"

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 11 seconds

Reaching the Next Generation CPA

I recently wrote a blog post that created quite a stir. It was reposted, received many comments, and I even received a couple of phone calls requesting how to reach and connect with the next generation CPA. Not that I'm surprised. The war for talent is real.

Firms want to protect their current employees and recruit new ones. Yet, the answer is not a simple policy update. It's a complete and total culture shift.

The long-lasting solution requires firms (with old-school partners) to acknowledge the transformational requirements of implementing a deep culture change that goes along with such a policy. Good intentions only go so far.

I have run a firm with a part-time, full-time, and flex time virtual employee along with my partner. My team has the opportunity to work remote part, most, or all of the time. Aside from the regular workflow task-oriented kind of software implementation, as well as the understood notion that all of our software is in the cloud, our practice requires a different type of management with extra communication and a clear definition of expectations and results.

It hasn't been easy but I believe it works for all those involved.

I'll be the first to tell you it's not perfect, however, we have a commitment as a firm to make it work. I also believe that because we have a hybrid culture, it is perhaps more complex than even a 100-percent virtual environment.

But the hardest part is not the technology or the "policies."

It's the acceptance of managing in new ways for the partners, managers, and even the managed. It's about letting go of the notion that we have control over how and when work gets done and trust that with clear expectations and explanations the work does get done.

This is the shift that is hard for the old school type firms that manage by timesheet and the expectation that if someone is sitting in a desk "at work" they must be producing and a "hard worker."

Is the solution to get rid of the timesheet, and begin to manage in new ways? That's one of the starting points. Start with workflow and milestones and see if your team is meeting them in a real time. It's a better measurement than looking at a time sheet that is a month old anyway.

Recently, I had a call with a mid-sized New York area firm that was asking me about new ideas to help implement a remote work policy. The surprising thing was they knew what had to change, but they had to get buy-in from their other partners. That's a hopeful sign that things are going to change to the "New Firm" ideas.

Change doesn't happen until the pain of staying the same is worse than changing. Hopefully, the talent war will be the exact catalyst to get things moving.

Jody Padar has begun publishing an enewsletter, the Radical CPA. Those interested can sign up at cpaclick.com/join-jody

 

Jody L. Padar, CPA, MST, CEO and Principal of the New Vision CPA Group, joined her father’s firm four years ago, bringing her expertise in the areas of taxation, QuickBooks, and small business accounting. As one of the profession’s emerging thought leaders, Padar has transitioned New Vision to next-generation status—adopting advanced technologies and best practices that support web-based client services and allow the firm to run at peak efficiency. She is also an expert in the area of GREEN, vigilantly staying apprised of green-related government incentives and tax credits to ensure clients receive the proper deductions.Padar earned her BBA from Saint Mary’s College and MST from Northern Illinois University. She is also an adjunct professor at Oakton Community College and a contributing member of the Intuit Trainer Writer Network.


Read 4267 times
Rate this item
(0 votes)

Visit other PMG Sites:

Template Settings

Color

For each color, the params below will give default values
Tomato Green Blue Cyan Dark_Red Dark_Blue

Body

Background Color
Text Color

Header

Background Color

Footer

Select menu
Google Font
Body Font-size
Body Font-family
Direction
PMG360 is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal data we collect from our subscribers/agents/customers/exhibitors and sponsors. On May 25th, the European's GDPR policy will be enforced. Nothing is changing about your current settings or how your information is processed, however, we have made a few changes. We have updated our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy to make it easier for you to understand what information we collect, how and why we collect it.