Interacting with Firms Across the Country

Among the many hats I wear within my position at BDO Alliance USA and as a CPAFMA board member, one of my favorites is interacting with all of the members of different CPA firms across the country.  My interaction consists of attending national conferences as well as smaller regional meetings where I feel I really get to know what’s on the minds of the professionals in the accounting industry.  One topic always seems to come up at these events, employee recruitment and retention.  It’s on the minds of managing partners, firm administrators and professionals who want to build their bench strength.

About a year ago, I read the book “Growing Great Employees – Turning Ordinary People into Extraordinary Performers” by Erika Andersen.  It basically takes a common sense approach into how to nurture employee relationships to assist in growth and success.  Much like a gardener prepares soil, picks the plants they want to grow, fertilizes with the best possible nutrients, etc. – I think you get the point…..

The same routine can be said of a successful manager.  Management needs to establish the key capabilities needed for anyone to succeed in their organization and continue to help employees focus on developing new skills and abilities. 

Employees and managers have the same duties much like a gardener when it comes to growing their team.  This book gives great examples of a successful coach, believing in people’s potential and wanting them to grow as well as giving corrective and positive feedback.  It’s not always easy to give corrective feedback without a negative reaction, but if management regularly acknowledges employee contributions, they are more likely to accept when behavior may need to be improved.

It may sound elementary, but if you can relate to the gardening metaphor, I highly recommend reading this book and perhaps include key members of your management team to get on the same page.

May your garden grow to its fullest potential!