Blog Archives
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A Seat at the Management Table
By Jim Boomer, CPA.CITP; CIO, Boomer Consulting - Thursday May 10, 2012One myth that is far too common in CPA firms is that you must be a CPA to manage and understand the firm. This is simply not true and is costing firms a lot of time and money while reducing their ability to compete today and into the future. Requiring a CPA certificate to have a seat at the management table is holding back some of your best talent and limiting the firms potential for greater success. One party that should have a seat at the management table is your CIO, especially if you want to create the alignment between firm strategy and technology. Let’s look at five ways CIOs can provide you a strategic advantage and why they should be contributing members of your management team. CIOs bring a different perspective to the... -
Stop Talking Diversity, Start Acting
By Sandra Wiley, COO, Boomer Consulting - Thursday May 3, 2012Diversity is something that we have been commiserating about for many years as it pertains to gender, age, and race – areas that are protected under federal law. Our firm leaders often go to seminars, read articles and if we are asked, we engage in a conversation about how we wish our industry was different and how we are supportive of improved diversity in our own firm. We also focus on the similarities and differences our employees possess within our firms, and although equal opportunity laws establish anti-discrimination standards in the workplace, we also recognize that these laws fall short of providing protection for personality differences that stem from upbringing, socialization and cultural characteristics. Firm leaders can... -
Is Your Firm like the Hunger Games?
By Sandra Wiley, COO, Boomer Consulting - Monday April 16, 2012
I have been intrigued by the storyline in the recent blockbuster book and movie “The Hunger Games” since my daughter was tasked with reading it in the summer of 2010 before she entered her freshman year at Kansas State University. The University asked each Freshman to read the book so they could all have something in common as they arrived on campus. I decided I should also read the book so that I could join her in the conversation – and I’m so glad that I did! The foundational storyline is about Panem, a totalitarian nation that is divided into districts and the Capitol. Each year two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in "The Hunger Games" – a battle to the death for the two... -
Are you Ready for BYOD?
By Jim Boomer, CPA.CITP; CIO, Boomer Consulting - Wednesday April 11, 2012
It seems that everywhere you turn someone is talking or writing about the “consumerization of IT” or BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). This trend is real and one we all need to pay attention to. It is rapidly replacing the days of the IT department selecting and requiring the type of device the organization issues and supports. Many firms are now allowing employees to purchase the smartphone or tablet of their choice and connect these devices to company data. There are certainly benefits and challenges to this trend (I plan to expand on these in an upcoming column). What I’d like to share today is some information I’ve seen, heard and gathered around this topic. My hope is that if you haven’t even considered the idea, you’ll at... -
Spring “HR Talent” Cleanup
By Sandra Wiley, COO, Boomer Consulting - Tuesday April 3, 2012During this time of year, I feel the pull to clean! My house, my car, my office and even my briefcase! I am told by a co-worker that it is a sickness, but I always seem to physically feel more energetic and productive when my cleaning frenzy is complete. This spring cleanup can also apply to the tasks that we have in relation to Talent Development within your firm. This is a great time to re-energize and spruce up the talent that you have in your firm. Let’s take a look at the areas that you can add to the spring talent cleanup checklist. Revisit Policies and Procedures as We Enter Our Hiring Upturn While the economic experts argue about whether the recession has officially ended, firms have been moving toward recovery over the... -
Is Knowledge Management on Your Radar?
By Jim Boomer, CPA.CITP; CIO, Boomer Consulting - Tuesday March 27, 2012The leadership of firms in our profession is aging and firms across the country are concerned about where the next wave of leaders will come from. Unfortunately, who will take over is not the only issue firms need to be planning for today. Equally important is what will happen to all the wisdom, experience and knowledge that these partners have built up in their heads over the years when they call it quits. If Knowledge Management hasn’t hit your firm’s radar yet, I’d suggest you take a look at your firm’s strategic priorities. Knowledge management is a process to embrace knowledge as a strategic asset to drive sustainable business advantage and promote a “one firm” approach to identify, capture, evaluate, enhance and... -
Employee Surveys
By Sandra Wiley, COO, Boomer Consulting - Tuesday March 20, 2012The accounting professionals in your firm are in the heart of one of their busy seasons and the “C” suite professionals are also busy – planning for their busy season in a few weeks. One of the tasks that your COO, CIO and CLO professionals are most likely preparing are employee surveys. Firm professionals should apply the same level of attention and accountability to employee surveys as they put toward client surveys. Yet instead of driving the survey process from the top and holding individual partners and managers accountable for retention results—like they do for other business results—CEOs are more likely to say “HR: go fix it” when engagement survey results are lower than desired. And that’s why some say that the... -
Bridging the Gap
By Jim Boomer, CPA.CITP; CIO, Boomer Consulting - Friday March 9, 2012Jim Boomer, CPA.CITP, will soon be contributing his thoughts in the Tech2Exec blog.
