Year 2 Leadership Academy kicks off.
Invest in your people today!
Our managing partners and members of our New / Young Professionals Network addressed this issue and came up with an answer: Build a multi-year program to fast-track young CPAs to take on more responsibilities on the job.
We researched corporate university models and built a program based on the AICPA’s competency research (CAT) into skills needed for different levels and used our Business Learning Institute instructors to design a curriculum that would meet the needs of both the managing partners and young professionals. The answer was a focus on the three Cs:
- CPA Citizenship: Learning about the role of the CPA and the public interest of the profession and its culture and history.
- Context: Understanding the environment for different stages of their career.
- Competencies: Building the right competencies at the right time.
The three-year program involves about four full-day classes spread out through the year, with a basic progression from learning about the profession and self to preparation for becoming a partner by Year 3.
The program has three distinct steps:
- Learn about the profession and self.
- Learn how to work with others (teams and supervision).
- Learn to lead and manage customer relationships.
Despite the enthusiasm of the young professionals involved in the Leadership Academy program, we are still hearing that many CPA firms won’t sign up people because they are “too busy.” My experience in working with these young professionals is that they want these skills very badly and if they do not get them, they will look to other employers who might offer them.
How do you think we can solve this staffing crisis?
More resources on staffing:
- See what the young professionals came up with in their strategic plan.
- What do new / young professionals want? Read this post.