“In the American workplace, 80% of workers feel stress on the job, and nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress. If your people are stressed and they're not talking to you about it, that's a clue that you need to change something in your organization.” – Joey Kinney

The finer details of this episode:

●Stress management in the workplace and at home

●Challenges of setting boundaries and prioritizing tasks in work-life balance

●Impact of stress on personal lives and managing competing interests

●Role of leaders in addressing recurring structural problems contributing to stress

Episode resources:

• Summit Virtual CFO by Anders website: https://www.summitcpa.net/
• If you have questions or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at mcpasuccessshow@anderscpa.com
• Check out the Virtual CFO Playbook Course: https://vcfoplaybook.summitcpa.net/
• For more on David Allen’s Getting Things Done® approach mentioned in the episode, check out the Modern CPA Success Show’s episode with Tom and David Allen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-things-done-with-david-allen/id1485035727?i=1000595997191

Timestamps:

The podcast introduction (00:00:00)

Introduction to the podcast and its purpose.

Discussing the intention of merging podcasts (00:00:33)

Exploring the idea of merging podcasts to create intentional opportunities for audiences to interact.

The impact of stress in the workplace (00:01:04)

Exploring the impact of stress on individuals in the workplace and the need for stress management.

Challenges in managing work-life balance (00:03:07)

Challenges in compartmentalizing work and home life, and the evolving understanding of work-life balance.

Statistics on workplace stress (00:04:52)

Statistics on workplace stress, including the percentage of workers feeling stress and the need for stress management.

Personal experience with stress and its impact on health (00:06:00)

Personal experience with stress-related health issues and the impact on blood pressure.

Impact of stress on decision-making and anxiety (00:09:20)

The impact of stress on decision-making, anxiety triggers, and external locus of control.

Managing conflicting priorities and setting boundaries (00:14:31)

Strategies for managing conflicting priorities, setting boundaries, and learning to say no.

Practical tips for stress management (00:16:02)

Practical tips for stress management, including exercise, meditation, and acknowledging anxiety.

Defining Boundaries (00:18:01)

Discusses setting clear limits and commitments to avoid stress and exploding on others.

Making Decisions to Reduce Stress (00:18:41)

Explores the concept of making one decision now to avoid making multiple decisions later.

Saying No and Prioritizing (00:19:38)

Discusses the importance of saying no to tasks and commitments and prioritizing responsibilities.

Recognizing Personal Limits (00:20:23)

Shares experiences of struggling with certain tasks and the importance of acknowledging personal limitations.

Getting Things Done Approach (00:22:55)

Discusses the approach by David Allen for organizational models and stress management.

Acknowledging Stress and Anxiety (00:25:21)

Emphasizes the importance of acknowledging stress and anxiety instead of denying or internalizing it.

Creating a Safe Space for Stress Discussions (00:26:13)

Encourages leaders to create an environment where employees feel safe discussing stress and challenges.

Leadership's Role in Stress Management (00:29:21)

Highlights the role of leaders in initiating conversations about stress and creating a supportive environment.

Addressing Structural Problems (00:32:54)

Emphasizes the importance of leaders addressing recurring structural problems causing stress.

Managing Stress in the Workplace (00:33:32)

Encourages individuals to manage stress rather than seeking a stress-free job, acknowledging personal responsibility.

Stress Management Tools (00:35:02)

Discussion on effective stress management tools for creating a positive work environment and improving productivity.

Closing Remarks (00:35:18)

Tom expresses gratitude for the conversation, and Joey reciprocates the sentiment.

“Your Spidey sense has to be high during onboarding. If you start to sense frustration from the client, there might be something else that you need to dig into. I might send them a quick note and say, ‘hey, do you mind if we talk tonight?’ and I offer up my cell phone number. I've never had a client abuse it. In fact, as you start to build those relationships, they'll text you just like your friends; they don't talk business. It's really important that you establish that relationship and that connection.” – Adam Hale

The finer details of this episode:

• Importance of formalized onboarding processes
• Building strong client relationships
• Leveraging support resources for successful onboarding
• Significance of discovery in the onboarding process
• Building relationships with clients and internal team members
• Leadership and collaboration in ancillary roles
• Leveraging resources and coaching relationships for career progression
• Effective communication and collaboration within the team and with clients
• Tailoring services to meet specific client needs
• Utilizing available resources for ongoing success

Episode resources:

• Summit Virtual CFO by Anders website: https://www.summitcpa.net/
• If you have questions or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at mcpasuccessshow@anderscpa.com
• Check out the Virtual CFO Playbook Course: https://vcfoplaybook.summitcpa.net/
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vcfobyanders/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamhalecpa/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-kinney-cpa-60658188/

Timestamps:

Welcome to the Modern CPA Success Show (00:00:00)

Introduction to the podcast and its mission to provide insights on accounting innovations.

