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Leadership (2)

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The 7 Traits of Today's Accountant

August 5, 2019

You may or may not subscribe to the view that compliance is shrinking - that’s not the point.  You may or not agree that Advisory or Business Development Services are what’s needed to remain relevant to your clients - that’s not the point either.  What cannot be denied is that our industry is going through significant change and we need to adapt our skills.

How to attract and retain excellent...

February 27, 2019

Millennials challenge the way we work and manage.  

The perceived ‘millennial mindset’ is not always flattering though, with generalisations including being entitled, convenience-loving, matcha latte sipping, self-important job-hoppers who demand to work less, and from a place of their choosing - be that home or a yurt in Central America.

8 Questions for Effective New Client...

June 7, 2018

Screening potential clients sounds rather clinical, a bit like screening for a disease.

Truth be told, D clients are like parasites.  They can be painful, demand attention, drain your energy, query your bills and if they refer you work - breed more parasites.  Most significantly, they’ll damage your brand, morale and culture.

Unlike the parasite and host relationship, accountants should partner...

The Evolution of the Accountant

June 7, 2018

 

There is no doubt accountants need to evolve.

The accounting industry is going through a massive change in response to compliance automation, tax simplification, and increasing demand from clients for more proactive services.  Contrary to popular opinion (or fake news), I am not of the view that we are talking about a revolution here - the modern accountant will not become redundant; they...

Where have all the 'Young Guns' gone?

June 7, 2018

Recently I ran a ‘Succession Insights Poll’ in New Zealand, with 441 accounting firms participating.

The most thought provoking question raised during the post-poll webinar was ‘What happened to all the Young Guns coming through; where are they and why do they not want a career in this industry?’

Can I Outsource Leadership?

June 7, 2018

The biggest challenge in business stems from 'TLT' - too little time.

One of the best solutions to   TLT (Too Little Time) is to delegate more, either to existing team members or to people external to the business (outsourcing).  
 
It's as simple as looking at the number of hats you are wearing to see if you can delegate any of them.

Managing Poor Performance

June 7, 2018
I firmly believe that when anyone starts a new role they come to work with the intention of doing a great job.  They're keen to make an impression, to make a difference, and to enjoy themselves.  After all life is too short, right?  If the average person spends 40,000 hours of their life working, they'd better do something they like.
 

Would the real modern firm please stand up

June 7, 2018

 

And that was possibly the most ridiculous blog title I’ve ever written.

 There is no such thing as the modern accounting firm, any more than there is the modern store or the modern plumbing company.Real time reporting, less paper and no server are all outcomes of technology shift; they don't of themselves create the modern firm.  They're now a given.What does create the true modern firm, is a...

New Year's resolutions to improve your...

June 7, 2018
A resolution is defined as: 'A firm decision to do or not do something.'  When we set attainable resolutions, we gain clarity of our desired direction both personally and professionally.  They say it takes 21 times to change or create a habit and by actively speaking change we can help to achieve it.  It's not rocket science, but we have to act now if we want change.