radical tenet #1: embrace the cloud

your customers’ expectations have now changed.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

let me clear this up now. the cloud is not an actual cloud.

it’s your software in a computer room, miles away from your physical location. i’ve been to the cloud and it’s a funny and interesting place to visit.

more on radicalism: radical customers are on their way | the market is moving toward the radicals | 5 radical transparencies; are you ready? | 4 questions radical firms must face | being radical is all about your customer | being radical starts with being the change | why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my practice

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it’s just a warehouse; they take your driver’s license, they scan you in, inspect your eyeballs and make sure that you’re not some bad person. there’s a large area full of servers and wires and it’s unbelievably hot. but what was especially endearing about my experience was that my cloud provider, byron patrick from simplified innovations, couldn’t contain his excitement about taking me. he was like a kid in a candy shop. it must be a techie thing.

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3 ways to derail sponsorships

woman yelling at tiny man she is holding in fingertipswomen and men can work together well, but sometimes it takes work.

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

we know that even when a relationship between a woman and a man is strictly business-focused, others may not see it that way. here are three thorny issues to watch for and quell.

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more on sponsoring women for leadership: keep close relationships from getting too close | 4 reasons women hold themselves back | 4 ways sponsors can help women seek power | bias about women with families lingers | judged on performance, not potential? must be a woman | gender bias still a problem | why women are overlooked (and how to fix it) | 3 ways men are favored in the workplace | women need promotions, not just advice | mentor or sponsor? how to distinguish roles | 4 ways women leaders improve firms | cpa firms must ‘man up’ and get women on board

1. gossip and rumors

relationships in the workplace are frequently the subject of rumors, and close relationships between senior men and junior women are tasty fodder for the gossip mill. because sponsorship between a man and woman is not as common as sponsorship between two men, it is more noticeable and subjects the man and woman to greater scrutiny. read more →

radical customers are on their way

do you create content? you’ll need to learn.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

new customers want cpas to use the latest technology and the next generation of business owners demands it. but what about the legacy customers who you think don’t care? the original owners may not care, true. but your legacy customers are going to have the same succession issues as your firm. those customers are going to have to create a succession plan and if that plan is going to the next generation, that generation doesn’t have any experience with you as a cpa firm. and you better believe tech­nology is important to them; it’s in their dna.

more on radicalism: the market is moving toward the radicals | 5 radical transparencies; are you ready? | 4 questions radical firms must face | being radical is all about your customer | being radical starts with being the change | why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

for example, if the dad passes the torch to the kid, and the kid says “well i don’t know john cpa all that well. they don’t use cloud tech­nology and i’m going find a firm that does use the cloud.” they choose technology because they have no current relationship with the firm. we receive many leads from business owners in this situation.

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keep close relationships from getting too close

businesspeople discussing chartsfears of sexual innuendo and gossip block talent development.

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

a close work relationship between a man and a woman can generate sexual tensions in one or both of them.

when the man is older and powerful and the woman is young and ambitious, the potential for complications is even greater.

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more on sponsoring women for leadership: 4 reasons women hold themselves back | 4 ways sponsors can help women seek power | bias about women with families lingers | judged on performance, not potential? must be a woman | gender bias still a problem | why women are overlooked (and how to fix it) | 3 ways men are favored in the workplace | women need promotions, not just advice | mentor or sponsor? how to distinguish roles | 4 ways women leaders improve firms | cpa firms must ‘man up’ and get women on board

even when the relationship is strictly business focused, it can be the subject of rumors, gossip and speculation among coworkers, and it can arouse feelings of jealousy and resentment in the sponsor’s wife.

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management guru chester elton on success

three key insights for accountants on how to inspire staff, wow clients and convey appreciation.

hitendra patil, lkeft, meets management guru chester elton
hitendra patil, left, meets management guru chester elton

called the “apostle of appreciation,” chester elton is co-author of several successful leadership books.

after analyzing the results of 850,000 interviews, elton’s team found that those who are happiest and most successful are engaged in work that aligns with what motivates them. his latest book, “what motivates me,” offers an extensively tested method to help business people identify their core motivators and figure out the disconnects between their passions and their current work.

hitendra patil, pransform coo and 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 contributor, met elton and asked him three important questions about cpa firm leadership – motivating staff, satisfying clients and showing appreciation. read more →

4 ways sponsors can help women seek power

businesswoman eyeing city skylinewhy women resist networking and powerful role models.

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

networking issues: women tend to have a limited appreciation of how their networks can help them get ahead professionally. developing strong business networks is critical for career advancement. because a leader operates through others, her value and effectiveness are largely tied to the power of her network.

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more on sponsoring women for leadership: bias about women with families lingers | judged on performance, not potential? must be a woman | gender bias still a problem | why women are overlooked (and how to fix it) | 3 ways men are favored in the workplace | women need promotions, not just advice | mentor or sponsor? how to distinguish roles | 4 ways women leaders improve firms | cpa firms must ‘man up’ and get women on board

yet women are reluctant to cultivate potential sponsors through their networks, while men willingly use patronage and networks to open doors and provide opportunities that cannot be accessed through normal channels. men attribute their promotions to personal connections as a matter of pride, not embarrassment, because it means that influential people see them as leaders and reward them accordingly. as a result, men benefit from the political processes that go on all around them while women lose out.

