Thrive — Don’t Just Survive — This Busy Season: 3 Tips To Coach Yourself To The Finish Line
Note: this article was originally published in the Minnesota Society of CPAs Public Practice e-Newsletter. No matter what your role is, the first few months of the year are likely to be crunch time for one reason or another. If you’re in public accounting, April 17 marks the finish line for the annual race known as tax
5 Ways To Lead Change In A Change-Averse Environment
Despite the constancy of change in today’s global marketplace, the environment for change in many organizations is unfriendly at best. Few organizations have the appetite for change found at Facebook, Google, Amazon, and other innovative firms. I work extensively with CPAs, CFOs, and other technical professionals; a group not known for its propensity to change. As
Want To Achieve Your 2018 Goals? Try A New Approach This Year
As we turn the calendar to 2018, it’s time to set goals for the new year. But first, a quick question: How did 2017 turn out for you? Did you achieve your goals? Or was it another year of disappointment or unfulfilled potential? Perhaps you’re searching for a structure for goal-setting that really works. Or, you
Multiply Your Value With Strategic Thinking Skills
More than half of finance executives in a global study by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and Institute of Management Accountants identified strategic thinking as critical to professional development for chief financial officers. These skills are just as important for CPAs in public accounting who want to advance in their careers or grow their
Want To Retain Top Talent? Start With Effective Onboarding Of New Employees
Mr. Joe Employee (not his real name, but a real story) showed up for his first day of work at ABC Company, somewhat nervous but excited to tackle the challenges of a new position. Although tired from moving halfway across the country the week before to work at this company, he was eager to get
Leverage Your Unique Design for Leadership
We return to the series, Your Greatest Leadership Challenge: A Look in the Mirror at Self-Leadership. Visit my blog to read previous articles in the series. Knowing your strengths and struggles is essential to leading yourself and others well. Self-awareness about your unique design leads to greater effectiveness and, at the same time, lessens the risk of derailing yourself
Elevate Your Productivity with Weekly Planning and Daily Tactical Meetings
This is the second of a two-part series of articles. Visit my blog to read the first article, Jump Start Q2 with a Personal Quarterly Offsite Meeting. As highlighted in my previous article, I recommend the QWD Planning Cycle to coaching clients as a way to better establish and achieve their most important goals. It consists of
Jump Start Q2 with a Personal Quarterly Offsite Meeting
How was your first quarter? Did you achieve your goals? Whether you had your best quarter ever or fell flat on your face, now is the time to lay the groundwork for a successful second quarter. To increase your effectiveness in Q2, implement The QWD Planning Cycle. I often recommend this approach to my coaching clients
To Lead Better, Shift Your Understanding of Motivation
What if your understanding of motivation is faulty? What if that misunderstanding has caused you to frustrate, rather than encourage and inspire, your employees? Or even your kids? What if traditional carrot and stick methods are only temporarily effective at best, and perhaps counterproductive in the long run? Those are Susan Fowler’s conclusions in her newly
Strengthening Your Leadership Inner Core
This is the third article in the series, Your Greatest Leadership Challenge: A Look in the Mirror at Self-Leadership. Visit my blog to read previous articles in the series. An elite athlete’s inner core is a critical driver of his or her strength, power, speed, and agility. That’s equally true for an effective leader. And to lead others well,
