Vol. 6 No. 12, December 2014
The Leadership Forum is a panel of the most prominent thought leaders in the profession. Each month we ask them to respond to a question dealing with CPA firm management and leadership.
This month's question is:
For multiple choice questions # 1 - 8, please answer how you would expect most staff at CPA firms, with at least 3 - 4 years experience, to answer. In question #9, please discuss your general perceptions of current staff attitudes.
For comparison purposes we have included the responses from our Practice Management Survey, which asked the same questions of Partners, Staff and Administration at CPA firms.
1. What do you most like about your job?
CPA Firm Consultant Responses |
Partner Responses |
Staff/ Administration Responses |
|
| Exposure to the business world | 28.6% |
14.7% |
16.7% |
| The work I do | 14.3% |
38.2% |
50.0% |
| The people in the firm | 57.1% |
23.5% |
12.5% |
| The potential for a promising career | 0.0% |
23.5% |
20.8% |
2. What do you like least about your job?
CPA Firm Consultant Responses |
Partner Responses |
Staff/ Administration Responses |
|
| Unrealistic time and budget expectations by partners | 33.3% |
17.7% |
12.5% |
| Stress of workload | 50.0% |
64.7% |
62.5% |
| Client demands | 16.7% |
17.7% |
25.0% |
3. Why did you choose our firm?
CPA Firm Consultant Responses |
Partner Responses |
Staff/ Administration Responses |
|
| How much staff likes the partners | 28.6% |
43.8% |
29.2% |
| Location | 42.9% |
34.4% |
41.7% |
| Compensation | 28.6% |
21.9% |
29.2% |
4. What is your opinion of the firm's mentoring program?
CPA Firm Consultant Responses |
Partner Responses |
Staff/ Administration Responses |
|
| Our program is beneficial | 42.9% |
32.4% |
33.3% |
| No chemistry with assigned mentor | 28.6% |
2.9% |
0.0% |
| Not of much benefit | 28.6% |
20.6% |
16.7% |
| We don't have a mentoring program | 0.0% |
44.1% |
50.0% |
5. Do you know what it takes to become a partner in the firm?
CPA Firm Consultant Responses |
Partner Responses |
Staff/ Administration Responses |
|
| Yes | 14.3% |
38.2% |
50.0% |
| No | 85.7% |
61.8% |
50.0% |
6. Do women in the firm believe their long-term career and partner opportunities are
the same as for men?
CPA Firm Consultant Responses |
Partner Responses |
Staff/ Administration Responses |
|
| Yes | 42.9% |
85.3% |
66.7% |
| No | 57.1% |
14.7% |
33.3% |
7. How many hours do you think the partners in the firm work?
CPA Firm Consultant Responses |
Partner Responses |
Staff/ Administration Responses |
|
| Over 3000 | 14.3% |
5.9% |
8.7% |
| Over 2000 but under 3000 | 71.4% |
88.2% |
69.6% |
| 2000 or less | 14.3% |
5.9% |
21.7% |
8. On a scale of 1 to 10, where higher is better, how would staff rate their overall job satisfaction?
CPA Firm Consultant Responses |
Partner Responses |
Staff/ Administration Responses |
|
| 1 | 0% |
0% |
0% |
| 2 | 0% |
0% |
0% |
| 3 | 0% |
0% |
4.2% |
| 4 | 0% |
0% |
4.2% |
| 5 | 14.3% |
2.9% |
0.0% |
| 6 | 28.6% |
5.9% |
20.8% |
| 7 | 28.6% |
41.2% |
16.7% |
| 8 | 28.6% |
38.2% |
29.2% |
| 9 | 0% |
11.8% |
25.0% |
| 10 | 0% |
0% |
0% |
| Weighted average | 6.71% |
7.50% |
7.29% |
Consultants and Other Prominent Observers
| August Aquila | AQUILA Global Advisors, LLC | www.aquilaadvisors.com [email protected] |
| Great attitudes with expectations to learn but are discouraged because they are usually not given challenging opportunities. | ||
| William Carlino | Transition Advisors | www.transitionadvisors.com [email protected] |
| All depending on the firm - their programs, benefits, interaction - etc. | ||
| Angie Grissom | The Rainmaker Companies | www.therainmakercompanies.com [email protected] |
| I believe that all staff are different, but in general, staff are looking for the following things... More | ||
| Marc Rosenberg | The Rosenberg Associates | www.rosenbergassoc.com [email protected] |
| At the drop of a hat, Baby Boomers are eager to criticize today's young staff. They somehow see the staff as not having the drive and ambition that they feel they had when they were this age. But they are wrong... More | ||
| Joe Tarasco | Accountants Advisory Group | www.accountantsadvisory.com [email protected] |
| Staff attitudes vary depending whether they view Public Accounting (PA) as a professional career or just a job. We do see more passion and a more positive attitude with those staff who view PA as a career. However... More | ||
| Jennifer Wilson | ConvergenceCoaching, LLC | www.convergencecoaching.com [email protected] |
| They are not inspired by the possibilities for a variety of reasons. | ||