Blog Layout
Do you give your team enough attention
Richard Brewin • February 12, 2020
How many of us really know what we are doing when it comes to building the right team and getting the best out of them?
When you run your own firm, or you are promoted to a more senior position, then the skills that got you there are generally driven by either being a good accountant or being entrepreneurial. For many of us, responsibility for human resources is something that goes with the job, rather than something that we are trained and skilled for.
Good employers and good managers will try their best but it is often a hotch pot of personal experience, network guidance and tips picked up along the way. And, of course, people are not the easiest of subject matter to read up on and apply your ideas and knowledge to. Unlike software, they are all unique. They all react and respond in different ways, follow different pathways and have varied triggers and influences.
Our teams are big investments for our firms and critical to our success. We wouldn’t try and fix our cars or homes if we didn’t know what we were doing so why try so much DIY with our firms’ most valuable assets?
In my experience, the firms that take their team management and development as seriously as any other aspect of the business perform significant better than they did before. Bringing in an HR specialist to advise on all aspects of recruitment, development, compliance and best practice has made a significant difference every time I’ve seen it done. I’m not talking quick fix here but bringing in someone with the intention of them being part of your long term plans.
Generally, for smaller firms, it’s an outsourced role but one that can still have senior management or even board room capabilities. I’ve worked alongside some fantastic external HR advisors who, over a period of time, have made a massive difference to the engagement, retention and performance of the team. The reason?...They are expert in the role!
Plenty of firms use external providers for their HR compliance these days. It makes sense given the levels of risk to the employer. I would urge a much more rounded approach though. Giving both management and the team access to an external HR perspective that understands the culture and vision of the firm drives performance every time.
If I told you that I had a strategy that would increase your profits, boost team performance, reduce employment risk, enhance the value of your business, raise client service levels, improve quality and generally add more happiness to your working day then you’d take the advice wouldn’t you?
If it’s not a strategy you currently employ then I would strongly recommend you build it into your plans.
Accountants selling to their clients is a topic as old as the profession itself. I regularly hear criticism from those looking to monetise the accountants’ relationships with their clients that “accountants can’t sell”. I also come across an attitude within the profession that “accountants shouldn’t sell to their clients…it’s unprofessional…it’s not what my clients expect”. Let’s tackle the issue.
Back in the 60’s and 70’s, when I was a lad, doing the family laundry was a time consuming chore. Mum would disappear into the kitchen and close the door so that the noise around the rest of the house was at least manageable. She would be in there for hours, swapping between washing, rinsing and squeezing out. Every so often the noise level would resemble a fighter jet taking off on an aircraft carrier as the tumbler element kicked in and then she’d reappear, wooden tongs in hand, to ask for help to reposition the twin tub that had danced across the kitchen floor.
Do I deal with the client who is shouting the loudest, the most pressing deadline, the thing that is most stressing me out, the best thing for my cash position, the team member who is stuck without my help, the thing that I had set out to do today or any one of all those other issues that are lined up at my door? I would love to give you a definitive or simple answer but, of course, there isn’t one. Welcome to every day decision-making, not just in an accounting firm but in life!
Still need more information?
Progress Barnwell Brewin Ltd
4 Ashby Place
Ashby de la Zouch,
Leicestershire,
LE65 1JL
hello@progressbb.co.uk