growth

seven steps to unlocking the innovation engine in your office.

join the brainstorming session.

by rick telberg
at large

does creativity belong in finance and accounting? or is that a pandora’s box we’d best leave shut?

if there’s any single lesson to be learned from the year 2006, it’s that creativity is an essential ingredient to success in the finance, accounting and tax profession — if not the essential ingredient. creativity is the foundation for all innovation, all new ideas. it turns challenges into opportunities. it turns failure into success. but it doesn’t always come naturally. it takes learning and practice. and it’s rarely taught or nurtured well — or consistently. read more →

camico founding members offer 20 risk management tips

[news release]

this year marks the 20th anniversary of camico mutual insurance company. after two decades of dialog with its cpa policyholders, camico has become a national repository of risk management knowledge for accounting firms. a mutual insurer owned and operated by cpa policyholders, camico recognizes that its success is largely due to the acquired experience and learning of those cpas.

following are 20 tips and thoughts from four of camico’s founding, 20-year member firms:

1. before entering a new engagement, be sure you have the human and professional resources to back up the scope of work. (armanino mckenna)

2. perform a thorough background check on all potential new clients, including inquiring with former cpa firms, before accepting an engagement. (kirsch, kohn & bridge)

3. provide continuous training opportunities for your employees in the area of risk management. be sure all employees understand the firm’s appetite for risk and the kinds of clients it wants to engage. (goldstein munger & associates financial advisors) read more →

and will he or she be working for you a year from now?

take notes: if you’re not, the next time you see these comments may be in the letters of resignations you get as your best talent goes on to bigger and better things.

1. the grad you just hired didn’t have a hard time finding a job.
2. they know they’re underpaid, and they won’t put up with it longer than they have to.
3. it’s not taking them long to grow bored.
4. even when they’re happy, they’re looking for another job.
5. their bosses aren’t their mentors.
6. getting thrown into the work force is turning them into experienced pros before their time.
7. some don’t feel their universities prepared them for … (insert profession or industry name here)
8. they’re looking to find a balance between work and their personal lives.
9. many of them would love to become independent practitioners or start their own firms one day.
10. they think they’ll stay in the profession, but not necessarily in the place they started.

source: rachel beanland, public relations agent, amherst, mass., as excerpted from “pr tactics and the strategist online” hat tip: david maister read more →