beBetter 

We have all heard the phrase “no pain, no gain.” And the promise of greater rewards for the price of painful work has certainly proven true in most aspects of my life. But how does “no pain, no gain” apply to the future of our profession? 

Gosh, it’s already 7:45 a.m. as I jump into the shower after a quick shave. I’ve got little time to spare before an 8:30 meeting. Shampoo my hair, quick rinse and reach for the bar of soap. No soap! Dang, I had this same problem yesterday and forgot to put a new bar in here. I’m not using CeCe’s perfumed bath wash again — I got some strange looks yesterday. Nope, I’m going to step out and get a bar of soap.

As I finish up reconciling our personal accounts to provide our tax department with our tax information, it's evident that CeCe and I both have spent too much money on certain aspects of our budget. We were not good stewards of our blessings this year. I’ve noticed that as I near retirement, I am more sensitive to this stewardship than in my youth. If only we could have more wisdom in our youth!

Our front curb is a mess as I begin to pick up large pieces of concrete. We had a company cut two 36 inch slabs out so we can have some additional drainage added to handle excess water in our yard. I’m trying to salvage some of the sod so I can patch a spot in the backyard that I destroyed a few weeks ago which CeCe has not forgotten about. She is fond of a beautiful yard and I have been in the doghouse over this dead grass. 

For the last few weeks, we have been discussing the technology-fueled disruption headed our way as part of the blog series, 5 Questions that Might Make Us #beEvenBetter. The rapid and radical transformation from this gathering storm inspired me to seek advice from some of the top leaders in our profession and, in the process, develop a routine of considering key questions regarding the future I’m charged with leading.

I literally can only see a few feet in front of us as CeCe and I are driving down to Point Clear, Alabama. We are on the way to The Grand to help host HORNE's L.E.A.D. leadership training program for 43 of our new managers and supervisors. But the rain is coming down so hard it’s like someone is pouring buckets on the windshield. 

I cut the flashers on since I am slowing to about 30 MPH. Several cars are pulling over to the side and they almost cause a pile-up as cars behind them are not seeing them fast enough. These sudden storms are nerve-racking, not unlike some of the disruption and change we are seeing in our profession.

It’s raining on Saturday afternoon and I’m really in the mood to do nothing. I’m okay with that as we all need these moments to recharge. Flipping through the channels, I pause on a bass tournament for about ten minutes but start scanning again. There’s nothing on that is drawing my interest.

A few weeks ago, we kicked off the blog series 5 Questions that Might Make Us #beEvenBetter to address the challenges facing accounting firms today. A supercell of technology-fueled disruption is headed our way, and we must figure out how to plot safe passage through what promises to be rapid and radical transformation. 

It’s about 9:30 p.m. on a cloudy night when blue lights pop on in the median just as my radar detector goes off — I’m toast! I quickly pull over, grab my license, roll down my window and get my hands where the officer can see them as he walks up. Even in this moment, I am always in awe of their courage and commitment to public safety. (Knowing the routine might be a hint that I have been in this situation before, all of which are my fault.)

What legacy KPIs are we measuring that slow us down? That's the next question in the blog series, 5 Questions that Might Make Us #beEvenBetter. 

So, are the key performance indicators (KPIs) we are using still relevant today? Do they conflict with the new behaviors that we need to retool or transform our services? Do they focus team members on the right things or distract from where we need to go?

“Oh, a meeting with a bunch of number crunchers,” is ringing in my ears as I look into the eyes of this complete stranger who has taken the liberty of labeling our profession.

It’s the AICPA Major Firms Group meeting in Laguna Niguel, California, and we had just finished our afternoon session and I was briskly walking back to my room when I bumped into this beautiful family in the hallway.

A few weeks ago, we kicked off a new blog series, 5 Questions that Might Make Us #beEvenBetter, to address the challenges facing accounting firms today. These five questions will help us continually monitor and change our direction and strategies. We've already discussed the first question, Are we really moving fast enough? Today, let's focus on the next question, What would have to be true for us to change our direction, mind or assumptions?

Have you ever experienced foundation problems with your house?  It's not that uncommon, especially here in the Southeast. But what about your firm? Many of our organizations today have severe cracks hidden under layers of successful services and years of strong earnings. And softening foundational principles compacted by new competition causing eroding underneath are stressing the structure of our business models.