Thought Leader Symposium: The Annual Event that Keeps on Going

Once a year, CPA Practice Advisor and a group of key software vendors in the accounting space serve as host to the profession’s think tank, the Thought Leader Symposium (TLS). Approximately 30 participants from across the accounting profession gather in a two-day closed-door meeting to discuss and digest events that are occurring within the profession and affecting the way we do our jobs, with the goal trying to make a difference in this accounting world that we call home.

The event itself is well known and touted on various social media channels with the hashtag #CPAPATLS. The topics discussed are not immediately available for public consumption because, in the spirit of a think tank, this group is trying on ideas for size and fit, testing and modeling them for each other in a secure environment, and then deciding what to send down the runway and bring out to the public in the year ahead.

Members of the thought leaders group are extraordinarily visible in the profession, having the collective ear of millions of accountants through writing, speaking, social media, and participation in associations and committees.

We will be digesting much of the information discussed at this year’s meeting over the months ahead and sharing results of survey questions and concepts based on the conversations and events that occurred last month.

The vendors who participated in this year’s event include Avalara, Intuit, Sage and Xero, four companies dedicated to innovation and improvement of the accounting profession. As sponsors of the event, they were able to collaborate with the thought leaders and gain insights from the experiences of the leaders to apply to their own plans for innovation in the years ahead.

March Madness – CPA Style

Meanwhile, in addition to engaging in college basketball frenzy, March is known profession-wide as the time when CPAs, particularly tax accountants, start running out of steam as they head into the home stretch of busy season. Things just got going in February, early March moved methodically enough, but late March hits and there are still several weeks of late nights and last minute changes.

That was before we had extension season which turned busy season into an all-year event. March is still extra busy, with a bit of seasonal madness thrown in for good measure. Here are a few quick tips for smooth sailing from now until the April 15 deadline.

Use a “Me First” approach and schedule business around your personal schedule. That means you need to stick to your scheduled times for meals and sleeping and required family events. The busier you get with work, the more important this is. Skipping meals and sleep and missing events that are important to your family can cause stress and poor health, and that will impact your ability to do the best work possible.
Do at least one thing each day to ease the burden for a co-worker. From grabbing a beverage for someone who is stuck at the desk to offering to help with part of an actual job, you’ll most assuredly see positive results in the form of happier co-workers and a more productive environment.
Stop looking at email throughout the day. It’s difficult to keep your eye off of the email box, especially if there are certain people (like your boss) who expect you to reply immediately. So use the sound feature to play a certain sound (like the music from Jaws) when messages arrive from those people who demand quick attention, and then leave the rest of the messages for designated times you’ve set aside for replying to email messages. This will help you concentrate on the job(s) at hand.

Firm Management