By Steve Osborne - President of Mentor PlusMonday, 26 September 2011
I often hear from managers and partners that accountability in firms is hard to accomplish. Unless an engagement has a government filing or client deadline attached to it, it just doesn't get done on time or at all.
We've all been in those meetings or retreats where new initiatives are launched and everyone is assigned their part. Everyone leaves with great ambitions and intentions. Then nothing happens ... no one gets called on the missed deadlines, i.e. no one is held accountable!Once this happens, the trust bond in the team has been broken. This broken trust bond has an effect on productivity and whether or not change can occur in the organization. The culture suffers from mistrust and lack of leadership.
There is so much talk about how we get our team members to become more accountable; how to have them embrace change and help to innovate. It's a given that today, with fast-paced change in technology and the way we work, it's essential that teams are able to plan and implement change initiatives.
Thursday, 16 June 2011 By Steve Osborne - President Mentor Plus
A March 2011 survey of U.S. workers conducted by polling firm Harris Interactive on behalf of Plateau Systems showed that 69 percent are either satisfied or very satisfied with their employment. Yet 74 percent indicated they would consider leaving their job if approached with a new offer." So how engaged are you and your team? In small business having engaged, motivated, and loyal employees reflects directly on the success of that business. Employees are typically the business' largest expense item while also its greatest asset. Productivity and customer satisfaction are driven by engaged employees who are interested in what they are doing and who they are working with.
Wednesday, 18 May 2011 By Steve Osborne - President of Mentor Plus
There has been a lot written about the multi-generational work force, and most of it has been directed toward the differences in the values and the behaviors that each generation exhibits. Highlighting the conflict between them, how they don't get along, and that "we just have to live with it". Of course this is coming from the point of view of an ageing Baby Boomer.
I reject that premise and suggest that we have always had values and behavior conflict in the workplace. We've just lived with it for so long it seems natural. Most studies report that a majority of employees would change jobs if they could find a better one. The new generation is asking "Why" it has to be this way, while the established "Baby Boomers" are threatened by the question. In this environment communications breaks down and conflicts arise, consequently productivity goes down.
03/15/2010 By Steve Osborne, MBA, CSPM, CPBA, TriMetrix-certified Last month we introduced you to the concept of Emotional Intelligence (EI). We made the connection between CPAs’ Emotional Quotients (EQ) and their success. In that article we defined EI and explained the importance of a high EQ in today’s business environment. We also promised to expand on the concepts of EI and provide some practical strategies for increasing your EQ scores.
But first, let’s step back and look at why emotional intelligence is so important to business success in the decade ahead. It’s been extensively documented that EI skills are critical for successful leadership. In fact, they are more of an indicator of success than technical skills or analytical reasoning skills (IQ).
In the American Institute of CPA’s (AICPA) 2011 Vision Project, “people skills” were identified as one of the most important areas of development for up-and-coming leaders in the profession.