Session at the Boomer Tech Conference with Sandra Wiley and a group of emerging leaders to work on what they think the "firm of the future" will look like. This includes our research over the past three years with our New Young Professionals Network (NYPN), MACPA and AICPA Leadership Academies, and most recently a poll from the AICPA EDGE Conference for young professionals and emerging leaders. In-depth perspective came from two facilitated session with graduates of the MACPA Leadership Academy - one in 2011 where they produced a whitepaper titled, "what got you here, won't get you there" (See slide hare documents) and a second session facilitated using ThinkTank collaboration system. Combined these produce a bright picture of what these young leaders hope the future firms and organziations will look like. This presentation is set in the context of the major trends in the market, we call the "Shift Change" and includes the CPA Vision for the Future from our work with the AICPA Horizons 2025 Project. Also included is our conceptual career framework we call the Bounce. The Bounce covers the career trajectory of professionals as they move from technical proficiency to managing people and projects and ultimately organizations. The bounce speaks to the change in direction from technical mastery to acquiring competencies to lead others and leading organizations. It is about velocity and trajectory as you shift direction to the need for more “success skills” as you move up n your career. The Bounce includes the latest research on competencies from the AICPA through the CPA Horizons 2025 Project and the CGMA Competency framework. Research provided by our Business Learning Institute, the learning and innovation center for the Maryland Association of CPAs. see our website www.blionline.org

1. The CPA Firm of the Future
What Emerging Leaders are
Saying
Thriving in the Shift Change
Tom Hood, CPA, CITP, CGMA
CEO
Maryland Association of CPAs
Business Learning Institute
@tomhood

2. If there is a conversation about the future
of the profession, you're bound to hear
Hood's name mentioned as one of the
people leading the way.
– Accounting Today
Tom Hood, CPA, CITP, CGMA
! Named the Second Most Influential in Accounting
by Accounting Today Magazine 2013
! Top 150 Influencer by Linked-In
! Top 25 Influencers in Learning HR by HR
Examiner
! Top 25 Public Accounting Thought Leaders by
CPA Practice Adviser
! Working on Learning Management with AICPA/
CPA2Biz, Cloud Curriculum, Performance
Management /XBRL, Leadership Generations
CEO
Maryland Association of CPAs
(MACPA) www.macpa.org
Business Learning Institute
(BLI) www.blionline.org
http://www.linkedin.com/in/tomhood/

4. The Shift Change

5. The Shift Change
1. Leadership!
2. Learning!
3. Technology!
4. Generations!
5. Workplace!

7. The challenge
opportunity is to make the
shift from the first curve to
the second curve at the
right time and with the
right strategy

8. Leadership

10. CPAs
are
trusted
advisors
who,
combining
insight
with
integrity
deliver
value
by:
T
Communica)ng
the
total
picture
with
clarity
and
objec=vity
Transla)ng
complex
informa=on
into
cri=cal
knowledge
An)cipa)ng
and
crea=ng
opportuni=es
Turning
insights
into
ac)on
to
transform
vision
into
reality

11. Top Seven Issues - 2014
1. Not enough time
2. Reactive vs Proactive
3. Talent development and retention
4. Keeping up
5. Growth
6. Doing more with less
7. Information overload
http://cpa.tc/54s

12. Top Seven Issues - 2012
1. Information overload (including accounting and tax
complexity)
2. Work / life balance
3. Generational issues and communications (including upper
management not sharing knowledge with the younger
generation)
4. Developing networking skills
5. Keeping up with technology -- especially the cloud
6. Finding career guidance
7. Understanding social media benefits
CPA Success blog post http://cpa.tc/1ef

13. Top Seven Issues - 2008
1. Bridging the gap between college and the real world.
2. Under-developed skill sets (see more below).
3. Work-life balance.
4. Limited networking opportunities.
5. Intimidation from bosses (partners and CFOs).
6. CPA exam (time, support, information).
7. Lack of a voice within the profession.
CPA Success blog post http://cpa.tc/2w2

