Consider an After-Action Review to Assess Your Progress This Year
By Jon Lokhorst, CPA, CSP, PCC The 2023 year-end has arrived, and now is the time to create a framework through which you can assess your progress over the past year. To achieve this, consider using an after-action review (AAR). This structured approach has been a tool of the U.S. Army in evaluating performance in battlefield
What Can You Learn from Best Firm Award Recipients?
By Jon Lokhorst, CSP, CPA, PCC Your Best Leadership LLC Earlier this fall, Accounting Today released its 2023 Best Firms to Work For results, with two Minnesota-based firms scoring high in the midsized employer category. Ranking third among 53 midsized was St. Paul-based Mahoney. Coming in eighteenth was Global Tax Network (GTN), which is headquartered in Maple
How to Become a Better Delegator
Here’s how to enhance your leadership skills and elevate your team by using more effective delegation skills. “I’m terrible at delegation,” said an emerging leader in one of my recent leadership development programs. At least she was honest. Many leaders are in denial about their delegation skills—they think they delegate well, but their team members would
How Assessments Can Help You Lead Well in All Directions
By Jon Lokhorst, CPA, PCC Is it possible for you to be a good boss and, at the same time, underperform or even fail as a leader in your organization? That was the opening question during Mission-Critical Leadership: How Smart Managers Lead Well in All Directions, a full-day training experience offered during PICPA’s 125th Annual Meeting and
5 Tips for Leading a Hybrid Workforce
Performance, productivity, and … proximity bias? Leaders navigating hybrid work environments have new risks to watch for when trying to level up their leadership skills. We’re two-plus years into the ever-changing COVID era, and employers and employees alike are wondering what the future of work will look like. “Employees are happier and more productive when they
‘Enterprise Thinking’ Is Key to Your Next Promotion
Prioritizing your organization’s success over your own is a necessary step for climbing up the leadership ladder. Are you looking to move up in your organization? Perhaps you aspire to become your firm’s managing partner or your company’s next CEO? While it’s natural to look out for your own best interests or those of your team—thinking this
How Savvy Leaders can Surf the Turnover Tsunami
Consistent and meaningful one-on-one check-ins are one key to keeping your—and your organization’s—head above water. The great resignation that swept many organizations up in a turnover tsunami doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. According to Fidelity’s Financial Resolutions Study, 39 percent of workers plan to look for a new job in 2022, and that number
Four Tips to Snuff Out Burnout
The post-pandemic rise of employee burnout should have savvy leaders taking these preventative steps to protect themselves and their teams. An increasing rate of employee burnout is among the far-reaching consequences of the global pandemic we’ve been weathering. According to the most recent Future of Benefits Pulse Survey from The Hartford, 61 percent of workers said
Use a 360-Degree Approach to Get Feedback on Leading Change
By Jon Lokhorst, CPA, PCC Leading change has always been a high-risk, high-reward proposition. That’s become even more true throughout the significant, unplanned change of the COVID pandemic. This rapid, constant change also makes it difficult for leaders to gauge their effectiveness, especially when many of their team members are working remotely. The best leaders address this
How to Prevent Turnover When Introducing Your New Normal
Using empathy, clear communication, and careful planning is key to retaining star employees when reopening the office. The World Health Organization’s declaration of the global COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020 triggered a sudden and involuntary shift to remote work. As often happens in a crisis, this inspired a can-do spirit. Employers and employees alike adapted
