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
5 Tips for Creating an Impactful Off-Site Team Retreat
When was the last time you pulled your team away from the daily grind to work on the team, not just as a team? The best leaders recognize the need to get off the hamster wheel of never-ending operational tasks to focus on building a cohesive, high-performing team. An off-site retreat is one of the
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
Who Was Dorothy Vaughan and What Can You Learn from Her Leadership?
By Jon Lokhorst, CPA, PCC Chances are, you don’t recognize the name Dorothy Vaughan. More likely, you recall the portrayal of Vaughan by the award-winning actress, Octavia Spencer, in the much-lauded 2016 film, Hidden Figures. Although she died in 2008, Vaughan stands out as an exemplary leader for us today. So much so that I featured her
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
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
5 Ways to Engage Millennial and Gen Z Talent
Lessons learned from Deloitte’s 2019 Millennial Survey. Uneasy. Pessimistic. Dissatisfied. Skeptical. Disillusioned. These words from The Deloitte Global Millennial Survey should give every accounting and finance leader pause. The morale and engagement of millennials (those born between 1983 and 1994), who will soon make up over one-half of the global workforce, and Gen Z workers (those born
