As Jim Rohn once said, “We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation.”
As I work with CPA firms around the country, I am finding that the BIG topic of change has been ignored, delayed or swept under the rug. It seems many partner groups are thinking, “If we procrastinate about these ideas and initiatives, maybe we won’t have to change after all.” Not true. In fact, it is a much bigger topic than working on “the firm” and making it better.
The bigger issue is, if you want your firm to change, you have to change yourself. If you want your firm to become better – a top-notch, well-known, progressive firm, then you, as an individual, have to change. You have to become better, a top-notch, well-known, progressive professional. Keeping up-to-date isn’t good enough, you must commit to personal, stretch goals.
If you are the managing partner, you should hold all of your partners accountable for reading inspirational self-development books and working harder on their own self-development goals.
Among CPA firm partners, we often belabor the topic of partner compensation. What I would like partners to ask themselves is, “What am I becoming?” and not, “What am I getting?”
To prepare your firm for the future, you need to focus on people, technology and culture. Better people, technology and culture will not ever happen if firm leaders are not preparing themselves for the future.
If you wait too long, it will no longer be an issue of finding the inspiration to change, it will become an issue of desperation because your competition and the business world have changed and moved on without you.