If you want to ensure collaboration and buy-in during strategic planning meetings or when you have a big decision to make, it’s imperative that all stakeholders are able to weigh in and be heard. Facilitating these meetings and driving critical decisions can be challenging with diverse personalities, competing self-interests, internal politics, limited time and other […]

In the past three months, I’ve become a grandfather (twice!), celebrated my 61st birthday, and taken on the role of Director of Men’s Ministries at my church.  Taking on this new role was included on my “possibilities” list discussed in my June 2018 blog, Keeping seems easy.  Stopping is hard.  Starting even harder. I accepted […]

This past weekend, I ran the Market To Market (M2M) relay with six other professional women. This was my fourth M2M, but my first as Team Captain. My prior team’s members transitioned out for a variety of reasons and I was faced with rebuilding the team from the ground up. Looking back, I feel so […]

Choosing which job offer to take. Deciding to sell your home. Identifying the best candidate for the position. Giving critical feedback to a team member or client. Identifying which initiative to front burner and which to back burner. These and more are decisions that we face every day and often can leave us stressed or […]

It takes no effort to love. The state has its own innate joy. Questions answer themselves if you are aware enough. Life is safe; flowing with the current of being is the simplest way to live. Resistance never really succeeds. Controlling the flow of life is impossible. -Deepak Chopra The Path to Love: Spiritual Strategies […]

At almost every event I attend with friends, the topic of work always seems to creep in. They share their stories and frustrations about their offices or their bosses and all too often I wish there was some discreet way to anonymously send articles about NextGen talent and clients, creating a better culture, or feedback […]

“We can’t hire a remote employee because of XYZ (insert your concern here).” We’ve heard every objection possible to keep firms from hiring their first remote employee, expanding access to remote work options, or keeping a valued employee who moves away by providing them a remote work role. At the same time, employees crave more […]

“Everything that can be invented has been invented.” This quote is often attributed to Charles H. Duell, the Commissioner of US patent office in 1899. We know this to be far from that truth and that new inventions are happening all the time and at a faster pace than ever. Just look at our cars, […]

Working Through Complacency Perhaps you’d like to hear a familiar story?  Once upon a time following April 15th, I committed to delivering my extended client tax returns this summer rather than enduring another stressful busy season in September and October.  I also started a home improvement project and a summer exercise program with whole-hearted enthusiasm.  […]

We’re in the knowledge business, and those firms that do the best job of imparting knowledge, developing skills, and building future capacity have the best prospects for long-term success and competitive advantage. In this blog, we’ll explore ideas to help you enhance your firm’s learning culture and make a commitment to life-long learning.  What is […]

Change is hard.  But it’s all over us!  In our nation’s demographics, succession, mergers, technology and turnover, we’re experiencing change at a faster pace than ever before. As firm leaders, we must keep up to sustain our firms and ensure that they are attractive to NextGen clients and team members.  All too often, we see firms putting off needed changes for a variety of […]

As I sat down to write my blog today, I am keenly aware of how the recent national crisis in El Paso, Texas will dominate conversations in offices all over the country, or even all over the world. Texas Governor Abbot stated, “We must unite.” The El Paso Mayor Dee Margo announced, “We will not […]

Whether it is owner disagreements, performance issues, client concerns, or competitive situations, our professional lives are filled with potential conflict. But given the choice, most will shy away or ignore conflict rather than deal with it. Why? Maybe because conflict isn’t fun – or even comfortable – and we’re not very sure we’ll handle it […]

Over the last year I’ve been practicing a new kind of yoga called Yin, a slow and quiet practice that involves holding postures for extended periods of time. Yin yoga targets the connective tissues of the body, and the physical benefits include increased muscle release and mobility of the joints. Rather than striving and working, […]

For at least 8 or 9 years, I’ve been learning, writing and coaching about goal setting and goal achieving – about what is needed to get the job done and what gets in the way.  Along the way I have discovered and written about these “Goal Setting 101” fundamentals: Goal setting is a Quadrant II […]

In my work, I get the opportunity to meet many professionals who are working on being more successful business developers – and for good reason. An ability to build a strong network and develop new business yields many benefits. It allows you to provide a tangible contribution to top line revenue for the firm. It […]

The world we live in is full of characters and archetypes. We mingle and dance by one another on life’s stage, stopping to interact with some longer than others, but ultimately coming back to the role we play. We grow attached to that role, the qualities and characteristics of this person we call our self; […]

When I was first asked to participate in the Transformational Leadership Program™ (TLP) for the Fall 2018-19 program, I was filled with excitement. This was followed shortly by one blaring question: how will I possibly find the time in my already “busy” life to commit to the TLP? It was at that moment that I […]

As professional coaches, we spend a lot of time and energy dealing with crises that take place in the lives of other people.  Usually, the crises are business-related although sometimes they can be in their personal lives, specifically when they interfere with the business outcomes.  In our organizations, we find ourselves navigating partner conflicts, communication […]

Transition is top of mind for most CPA firms today. The topic emerges in almost every conversation we have with clients, at conferences and in our everyday interactions with firm leaders. Whether we’re talking to firm leaders or emerging leaders, client loss is one of the biggest fears commonly shared by BOTH transitioners and their […]