How Do You Offer Hope?

Offering hope is one of the three super powers accountants possess, according to one thought leader. Learn how and meet one advisor who was caught off guard by her ability to give hope to others.

CPAs can flex their super hero skills by giving peace of mind, vision & clarity, and hope.

Orison Swett Marden, an American author and founder of SUCCESS magazine, said, “There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as the expectation of something better tomorrow.”

However, Michelle Golden River, CPF, might disagree with Mr. Marden. She might tell him that offering others hope is a much more powerful feeling.

In a recent social media post, River described having an “HSD,” or a high satisfaction day. She wrote that she had spent the day with Texas CPAs talking about meeting the challenges of the accounting profession, which threatens the “old way” of doing things. When the session ended, a younger attendee walked up to her and sincerely thanked her. River said the young man told her, “Right now, there are so many stressors and challenges for our firms but so few solutions. It can be pretty depressing. But today, what you said gave us hope.”

River, an inspiration operative for the Center for Accounting Transformation, said, “I could not have hoped to impart hope…I share this because, just like everyone else, I sometimes question whether what I do, say or believe makes much difference.”

Donny Shimamoto, CPA, CITP, CGMA, however, believes offering hope is one of the super powers CPAs and accountants come by naturally because they are able to see behind the numbers and provide their clients paths to reaching their respective dreams, whether that’s buying a dream home, retiring early, buying a business, expanding a business or building a legacy that lasts beyond life.

Shimamoto created the Center for Accounting Transformation, where he says accountants can go to tap into their super powers: offering peace of mind, vision & clarity and, yes, hope.

“We want to teach accountants to be successful, to guide themselves through these digital transformations so that they can tailor it. They can do it on their own and hopefully—what we’re really hoping—is that they can learn to do this and do it with their clients,” Shimamoto explained in a recent podcast. “Because then our ability to transform the world and improve the world really expands greatly.”

River, founder of Fore LLC, fits right in as one of the inspiration operatives. For more than 20 years, she’s been a voice of both vision and practicality as a change agent in public accounting. In addition to helping more than 170 firms grow and thrive, she’s also been recognized as one of the 10 Most Powerful Women in Accounting by Accounting Today, one the 25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting by CPA Practice Advisor, one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting by Accounting Today and one of the Top 25 Thought Leaders in Public Accounting by CPA Practice Advisor.

While instilling hope came naturally to River, the powerful feeling of giving hope to others seemed to take her by surprise. “It’s actually taken me a couple of hours to process the magnitude of his words and how he said them: with emotion,” she said. “I’m so thankful that he shared it with me in that moment.”

Are you ready to offer your clients peace of mind, vision & clarity and hope? Check out these upcoming courses to help you unleash your super powers:

• Automating & Optimizing Tax Workflow Experience Lab: One of the keys to success to automating tax return preparation is to map out your workflow and ensure that you are not automating a flawed process. Lean Six Sigma (LSS) techniques should also be applied to balance efficiency and quality, with the effectiveness of maintaining a client relationship and opening the door to advisory services. Attend this workshop to learn how to develop a standardized process for your firm and apply LSS techniques to optimize your workflow. Then see how these processes can be automated via software tools from vendors, with hands on exercises in trial versions of the vendors’ tools so that you know it’s not just smoke and mirrors.
• Understanding Your Cybersecurity Tech Options: How Non-Techies Can Mitigate Their Malware Risks: Confused by all of the techno-mumbo jumbo around cybersecurity technologies? Let us help demystify it for you. Attend this session designed specifically for non-techies to be talked through the major cybersecurity risk areas (malware protection, device management, email protection, backup, secure document exchange, e-Signatures, etc.) and the types of options of solutions in each area that helps mitigate your risks. You’ll leave this session with a better sense of your residual cybersecurity risks, and potential option to talk to your IT person about to help mitigate those risks.
• Engaging Your Hybrid Team: How to Ensure Employee Engagement and Equity When Working Remote: Managing a hybrid team successfully and equitably requires adjustments to your management style. Leaders must ensure that in-office employees don’t receive favorable treatment or opportunities, and that employees working remotely don’t feel left out or disconnected from the team. Explore the leadership changes to implement now so you can encourage employee engagement and ensure equity in a hybrid environment. Plus, look at how your organization should shift its performance measures and definitions of success so all employees are treated fairly, regardless of where they work.

The Center for Accounting Transformation provides accounting professionals with a framework for utilizing innovations that are ready for adoption, the training and resources necessary to apply the innovations, and an opportunity to engage the talent and community needed to further the pursuit of innovative accounting practices that drive responsible and mindful business performance.

View additional courses to help #EnableTransformation.