14. Eleven Things Emerging Leaders Want Your to Know
1. More collaborative meetings. Fewer closed door management meetings.
2. Be more transparent about the decisions that affect the members of the firm. People want to feel valued, and
when you don't tell them what is going on, it is hard for them to buy in.
3. Stop squelching initiative of those below partner level. If people are willing to take on stretch assignments,
encourage that.
4. Have more people take the strengths-finder test to make sure people are on effective teams. Reallocate people
based on strengths as needed.
5. I would require everyone to have a piece of their schedule to be allocated to the unknown, so that although
you're being reactionary, you're expecting that there are items you can't control or anticipate.
6. More acceptance that even though it takes time, ultimately it will save time (team work and brainstorming).
7. Realize that billable hour is NOT the be-all, end-all metric of actual health of organization. What are other metrics
of a healthy organization?
8. Instead of your staff lining up at our door to solve their problems, imagine if we create a sustainable leadership
culture in which everyone is engaged to accelerate the great vision and mission we have. Imagine a room in which
introverts and extroverts create an innovative, multicultural plan to help us reach our goals. We need to be
realistic in new work that's brought on, from both realistic budget hours with expectations of first-year growing
pains as well as resources available to service work. The attitude should not be to bring on all clients without
regard for resources. Does that mean a client or potential client rating scale? Yes, both of the client and our own
internal resources.
9. After spending money and time sending people to training, encourage feedback and expect changes as a result of
the investment. Embrace that.
10. Take a financial risk on leadership. Watch it pay dividends in the future.
http://cpa.tc/54r
Source:ThinkTank session with MACPA Leadership Academy

15. Four Themes from MACPA
Leadership Academy
1. Communication
2. Collaboration
3. Anticipation
4. Talent Development

16. What do we need to do about it?
Imagine if we create a sustainable leadership culture in which
everyone is engaged to accelerate the great vision and
mission we have. Imagine a room in which introverts and
extroverts create an innovative, multicultural plan to help
us reach our goals.

18. The Next Gen CPA Leaders…
1. are proactive, flexible, adaptive and collaborative by nature;
2. have regained the trust of their clients and the public at large;
3. have successfully bridged the profession’s “leadership gap” by
focusing on succession planning, personal growth, and
generational cooperation;
4. have created the profession’s premier global industry
standards and best practices;
5. have redefined the profession through work / life integration,
collaboration, and a team-first approach; and
6. have earned a reputation as technological innovators.

19. How?
1. Professional unity
2. Work / life integration
3. The evolving nature of
leadership and new
leadership models
4. Proactive, goal-focused
planning
5. Networked collaboration
6. Embracing and adopting
new technologies
From:
To:
Hierarchy
Network
Transactions
Relationships
Efficient
Effective
Well managed
Well led
Command Control
Connect
Collaborate
Push
Pull
Good
Great

21. CPAs are trusted advisors who, combining insight
with integrity deliver value by:
T
Communica)ng
the
total
picture
with
clarity
and
objec=vity
Transla)ng
complex
informa=on
into
cri=cal
knowledge
An)cipa)ng
and
crea=ng
opportuni=es
Turning
insights
into
ac)on
to
transform
vision
into
reality

22. Your clients want the “new you”
“I need you, but I
don't need the old
you. I need a new you
who understands the
transformation I’m
going through as your
customer. If you don’t,
you're out of touch.”
- Dan Burrus futurist
http://cpa.tc/1pt

23. www.blionline.org

24. www.blionline.org

25. Technical
Skills

26. CGMA
Follows
the
Bounce!

27. www.blionline.org
The
Bounce

28. R.E.M.
Michael Stipe
It’s the
End of
the
World as
We Know
It

29. Tom
Hood,
CPA.CITP
CEO
Maryland
Associa)on
of
CPAs
Business
Learning
Ins)tute
(443)
632-­‐2301
E-­‐mail
tom@macpa.org
Web
hNp://www.macpa.org
hNp://www.blionline.org
‘Blog
hNp://www.cpasuccess.com