Matt Rampe
Ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu writes in his book, “The Art of War,” “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
Many accounting partners go to “war” (aka strategic planning) and then seek to win by having their opinions prevail. If the partners are well aligned, that can work. However, often partners are not yet aligned on key issues. That is where the subtle art and science of influence can be used to create victory.
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What Is Influence?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, influence is the capacity to affect the character, development or behavior of someone or something. In a CPA firm context, influence is the method by which you seek to understand and then persuade your peers into alignment around key issues.
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Five Alternatives to Time for Your New Metrics
Measure your progress and success, just not by the hour.
By Jody Padar
Radical Pricing – By The Radical CPA
It may sound ridiculous, but the only people who are married to timesheets are professional services firms staffed by people who spend their professional lifetimes building their knowledge. Every other company in the world has figured out how to sell and price products or services without relying on timesheets.
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Why do professional services firms believe you should sell knowledge in increments of time? Ron Baker, an accounting visionary and author of “Firm of the Future,” once asked, “When you’re a knowledge worker, should you be selling your time?” I don’t think so.
Four Reasons That Managers Struggle with Relationships
The seven levels of communication management we engage in.
By Martin Bissett
Passport to Partnership
Ultimately, when we have to interact with clients, subordinates, superiors or peers, the questions are always the same: Who do I need to deliver this information to and what approach would they respond most favorably to?
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In arriving at “Communication” we come to the most intangible of all the components to obtain a “passport to partnership.”
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Doug Slaybaugh: How to Define “Values in Motion” | The Disruptors
Are your firm’s stated values consistent with its behavior?
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The Disruptors
With Liz Farr
For CPA Trendlines
How does your firm define culture? Is your culture consistent with the values posted on the breakroom wall? Doug Slaybaugh, founder of CPA Coach, defines culture as “values in motion.” According to this definition, a firm’s stated values must be evident in the ways a firm actually behaves.
MORE DISRUPTORS: Candy Bellau: The $350 Pricing Mistake that Nearly Broke this Boutique Firm | The Disruptors | Poe: What P.E. Really Wants from Firms | The Disruptors | Blake Oliver: Build a Biz that Runs Without You | Daiber: Use Succession as a Growth Strategy | Cannon: Busy Season is Self-Inflicted | Carroll: When One Person Can Break the Firm | Rampe: Build a Roadmap Even When the Road’s Not There | Chang: Killing SALY, One Agent at a Time |
A firm with the value of philanthropy, for example, should give team members the ability to volunteer or sponsor nonprofit events. “There should be evidence,” Slaybaugh explains. “Otherwise, there’s no evidence of that value. It’s really not your culture.”
Slaybaugh’s previous firm had the often-clichéd value of “people first,” but actually executed on that. Team members were offered the option to buy an additional month of PTO, prorated from their salaries, resulting in an 11-month year with nearly two months of vacation.
Four Types of Tax Projections to Provide
Six thoughts on charging for them.
By Ed Mendlowitz
The CPA Trendlines Practice Doctor
Many accountants do tax projections. Some clients get projections who should not, but there are many who do not, who should.
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Here are some insights about preparing and charging for them … READ MORE →