Culture Matters: Building the Wise Firm

What is your job? Have you ever really considered that? I don’t mean the tasks you do every day, but something larger. Solving problems, sharing insights, helping others see the possibilities… Those are all acts of service and the very things that keep me coming back day after day. It’s so much more than a job. As each day unfolds and you go about your tasks, how would it change if you simply stopped for a minute and considered the acts of service you are providing your clients? 

“Creative accounting”… When you search Wikipedia for “cooking the books,” you are cross referenced to creative accounting. It’s interesting to me that this euphemistic term has such a negative connotation. It has long been a way of referencing accounting practices that may literally uphold the laws and regs under which we practice, but often practices that miss the intent, or spirit, of the law. I want to challenge this way of thinking about creative accounting.  Why? Because I know that creativity in the accounting profession is a requirement—we’re not compromising ethical standards, not at all. But the concept of creativity means understanding that business as usual is not at all the business of the future. Or, as we say at HORNE, status quo is not an option!