Guidelines for Your Retreat

Source: Accounting Office Management & Administration Report What to Discuss at a Retreat:

• The economy and how it will affect your planning for this year and beyond. Review niches, available talent, and services you are providing.
• Will the slowing economy solve your staffing problems? Perhaps at the entry level, but probably not for mid-level staff.
• Finding and keeping administrative staff. They are growing in importance. Keeping them may entail career path structures and non-equity “partnership.”
• Solutions for clients—consider sharing with other CPA firms. Clients want to know you will lead them to the best solutions, even if they come from outside the firm.
• Mentoring and coaching. Partners can mentor peers, and you can find mentors outside the firm.
• Technology—it can increase your efficiency. Bring vendors in for training. Assign a person to take responsibility for training on each software program.
• Marketing—even if you expect to continue to be too busy, marketing can establish or preserve your brand and attract the kinds of clients you want.
• Controlling your resources—as the economy declines, billing, collecting, etc. become more important. No need to cut rates.
• Succession and leadership, especially if there is no succession plan.
• Client satisfaction—are you getting (and using) feedback from clients?
• Problem clients—this may require separate, perhaps ongoing, meetings.
• Fee structure—this subject may require a separate meeting, but should at least be addressed at the retreat.

• Staff should attend some, not necessarily all, the retreat sessions.
• Sessions staff need to attend:
  • Billings and revenues.
  • Performance of practice groups.
  • Discussions of capital and operating costs.
• Key administrative people—administrator and marketing director.

• Are the managing partner and firm administrator too busy?
• Are there many contentious issues, like compensation and retirement? If so, an outsider may keep things under control.
• If you use an insider, it should be a partner who is a leader and good communicator. You might use more than one person, tapping partners from different groups or generations.

Measuring CPA Leadership Effectiveness

Full Service Real Estate Investment and Mortgage Finance.