In part 1, we talked about what it’s like leading a CPA firm from traditional tax factory to advisory focused firm. But, the real secret ingredient both of us discovered to drive exponential growth- and execute change- is a great team.

Before you can build a team, we landed on five common denominators that were key ingredients and non-negotiables for a successful transition of a firm to an advisory practice. 

Normalize mistakes.

You as a leader make them. Your employees will, too. ‘You’re human too. You’ll let me down. Humans make mistakes and that’s ok!’ The only bad mistake is one you don’t learn from. Setting clear expectations helps create a place where everyone is willing to grow together.

Giving permission happens in more areas than just speaking up, it happens with initiative in sales, tackling projects, reaching out to clients, chasing down new opportunities, and even having permission to make mistakes.