what having your employees’ backs means

why failure is a value proposition.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 / succession institute

i want to start by talking about the phrase “having your employees’ backs.” so what does this mean? simply that, as the boss, you will take the bullets publicly for your people’s mistakes. this is such a rare phenomenon that many of you have never experienced what i am referring to – a boss taking the heat for his or her people.

more growth & succesion: 5 harmful management attitudes (and how to fix them) | do cpa firms need management or leadership? | job 1 for the practice owner: client management

most of the time, when problems are uncovered, company cultures are “at the ready” to quickly identify someone to blame regardless of the situation. in these organizations, those with exceptional cya skills are the most highly valued. no, i did not misspell this acronym as it was not meant to be cia (as in the government intelligence agency or certified internal auditors), but rather those good at covering their butts (i guess i should have referred to it as cyb).

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industry employment surge shows no signs of slowing

chart showing number of employees in the accounting industry according to bureau of labor statistics
all employees in the accounting and bookkeeping industry; numbers reported in thousands

record highs seen in overall employment, staff wages, cpa firm employment and staff, and more.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the u.s. tax, accounting and bookkeeping industries show no signs of slowing down, according to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 sources.

here 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 reports on:

  • current hiring trends in each of the bookkeeping, tax, payroll and cpa segments of the industry.
  • average hourly wages for key segments.
  • typical hours worked per week.
  • and trends concerning women in the accounting workforce.

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5 harmful management attitudes (and how to fix them)

how common management pitfalls hurt firms and employees.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 / succession institute

how do attitudes, misconceptions and bad habits get in the way of our learning to be better managers?

related: do cpa firms need management or leadership? | job 1 for the practice owner: client management

here are five common attitudes, practices and perceptions we find:

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do cpa firms need management or leadership?

differentiating between the two, and the two most common styles of management.

by bill reeb and dominic cingoranelli
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 / succession institute

let’s start out with a straightforward question. what is the difference between management and leadership?

from one point of view, leadership is far different than management. for example, leadership might be all about developing a vision for the organization, being innovative, motivating others, empowering those around you, focusing on developing the people around you instead of just developing yourself, looking for positive ways to change, doing the right thing, and keeping the forest in view and not just see the trees.

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new record: u.s. accounting industry tops 1 million workers

wages rise 6%. double-digit expansion in payroll agencies.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the number of people employed in the accounting industry has topped 1 million for the first time ever.

sounds great, doesn’t it? there are a million of us. savor that for a moment.

top talent strategies
join the survey. get the results

in this report, 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 covers:

  • current hiring trends in each of the bookkeeping, tax, payroll and cpa segments of the industry, indicating growth and shrinkage among sectors.
  • average hourly wages for key segments, with trends in employee pay rates.
  • typical hours worked per week, showing utilization and productivity.
  • trends concerning women in the workforce, including hiring rates.

read more →

why my people take 5 days off (yes, in a row)

need more? take more. you’re an adult.

by wesley middleton
middleton raines llp

so we decided to shake things up in the accounting world and offer a benefit that many others don’t have. open pto, or as some call it, unlimited pto.

no more tracking paid time off. no more carryovers or figuring out the carryover policy. should it be 40 hours or 80 hours? we are telling our team what we expect them to get done, when we expect them to do it, and then the rest of the time is on them. please go home or on vacation! you deserve it.

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what culture really means for partners

bissettbonus: three outlooks from our exclusive expert council: grundy, pipe, dunn.

by martin bissett
passport to partnership

the passport to partnership study collated a number of responses from existing partners of accounting practices in a conversational style. examples that really stood out on the realities of individual variances in firm culture are showcased below.

learn more
learn more

more on the passport to partnership: firm culture is inevitable; make it work for you | 12 ways to determine your competence | what competence really means for partners | sailing through the seven c’s to partnership | passport to partnership: new research shows wide gap between partners and partners-to-be

if we really like them, we’ll take them out to dinner with the partners to see how they cope in that environment.

meaning, can they hold their own intellectually in more senior circles? how would they then behave when meeting with other senior executives as a contemporary of theirs? this is a huge consideration for existing partners as the reputation, goodwill and future new business of the practice is influenced greatly by how well the firm is represented by its chosen ambassador (e.g. you).

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top 100 firms report solid growth amidst staffing challenges

top 100 overall revenue chart
source: accountingtoday

attest, m&a and salt lead top trending niches.

accounting today’s annual listing of its top 100 firms reflects what the industry as a whole is seeing: business is good and it’s getting better.

overall growth was a healthy 8.44 percent, similar to but slightly higher than recent years.

firms with revenues between $100 million and $1 billion outpaced the others in growth mode, although mergers had a great deal to do with that.

the most difficult challenge cited was – no surprise – recruiting and retaining qualified staff, especially those with three to five years of experience. pressure is being put on the talent pool by retiring baby boomers only exacerbates the problem. tools to counter it include: read more →

36 cheap and easy ways to reward employees

happy business team eating pizza in officepondering personal preferences is paramount.

is money is the no. 1 motivator for employees? maybe not.

“money is important. but if someone doesn’t like their job or the way they are treated, i don’t care how much you pay them, they still won’t like it,” says arnold sanow, a seminar leader and coach. “in fact, in numerous surveys the no. 1 motivating factor to get employees to perform at their best focuses on appreciation and recognition.”

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cpa firms paying top dollar for talent in nationwide hiring binge

pay raises trending
pay raises trending

wages hit new high; hourly rates at cpa firms up nearly 10 percent.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

as the economy adds jobs, the accounting industry is grabbing its share and sometimes more, according to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 sourcesat the same time, respondents to the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 careers and hiring outlook tracking polls show nearly 60 percent ready to jump ship if the right offer comes along.

join the survey. get the results.

in this report, 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 covers:

  • current hiring trends in each of the bookkeeping, tax, payroll and cpa segments of the industry, indicating growth and shrinkage among sectors.
  • average hourly wages for key segments, with trends in employee pay rates.
  • typical hours worked per week, showing utilization and productivity.
  • trends concerning women in the workforce, including hiring rates.

it’s not all about the money.

higher wages aren’t everything, as clearly indicated in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 careers and hiring outlook tracking polls. read more →

we’re back! tax and accounting employment hits new high, surpassing january 2008 peak

it’s a 1.8 percent hike from boom times. we’ll take it.

tax, accounting and bookkeeping employment, through january 2015
tax, accounting and bookkeeping employment, through january 2015

the u.s. tax, accounting and bookkeeping industries have fully rebounded, surpassing the previous january 2008 peak, according to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 sources.

here 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 reports on:

  • current hiring trends in each of the bookkeeping, tax, payroll and cpa segments of the industry.
  • average hourly wages for key segments.
  • typical hours worked per week.
  • and trends concerning women in the accounting workforce.

while cheering the recovery, the new employment trends represent intensifying competition for talent, as well as clients.

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how to start an effective sponsorship … and follow through

woman in white office meeting with man17 specific action steps you should take.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

when you sponsor a woman, there are many steps that you can take to ensure that the relationship is productive and achieves its objectives.

more on sponsoring women for leadership: 3 ways to initiate informal sponsorship | how to establish a sponsor-protégée relationship | 3 roadblocks to women and men working together well | fear of sex and rumors inhibits sponsorship | why women resist networking and powerful role models | women must see politics as leadership to get ahead | mommy bias persists | different standards, double binds challenge women | 5 ways gender bias plays out at cpa firms

here are some tips for getting off to a strong start and following through effectively, especially by focusing on career opportunities and promoting your protégée to others. read more →