Fine-tune your organization's heart & soul to attract, retain employees.

• Author: Fowler, Mark H.
• Position: Culturally Speaking - Company overview

The public accounting world has changed dramatically over recent years and will continue to do so. Influences driving this transformation include new financial and audit regulations; continued influence of Sarbanes-Oxley; ongoing need for better trained personnel; growing need to fund, fuel and support succession planning; necessity for new levels of leadership to create a successful future; and the economic downturn

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For firms, from an operational perspective, things arc changing as well. Client needs are expanding, even though the economy is not reviving; revenue is down as some clients are closing their doors; and accounts receivables are growing and projects arc shrinking in size.

The importance of employee engagement is an even more pressing-dynamic that has become a worldwide challenge. According to employee engagement consultant David Zinger, engaging people in authentic connections (to strategy roles, performance, organization, community relationships, customers, development, energy and happiness) will leverage, sustain and transform work into results.

To deal successfully with today's and future challenges, CPAs will need to shift their business model to focus more on comprehensive training, human resource capabilities, sales and marketing.

That business model starts with the culture of the organization, which usually stems from definition of the business:

* What does it want to achieve?

* How would it like to be viewed?

* What is its value to clients and community?

* Where and how do team members lit into the equation?

* What will the organization look like in the future?

Four Pillars of Firm Culture

Key changes will increase the potential for success when crafting a business and its culture:

The organization moves from a "practice" mindset to a "firm" consciousness. This means living a "team" culture, rather than an amalgamation of individuals working on "their" clients. An environment of being on the same page and collaboratively working together becomes more important than showing off how self-sufficient each can be.

Succession planning becomes an integral part of the organization from day one. This isn't just how to retire a partner or replace other essential team members. Succession is about building the organization's talent so that the firm can grow and thrive and protect itself from challenges of competition, staff turnover and economic ups and downs. This involves hiring the right talent, quality training and proper delegation.

A sales and marketing capability encompasses the whole firm. Everyone can and should be motivated to reach out to new clients and new opportunities. This can he done face-to-face or through other means, such as writing an article, joining a civic organization or becoming an expert in a particular service. It matters that everyone--from receptionist to managing partner--advances the marketing and sales efforts.

Conversation, interaction and communication grow to be essential skills that engage and bond everyone in the firm. A team is only as good as its ability to successfully interact and perform. Conversation and interaction are essential skills in working with and enhancing firm and team relationships, as well as client relationships. By interacting with clients to...