LEADERSHIP TIPS

“The task of a leader is to get his people from where
they are to where they have not been.”
Henry Kissneger

With that in mind, the task of being a leader can be daunting.

Here are some tips to help with the task:

• In football, as the game nears the end, there is a two minute warning. Consider adopting your own form of the “two-minute rule” in your organization. When your team is on a deadline, agree that when someone gets stuck on a problem, he/she shouldn’t spend more than two minutes trying to solve it before asking for help. Of course, you may need to adjust the time to something more appropriate to the situation. Start with a 30 minute rule, and as the deadline approaches lessen the time to 10 minutes

• Avoid vague terminology when setting up performance rules for your team. This can be especially important for new team members who are often struggling to fit in. For instance, don’t just tell a team member that you expect them to be dependable or reliable. Let them know that one of the core values of the team is dependability. Then define dependability in clear easy to understand terms. Such as, a dependable team member works a full day from 8 to 5, a dependable team member shows up to meetings on time and prepared to discuss items on the agenda and make scheduled presentations, a dependable team member is proactive when it comes to helping out other team members, and a dependable team member consistently completes projects on time and in a satisfactory manner. Of course, each project should have a clear definition as to completion dates and criteria for satisfactory performance.

• Setting goals is important. As Brian Tracy says, “People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine.” Most leaders recognize that they should set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relative to the core values and strategic plan of the organization, and marked with timelines and milestones. However, sometimes leaders forget to use strong language as well. Be sure to state goals positively. Say: “When we complete the XYZ project by (date), we will be considered the top division in our company.” Avoid phrases like “I wish”, “If we could” or “I hope”. These phrases sound as if you lack confidence in your team’s ability to achieve the goal or that you are leaving the outcome to chance.

Everyday, CPAs and CAs who are members of the Principa Alliance specialize in advising small and medium sized businesses by providing strategic planning services including Towards Awesome Service and Team Advisory Boards. Both of these services can assist team leaders and business owners in working with their teams, setting goals, monitoring progress, maintaining momentum, and ultimately achieving success.

Phone Right

Around 90% of all first time enquiries begin on the telephone, so it's the perfect opportunity to project an image of friendliness, efficiency and professionalism. It's also the opportunity to significantly increase your conversion rate of telephone enquiries into sales and achieve a better return on your advertising and marketing investment.

To get the full benefits from your phone, it's important all your team members consistently use good telephone technique.

1. Develop phone answering protocols
2. Develop scripts for common phone situations
3. Hang up last

Voicemail: Friend or Foe?

When used effectively voicemail can be a great help. It's important though, not to use it as a means of avoiding talking with your customers.

When recording your voicemail messages remember these 3 things:

1. Be as brief as possible.
2. Be totally customer focused.
3. Give a human option early.

Good telephone technique can create a delightful experience for your callers such that they'll want to keep coming back.

Your company's phone pocedures need to be in line with company strategy.

CPAs and CAs who are members of the Principa Alliance specialize in advising small and medium sized businesses by providing strategic planning services including Phone Right. Strategic planning can help you build a clear vision for your business so you can plan - and achieve - the success you deserve.

The Phone Right workshop gives you and yor Team the skills you need to create a powerful first impression that is in line with your strategic plan. What's more, it also gives you key tips and techniques for dramatically increasing the effectiveness of your sales and customer service efforts.

Year End Planning

Successful businesses, small and large, plan for profit. One of the primary tools used for profit planning is the preparation of an annual budget. The problem with preparing budgets is predicting the unknown.

One way to solve for the "unknowns" in your budget is to get guaranteed pricing from your vendors and service providers. This may not be possible with most of your vendors and service providers, but one place to start is with your CPA.

In progressive forward thinking CPA firms where an emphasis is put on providing total quality service and on the value of the services to the customer, the billable hour is not used. Rather, Fixed Price Agreements (FPA) are used.

As a customer, you do not buy hours from your CPA. Thus, your CPA should not sell time.

Instead, you and your CPA should sit down and decide together what services you value, and how much you should pay for these services. During the meeting, you should also discuss payment terms and any relevant mutual commitments. Then an FPA is prepared that states what you agreed to in the meeting.

With the creation of an FPA between you and your CPA, you have one less budget item to worry about.

THINGS WERE HEATING UP IN DENVER

November 5 – 8, 2006, temperatures at the Cherry Creek Holiday Inn Select in Denver ran from the high 60s to the mid 70s. A far cry from the snowstorm that had dropped over two feet of snow in Denver and the surrounding areas just ten days earlier.

Things were heating up inside the hotel as well, where the Principa Alliance Practice 2020 Annual North American Conference and Accountants’ Boot Camp took place.

CPAs and Chartered Accountants from across North America gathered for three pretty intense and stimulating days. At this program, they explored some incredibly powerful business development technologies. And I was there.
There is no other program like this in the world.
The entire program is devoted to the application of this simple business philosophy:

“We are rewarded only to the extent by which we add value to those we’re privileged to serve.”

I learned so much—really powerful business-building philosophies that give businesses a competitive edge. I’m still stunned that so few businesses take the necessary steps to access to these ideas. Some of the topics included:

• Analyzing financial information
• Developing alternative financial presentations
• Developing business dashboards
• Outsourced financial management teams
• Emerging technologies
• Using virtual environments
• Leadership training
• Applying the Delta4 Consulting System
• Working with an association with a global network of CPAs and CAs dedicated to playing an increasingly important role as an advisor to small and medium size businesses to guide them through the process of making strategic business decision

Everything really started heating up as we headed for the kitchen. On Tuesday night we participated in a Culinary Team Building Exercise. By working in small groups, we had they opportunity to see how our recipe became integrated into a complete dining experience, thereby understanding how a single contribution is imperative to the whole. Best of all, when the meal preparations were complete we were able to relax and enjoy a great meal with our fellow Principa Alliance members.

The last burst of heat came on the final day, when we learned about implementing the 212° philosophy within our practices and with our customers.

AT 211 DEGREES,
WATER IS HOT.

AT 212 DEGREES, IT BOILS.

AND WITH BOILING WATER,
COMES STEAM.

AND STEAM CAN POWER A LOCOMOTIVE