april2022 - 6

STAFFING
How to Manage Your Firm, Your
Staff, and Colleagues Effectively
By Mary Girsch-Bock
UNLESS YOU'RE WORKING in a silo, it requires a true team effort
to effectively manage your accounting firm. One of the keys to
a smooth-running CPA firm, like any business, depends largely
on the people you invite into your firm.
HIRE THE RIGHT STAFF
Whether you're hiring a partner, potential
partner, manager, bookkeeper,
clerk, or receptionist, choosing
the right people can make a
tremendous difference in how
well run your firm is.
In too many cases, hiring
personnel focus more on skills
and experience, and they don't
take time to consider whether
the applicant's personality is a
good fit as well. When you're
looking to hire for your firm,
don't disregard personality traits when
making your hiring decisions.
RESPECT STAFF
AND COLLEAGUES
If your firm is run as a team, and
doesn't just use the term casually, part of
being a team is listening to the thoughts
and opinions of others. Disregarding the
input of others shows a lack of respect,
as does ignoring pressing issues brought
to your attention. For example, your HR
person comes to you with an issue in the
middle of tax season.
Disregarding the issue until you
have time to deal with it displays a lack
of respect for your employee and the
issue that was brought to your attention.
There's no better way to end up with a
staff shortage than to treat staff and
colleagues as dispensable.
REDEFINE WHAT
'PARTNER' MEANS
Being a partner in a CPA firm may be the
goal of an accountant when taking a job
6 APRIL 2022 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
in an accounting firm. Of course, being
a partner carries all sorts of responsibilities.
When creating partnership roles at
your firm, be sure to have those roles
clearly defined so that those who are
considering partnership will have a clear
path to follow.
And be sure to note that becoming a
partner is not an 'in name only' concept,
but requires continued work, albeit on a
different level.
STOP MICROMANAGEMENT
If you're committed to hiring the best,
then why are you or your colleagues
micromanaging them? Instead, concentrate
on what you do best, and delegate
the rest to your staff. Remember, as
senior management or partner, your job
is to focus on innovation, not administrative
duties. If you take the required time
to find good matces for your firm, you
can sit back and give them the freedom
to do their jobs.
GET A HANDLE ON
TIME MANAGEMENT
Getting and staying organized can help
keep your desk clutter-free, and allow you
to spend your valuable time on important
things, like improving services and client
acquisition. Though technology has
helped to reduce the incidence of lost
or misplaced paperwork, remember
that spending hours looking for a lost
document can cost you valuable time. For
even better time management, consider
creating a to-do list each week, which can
help you focus your time and energies on
what's important.
LEAVE ROOM FOR
NEW SOLUTIONS
While being organized is important, that
doesn't mean that the doors to innovation
should be permanently closed.
Maybe a staff member or colleague does
have a better way to do things. Creating
processes and procedures is helpful for
new staff members and helps maintain
efficiency, but always keep the door open
for improvement.
STAY UP-TO-DATE
ON TECHNOLOGY
You don't have to implement every single
technology invention that is directed at
accountants. However, ignoring the latest
technology in favor of " we've always
done it this way " does your firm and your
clients a grave disservice. Take the time
to implement what works best for your
firm and disregard the rest.
Firm management techniques will
vary, based on the size of the firm, the
number of employees, and the number
of clients. However, following these suggestions
can be helpful whether you're
managing a firm of five or fifty. ■
Mary Girsch-Bock began her career as an
accountant and later made the switch to
writing full time, concentrating on software
reviews. A former QuickBooks beta tester,
Girsch-Bock currently specializes
in business and technology with
a focus on small businesses.
Her work has appeared in The
Motley Fool, The Blueprint,
Property Manager.com and
she currently writes a monthly
business and technology-related blog for
PLANERGY, a Procure-to-Pay platform designed
for mid-market organizations.
http://www.PropertyManager.com http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
april2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of april2022
