Consultants and Other Prominent Observers
| William Carlino |
Transition Advisors LLC |
www.transitionadvisors.com
[email protected] |
| Leadership that especially encourages open door policies, provides mentoring not only via the onboarding process but throughout a staff member's tenure and the opportunity of a pathway to growth. |
| Marc Rosenberg |
The Rosenberg Associates |
www.rosenbergassoc.com
[email protected] |
- Visionary.
- Ability to delegate; stay away from admin and heavy client work.
- Treats people well; has empathy.
- Leaders see people for what they can be.
- Good at conflict management- need to herd those cats.
- Ability to inspire; introduce excitement and emotion into the firm.
- Facilitates change and overcoming resistance to it. Stubbornly clinging to the old ways guarantees defeat. Understands what Roberto Goezueta, former President of Coca-Cola said: "To succeed, we have to disturb the present."
- Listens because it is the first act of respect and mutual support.
- Hold people accountable.
- Leaders' grow the people to lead the organization when current leaders are gone.
- Understand what Martin Luther King said: "Our lives begin and end the day we become silent about things that matter.
- Good communicator; it's all about talking.
- Understands that a CPA firm is a business and should be run like one. Embraces the corporate vs. partnership governance model. Says Tony Kendall, MP of Mitchell and Titus: "I can't manage this firm if I have to take a vote every time I want to make a decision."
- "Leadership is worth more than your billing rate, management is worth your billing rate and administration is worth less than your billing rate." Bob Bunting, former MP of Moss Adams.
- Charisma is vastly overrated; inspired standards are more important.
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| Joe Tarasco |
Accountants Advisory Group |
www.accountantsadvisory.com
[email protected] |
In order to have sustained increases in growth and profitability, and attract and retain highly competent partners and staff, firms need leaders of very talented and motivated partners.
Competition for quality clients and staff is fierce, coupled with pressures from consolidation and baby boomer succession issues. It takes leaders with the following characteristics to overcome these challenges:
- Good leaders attain the required skills over time, gaining the trust of their team members, and evolve into leadership roles over a number of years by achieving higher levels of technical and practice management skills along with higher levels of trusted advisor roles with clients and staff.
- Leaders in CPA firms study their competition and the marketplace in order to provide the types of services that are in demand and anticipate client needs in order to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors.
- Partners are respected leaders not because of their title, but because of their results driven performance and their ability to instill confidence in their team and to motivate them. CPA firm leaders are respected for their accomplishments in outstanding performance in client service, new business development, teamwork, respect for others and managing difficult change within the firm.
- Leaders change their firm's plans when the marketplace, competition, and events change by making timely and sometimes tough decisions to overcome obstacles to future success.
- Leaders manage their strategic plans with a sense of urgency and are not complacent about leading their firms to the next level of success.
- Leaders are able to sustain their success and the firm's success by serving as enablers of talent, culture, teamwork, and positive results.
CPA firm leaders know how to establish the conditions necessary for their teams to succeed and how to bring their professionals together to achieve shared goals and objectives. They play the game to win, not to just play it, and inspire others to do the same. |
| Rick Telberg |
CPA TRENDLINES |
www.cpatrendlines.com
[email protected] |
| Our CPA Trendlines study of 307 CPA firm owners shows the ability to make decisions even in the face of incomplete or inclusive facts is the key determining factor to success in the profession. It is also the most admired trait and the one most commonly cited as a trait that CPA leaders most wish they could enhance in themselves. |