Background of Onboarding (00:00:58)

Discussion on the formalization of the onboarding process and its importance for client success.

Discovery Process in Onboarding (00:04:28)

Importance of the discovery process in understanding client's financial status and needs.

Elevate Your Firm with a Virtual CFO Playbook (00:05:08)

Promotion of a comprehensive online series for providing scalable CFO services.

CFO's Perspective on Discovery (00:06:19)

Insight into the CFO's perspective on client discovery and understanding their business goals.

Building Relationships in Onboarding (00:09:26)

Tips for building relationships with clients and internal team members during the onboarding process.

Client Relationship and Engagement (00:13:45)

Importance of establishing trust and personal connections with clients during the onboarding process.

Support Resources in Onboarding (00:17:33)

Discussion on the role of support resources, including project managers and financial support, in the onboarding process.

Architecting and Leading Engagement (00:18:32)

Discussion on the role of CFOs in leading engagements and leveraging resources effectively.

Coaching Expectations (00:19:39)

Exploration of the coaching structure and the expectations for individuals seeking coaching.

Utilizing Resources and Collaboration (00:20:57)

Importance of utilizing resources, seeking help, and collaborating for successful outcomes.

Expectations and Collaboration (00:22:29)

Emphasizing the importance of understanding and articulating expectations, collaboration, and managing up within the team.

Success and Relationship Building (00:27:09)

Defining success in terms of utilizing the team's capabilities, building relationships, and collaborating with clients and internal teams.

Onboarding and Client Relationships (00:25:48)

Discussion on the importance of understanding client needs, building rapport, and setting up successful advisory relationships.

Standardizing vs. Tailoring (00:28:33)

Balancing standardization with tailoring to meet the unique needs of each client during onboarding.

Conclusion and Future Training (00:29:22)

Acknowledgment of the importance of onboarding, overview of training, and setting expectations for success.

“Spending time onboarding can be tough for firms because it's not billable, but it is probably more important for the value proposition.” – Chris Papin

The finer details of this episode:

• Scoping, setting boundaries, and having next step conversations with clients
• Subscription-based model and building slack into engagements
• Managing scope creep in advisory work
• Impact of economic changes on client needs
• Aligning client and firm expectations
• Implementing change orders for additional services
• Onboarding and spending time on non-billable activities

Episode resources:

• Summit Virtual CFO by Anders website: https://www.summitcpa.net/
• If you have questions or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at mcpasuccessshow@anderscpa.com
• Check out the Virtual CFO Playbook Course: https://vcfoplaybook.summitcpa.net/
• https://www.papincpa.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispapin/

Timestamps:

The Introduction (00:00:00)

Introducing the podcast and its mission to provide insights on accounting strategies and services.

Chris Papin's Background (00:00:56)

Chris Papin shares his journey and the motivation behind his multi-disciplinary approach to accounting, law, and insurance.

Ethical Trust Advisor (00:04:24)

Chris discusses the importance of ethical trust advisor pillars and the difference between scope and boundaries in client relationships.

Scope and Boundaries (00:06:45)

The discussion delves into the approach to defining tasks and boundaries in accounting services, emphasizing the need for flexibility and communication.

Strategic Advisor and Boundaries (00:13:18)

Chris explains the role of a strategic advisor and the ongoing conversation needed to establish and maintain boundaries with clients.

Client Communication and Education (00:17:02)

The conversation revolves around the challenges of communicating technical accounting concepts to clients and the importance of client education and trust-building.

The slippery slope of advisory work (00:20:32)

Discussion on the challenges of defining boundaries and managing scope creep in advisory work.

Talking about talking about it (00:21:48)

Emphasizing the need for action and the impact of missed deadlines on client behavior.

Value and hard conversations (00:25:00)

Exploring the importance of adding value, having opinions, and asking tough questions in client meetings.

Client expectations and firm alignment (00:33:06)

Aligning client and firm expectations early in the process to determine next steps and potential change orders.

Empowerment and change order process (00:38:55)

Discussion on team empowerment to handle conversations and initiate change orders, with consideration for unique client situations.

The client's expectations (00:40:05)

Managing client expectations and limitations when dealing with out-of-state matters.

Client engagement model (00:40:56)

Discussing the importance of clarity in scoping, fees, and trust in client relationships.

Value proposition and onboarding (00:42:47)

Emphasizing the significance of understanding client needs and effective onboarding for a successful value proposition.

Reflecting on client boundaries (00:43:11)

Recognizing the need to assess and address potential client relationship boundaries and discomfort in addressing issues.

Concluding remarks (00:44:07)

Expressing gratitude and appreciation for the insightful conversation.