here’s what you’re looking for: steven sacks

featured

exchanging knowledge has no downside

portrait of investment advisor businesswoman sitting at office in front of computer and consulting with young professional man.welcome to the business version of “sharing is caring.”

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

some people believe that knowledge is power, and the more of it they hoard the more power accrues to them. regardless of what level you are in your organization, the more open communication you encourage, the better you and your company will perform.

more: take that extra breath with email | is your message open to interpretation? | why proper communication is critical | how to create effective internal communications | how to select your firm’s board | trust is a key organizational ingredient | real influence vs. immediate gratification | 4 ways to boost job satisfaction | retention starts with the hiring interview
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i have found in many work environments that what results from the perceived “power trip” someone derives from keeping things “close to the vest” is more backbiting and a greater misalignment of strategies.
read more →

featured

take that extra breath with email

man staring at computer screen in shocka quick reply isn’t always the best move.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

email has proven through the years to be a convenient and efficient communication tool in business and in personal life.

more: is your message open to interpretation? | political correctness or just common courtesy? | syncing up for the covid era | profit is not a mission | confronting leadership: not such a bad thing | new opportunities for a ‘new normal’ | working remotely shouldn’t mean feeling isolated | how engaged are your employees?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

but it can also create misunderstandings, conflict avoidance, a desire for immediate gratification (aka rapid response), and a way to defer answering a question, taking action, and avoiding commitments.

read more →

client service opportunities

judy trepeck on how to think beyond accounting, with steven sacks

clients need so much more than basic accounting & write-up.

^ click to play the video

with steven sacks
the new fundamentals

armed with the latest technologies, accountants can do more than ever – faster, better, and cheaper. but too many accountants are missing the biggest opportunity that technology creates, according to judy trepeck, long a leading figure in the profession.

more from steven sacks: bill reeb: new rules for the covid era | is your message open to interpretation? |  effective communications in the age of covid | why proper communication is critical | how to create effective internal communications | how to select your firm’s board | trust is a key organizational ingredient | real influence vs. immediate gratification | fake it ‘til you make it: an ultimate goal? | 4 ways to boost job satisfaction | have you gauged your staff’s enthusiasm? | why knowledge maintenance is key
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

in her conversation with steven sacks, trepeck, currently senior vice president for customized training at the michigan state cpa society,  outlines how cpas can go beyond basic accounting to provide more value-added services. it requires experience, talent, ambition, and, maybe most of all, intuition.


^ click to play the podcast

trepeck provides a framework for any accountant to add advisory services to their menu of offerings.

some of the key takeaways and the full transcript:

read more →

featured

voicemail still serves a purpose

businessman sitting behind his desk in the office talking on a mobile phone listening to the conversation with a serious expressionwhat message are you sending?

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

even though email (and texting) has become the primary tool for organizational communication, the proper use of voicemail still plays an important role in conveying or eliciting information.

more: is your message open to interpretation? | political correctness or just common courtesy? | syncing up for the covid era | profit is not a mission | confronting leadership: not such a bad thing | new opportunities for a ‘new normal’ | is trust elusive? | working remotely shouldn’t mean feeling isolated | how engaged are your employees?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

as with email, you need to explain in your message what you are seeking (spelled out in the subject line of email) or information you are providing. the first thing is not to think that someone recognizes your voice; you should give your name and who you represent if calling someone outside your organization. it also helps to let the other person know when you called and when you might be available to speak, especially if you are in a different time zone.
read more →

featured

avoiding death by powerpoint

businesswoman giving presentation at meetinglet the spotlight be on you.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

have you ever attended a conference where the presenter plans to supplement his or her key topics by showing an illustration of what is being currently said? do i look at the speaker or do i look at the slides? will the slides be available later or should i take notes now? should i move up 50 rows so the microscopic wording improves to the level of barely readable? can i ask the speaker to back up a couple of slides?

more: how to think beyond accounting with judy trepeck [video and podcast] | bill reeb: new rules for the covid era [video and podcast] | is your message open to interpretation? | political correctness or just common courtesy? | syncing up for the covid era | profit is not a mission | confronting leadership: not such a bad thing | new opportunities for a ‘new normal’ | is trust elusive? | working remotely shouldn’t mean feeling isolated
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

whenever i give presentations i try to put myself in the shoes of the listeners and create a presentation in a way that relies on them briefly glancing at the slide transition and then redirecting their full attention back on me. but what we see today is too many speakers just reading what appears on the slides. they should simply begin their session by saying, “i’ll read out loud and you’ll follow along silently.” thank goodness there was never a request made for responsive reading.
read more →

featured

is your message open to interpretation?

young concentrated businessman writing notes down and looking at laptop in officewhat you say may be turning people away.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

whether you are a professional services firm, business, or trade or professional member association, it does not serve your constituents well if you allow complacency to settle in your efforts to meet their needs. messaging is important; empty messaging is lethal. when your priorities, programs and services are geared toward what you want your practice or association to do rather than what clients or members need, you create an irreparable disconnect.

more: political correctness or just common courtesy? | effective communications in the age of covid | the new covid-19 workplace: are you prepared? | does your firm’s board know its role? | are executive performance reviews dangerous? | there is no leadership without integrity
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the result? there is a vast divide between management’s message and the clients’ or members’ interpretation.
read more →

featured

political correctness or just common courtesy?

latina businesswoman using earpiece with businessmen in backgroundwill you be ready when the demographics shift?

