Coronavirus

The Six Leadership Challenges That Firms Face

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Your response must align with your vision.

By Anthony Zecca
Leading from the Edge

Within every firm, every leader (Edge or center) faces challenges every day. There is always a gap between the leader’s vision and what is actually taking place on the ground, day to day. There are always situations that develop that challenge a leader’s ability to remain steadfast in their leadership style and vision.

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When this happens, there is an opportunity for firm leaders to step up to the edge and to face the challenge with courage, conviction, transparency and confidence – never wavering on culture or their future vision for the firm. Edge leaders get out in front of the challenge, communicating and demonstrating that they are in control, whereas center leaders let the challenge take control. Edge leaders respond with clarity and focus surrounding the issues facing their workforce, their clients, their financial health and their future.
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Make Cybersecurity a Client Service Option

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Illustration of computer security threatsCheck your own system first, then help others.

By Penny Breslin
It’s Not Just the Numbers

In 2020, like many businesses, we went remote. My remote team of excellent ladies in Chennai, India, had to go even more remote than they already were. When India shut down, I figured I was out of business. We promise our cybersecurity is job number one to our accounting and financial firms. We have a highly controlled work environment, except for the day care and under 3’s occasionally looking for Mum. I did not think sending our employees home would work.

MORE: How to Safeguard Client Information | How to Create Effective Communication Systems | Set Expectations with an Anticipatory Set | Four Steps for Controlling Source Documents | How to Use OneNote to Create a Firm Playbook | How to Develop Procedures for BOS | Top Tech Tools for Building Your New BOS Business
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But thank the universe, many of our clients had no problem as long as we could figure out the security. They had been working with the same team of ladies. They saw them on Zoom and communicated daily on Slack. So, in 48 hours we went through an internal change to allow that to happen.
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Cancer Vaccine Available by 2030?

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Imagine a world without cancer. Is it possible?

By Rick Richardson
Technology This Week

A ground-breaking group of new vaccines for a variety of illnesses, including cancer, might save millions of lives, according to researchers. A major pharmaceutical company expressed confidence that vaccines for ailments including cancer, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases, as well as others, will be available by the end of this decade.

MORE TECH THIS WEEK:  ChatGPT: What It Is. Why You Need to Know. | Russia-linked Ransomware Back with a Vengeance | Amazon AWS: The Mainframe Killer? | Amazon Launching Its First Internet Satellites | Russian SolarWinds Hackers at It Again | NASA Finds a $10 Quintillion Asteroid | Firms Must Balance Benefits, Risks of Emerging Technology | Microsoft and Google Go to War
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Studies into these vaccinations are also “very promising,” according to some researchers, who claim that the COVID-19 jab’s success has “unspooled” 15 years’ worth of development in just 12 to 18 months.

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Some Thoughts on In-Person Events

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Confident businesswoman handing man a business card in networking sessionBy Seth Fineberg

“We didn’t realize how hard accountants party and we had a difficult time keeping up. We’re also still recovering from the ‘socializing’ and contemplating having a recovery section at our next booth.”

MORE FROM FINEBERG: So You Think You Know Accountants? | What Bogs Down Accountants | Your Classic Business Model Won’t Allow Growth
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This was just one of the many quotes from vendors who attended the QuickBooks Connect event in Las Vegas for the first time. It was not surprising to me; I’ve been attending QBC and other accounting events for over 20 years. But with live accounting events only really just “returning” this year, the idea of socializing with accountants took more of a spotlight.
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