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the market is moving toward the radicals

5 ways to be prepared.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

a cch white paper, “charting a course for the future: a report on firm preparedness,” defines some of the trends that will have the most significant impact on accounting firms and their customers over the next five years.

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more on radicalism: 5 radical transparencies; are you ready? | 4 questions radical firms must face | being radical is all about your customer | being radical starts with being the change | why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

the study also notes how well-prepared accountants are to take advantage of these trends. by putting the “very prepared” firm under the magnifying glass, the report examines what makes firm owners confident about the future.

free instant download:
report on firm preparedness

the most important take­away is that firms that feel more prepared for the future report that they are more productive and more profitable today. read more →

4 reasons women hold themselves back

businesswoman trying to make a decisionthey have to see politics as leadership to get ahead.

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

many women are uncomfortable calling attention to their achievements and ambitions, dislike politics, have difficulty asking others for a career boost or underestimate the importance of powerful backers. this makes it harder for potential sponsors to recognize how worthy these women are of their support.

some women hurt their own chances for sponsorship by failing to let sponsors know what they want and why they merit it. sponsors are drawn to star performers who display confidence and a drive to succeed. where a man might insist he is the right person for a job and ask to be promoted, a woman who is equally or even

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better qualified may downplay her qualifications for the job. instead of aggressively pursuing promotions and opportunities, she waits to be asked, and then, when asked, may turn the offer down. why?

more on sponsoring women for leadership: bias about women with families lingers | judged on performance, not potential? must be a woman | gender bias still a problem | why women are overlooked (and how to fix it) | 3 ways men are favored in the workplace | women need promotions, not just advice | mentor or sponsor? how to distinguish roles | 4 ways women leaders improve firms | cpa firms must ‘man up’ and get women on board

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you’re radically more than you realize

are you guilty of random acts of consulting?

by jody padar
the radical cpa

to me, the most trusted business advisor is the small busi­ness advisor. that’s what my customers see. my firm serves small businesses from the ground up to $10 million. yes, we look at their numbers, but practically speaking one gains a lot when you’re in their financial underwear drawer.

most of our conversations are around their questions. it’s a natural extension of the work we already do – financials, taxes, payroll, cash flow and forecasting.

more radical cpa: 5 radical transparencies; are you ready? | 4 questions radical firms must face | being radical is all about your customer | being radical starts with being the change | why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

these people are not asking complex tax questions. they’re asking about it, human resources, general licensing and for help with some decision-making. we’re small business consul­tants.
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bias about women with families lingers

woman smiling with boy with backpackmothers still seen as less committed to work than fathers.

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

one pattern of gender bias is exhibiting “maternal wall” bias, which leads people to believe that women with children are unable to meet the demands of leadership.

people assume that women with children are less committed to their work.

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more on sponsoring women for leadership: judged on performance, not potential? must be a woman | gender bias still a problem | why women are overlooked (and how to fix it) | 3 ways men are favored in the workplace | women need promotions, not just advice | mentor or sponsor? how to distinguish roles | 4 ways women leaders improve firms | cpa firms must ‘man up’ and get women on board

this bias arises from the stereotypes that create conflicting expectations for mothers and career women: good mothers should always be available to their children, while good business people should always be available to their clients. read more →

5 radical transparencies. are you ready?

plus 4 questions as you shift from number cruncher to advisor.

by jody padar
the radical cpa

aside from creating a new way to do compensation and work, the “new firm” model brings upon a whole new level of trans­parency for both the customers you work with and your employ­ees.

more on radicalism: 4 questions radical firms must face | being radical is all about your customer | being radical starts with being the change | why start being radical now? | going radical: the 4 tenets of a ‘new firm’ | why should cpas be radical? | the roots of ‘radical’ cpas | the first 3 questions i should have asked before starting my own practice

  1. data is changed in real time. no longer can you say that you never got that fax or email.
  2. more clarity in communication and expectations is required.
  3. what you communicate and how you deliver these communications will materially change, which calls for better monitoring of how team members communicate as well.
  4. communication tools will vary. are you using email, phone, videoconference, in-person, text or facebook?
  5. how will you feel about your employees having transparent communications with firm customers and, more important, how is all this communication shared internally?

here are just some of the things that shift: read more →

judged on performance, not potential? must be a woman

young busineswoman evaluating a chart with a measuring tape, concept image of successdifferent standards, double binds challenge women.

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

common patterns of gender bias include holding women to higher standards than men and expressing contradictory expectations (“double binds”) for women.

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more on sponsoring women for leadership: gender bias still a problem | why women are overlooked (and how to fix it) | 3 ways men are favored in the workplace | women need promotions, not just advice | mentor or sponsor? how to distinguish roles | 4 ways women leaders improve firms | cpa firms must ‘man up’ and get women on board | | make flexible scheduling work for everyone | your protégée needs your feedback

different standards: people expect more of women than of men and they hold women to higher standards. this sets the bar higher for women who aspire to leadership and makes it more difficult for them to prove their value to the organization, even though research shows that women outperform men in 17 of 67 critical leadership skills, while men outperform women in only four.

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