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

the 2016 presidential campaign had been engulfed in the battle for and against political correctness. what people thought but never verbalized – at least in a large company of people – had made the art of conversation more difficult. college campuses, the bastions of higher learning and the incubator for dissenting opinions resulted in additions to our lexicon, with such terms as “safe places” and “trigger warnings” in order to preclude the rise of “micro-aggression.” legislation is trailing the changes taking place in the lgbtq community, and decades after protective laws were passed, there still exist hostile work environments for women and minorities.

more: effective communications in the age of covid | why proper communication is critical | how to create effective internal communications | how to select your firm’s board | trust is a key organizational ingredient | real influence vs. immediate gratification | fake it ‘til you make it: an ultimate goal? | 4 ways to boost job satisfaction | have you gauged your staff’s enthusiasm? | why knowledge maintenance is key
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

today’s college students are exposed to greater on-campus diversity than in the days of my contemporaries, so one would think that there would be greater understanding and flexibility in human interaction. this really is not the case. if students think that tough challenges exist on campuses, wait until they graduate and enter the real world.
read more →

featured

bill reeb: new rules for the covid era

steven sacks explores how the coronavirus crisis is exposing all the bad habits of bad management.

with steven sacks
the new fundamentals

cpa firms are ill-prepared for the new era of virtual, work-from-home partners and staff, according to bill reeb, a leading cpa firm practice consultant, in this conversation with 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 contributor steven sacks.

more covid conversations:  when covid ‘got real,’ with gabby luoma’ |  the covid outlook with darren root and joel hughes: a long, slow climb back to recovery | steven sacks: covid crisis management | jean caragher: how to fight ‘fear’ and ‘insecurity’ | sarah dobek: learning how to operate in the new normal | august aquila: what comes next? | jody grunden: covid and client communications | andrew argue: on a mission | martin bissett: covid slams u.k. accountants, too | bill reeb: separating the winners and losers |

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

management at all levels will need to adapt, reeb says, requiring new processes and procedures.  but more than anything, it requires new metrics of productivity. and, most of all, new habits.

or, listen to the podcast:

after a painful, wrenching re-positioning, reeb says, firms will emerge stronger, more agile, and more profitable than they were before.

read more →

featured

effective communications in the age of covid

misunderstandings and shortcuts in the workplace can create a hostile and stressful environment.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

with more people using mobile devices for communication shortcuts, are we facing troublesome challenges in speaking in a recognizable language in the u.s.?

more: why proper communication is critical | syncing up for the covid era | the new covid-19 workplace: are you prepared? | how to create effective internal communications | profit is not a mission | confronting leadership: not such a bad thing | new opportunities for a ‘new normal’ | is trust elusive?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

while it may be convenient for some, for others it leaves them scratching their heads. i am not seeking to be a public scold. however, if you want your communication to be effective, then understand your audience, situation, and topic.

this is especially relevant with teams working virtually, and at a distance, in the age of covid.
read more →

checklist

steven sacks: covid crisis management

five ways accounting firms will need to change.

steven sacks, the author of the new fundamentals, analyzes the impact of covid on cpa firms and sees opportunities for those willing and able to step up.

five key take-aways:

  1. cpas, being the trusted advisor, will find opportunities in business recovery services.
  2. clients want to know: “how are you going to help me to get back on my feet?”
  3. in delivering key performance indexes, building digital dashboards for clients, making projections, and doing more complex data analytics, the cpa is going to have to be in closer contact with the clients.
  4. the whole mindset is going to shift away from mere compliance aspect.
  5. value-added services are no longer going to be a luxury that only certain firms will afford. it’s going to be something that is needed on-demand.

 

featured

why proper communication is critical

businessman smiling and talking on phoneconsider the impression you deliver.

by steven e. sacks

often, we are so concerned about getting out a message that we don’t stop to think whether the delivery mechanism matches the nature of the content.

more: syncing up for the covid era | the new covid-19 workplace: are you prepared? | does your firm’s board know its role? | are executive performance reviews dangerous? | there is no leadership without integrity | influence, don’t manipulate
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

in a face-to-face conversation, the reaction you get is immediate because you may have employed the wrong tone, selected the wrong words or chosen an inappropriate time to engage. younger professionals who are observant, especially when admonished – either overtly or subtly – will learn from the experience. the signs are not as clear when it involves email communication or phone calls.
read more →

management

syncing up for the covid era

woman reading paper document at office desk in front of computerthe three key ingredients for success in internal communications.

by steven e. sacks

imagine this: a local reporter or a potential client contacts your firm after visiting your website. what happens next?

more: the new covid-19 workplace: are you prepared? | how to create effective internal communications | how to select your firm’s board | trust is a key organizational ingredient | real influence vs. immediate gratification | fake it ‘til you make it: an ultimate goal?today.

with the media and clients clamoring for covid-era solutions, it’s happening increasingly often. here’s how to be prepared.

read more →

featured

the new covid-19 workplace: are you prepared?

woman's hand with touchless soap dispenserhere’s a question: do you have to renew your lease?

by steven e. sacks

if you are a managing partner and are deciding when and how to reopen your office, keeping in mind the safety and well-being of your staff, what steps will you take? more important, do you know whose brains to pick to do the reopening well and properly?

more: how to create effective internal communications | profit is not a mission | confronting leadership: not such a bad thing | new opportunities for a ‘new normal’ | is trust elusive? | working remotely shouldn’t mean feeling isolated | how engaged are your employees?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

consider who your advisors should be: scientists, doctors, public health officials, interior office design professionals, air-quality professionals and architects.
read more →