2022 Resolutions for Accountants.

The past few years might have been challenging to create and achieve your firm's new year's resolution. Now we find ourselves standing at the beginning of 2022.

Do you find yourself unsure of what types of resolutions you are willing to make this year in the face of another uncertain year? If so, keep reading for a few resolutions for the financial professional.

Here are a few possible resolutions for CPAs, CFOs, Accountants, and Bookkeepers for 2022.

These resolutions will help you brainstorm and develop a few concrete goals for yourself to enter 2022 with direction.??

What problems are you hoping to solve this year with your business, firm, or in your business role? Consider what will have the most significant impact on you, your clients, or your employer.

Create a realistic organizational process.

It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new year, a fresh start, and significant changes. But for your goals to be sustainable, it needs to be realistic.?

Take a good look at what went well and what didn't last year for you, your staff, and your clients. Quickly do some cleaning. Remove any unnecessary clutter in your business process.?

Use your findings to lay out several possible goals that will give you the most bang for your efforts.?

It is not just about setting resolutions. It's about setting achievable resolutions that will significantly impact your business.

Learn to use technology.

This resolution can be complex for any professional who?feels threatened by technology. Many firms are just fine with working in Excel to develop time-consuming reports. I know it can be challenging for some set in their ways to step away from what they know and enter the great abyss of technology. However, not making the necessary changes to keep up with the demands of the changing times can be more challenging.?

When it comes to?technology, take a minute to consider what tasks take up most of your time, which ones are redundant, and which ones you dislike the most.?

You already know? That was fast.?

You spend lots of time building, adjusting, and manually inputting reports.?Your time is valuable, so consider investing in digital tools to free up your schedule so?you can provide additional advisory value to your clients.?

Update your business strategy.

Hopefully, you wrote a business plan when you began your firm. Have you looked at that plan in a while? No? Well, now is a good time to do that.?

A good business plan continues to grow with your firm and should change with the times. Are you still billing hourly? Is it time to switch to value-based billing? How can you decrease your time on your clients while increasing value and revenue?

Accounting has changed since you have gone into business. Heck, accounting is drastically evolving even as we speak, well, as you read. You have to make some changes if you want to navigate 2022 successfully.

Step up your reporting game.

Your reports need to be looked at if you want to take advantage of the changing needs of your clients. What is working with your current reports? What do your clients want in their reports? Do they see the value your reports provide? Can you give more value to your reports without adding additional time?

The quickest way to?boost your value is through consumable reports?that uncover insight usually hidden in the rows and columns of spreadsheet reports. Reports that are easy to understand, timely, and insightful will improve your client's ability to make business decisions and increase their loyalty.?

"Financial decisions for a business are complicated and require insight. Insight is usually only as good as their financial understanding, that typically is limited by their accountant and how they present financial data,"

-Ryan Anderson, Chief Architect of Reach Reporting.

Remember, your clients or employer are just as unsure of 2022 as you are. Imagine the superhero you will be if you can help them become confident in their business decisions with fresh, clean, and informative reports.?

Remove those glasses, take off those close and let them see who you are. I mean, take off your clothes if you have a superhero costume underneath.

Clean up your chart of accounts

Take this year to clean up your chart of accounts. A good COA is the basis of good reporting. Updating your COA might seem complicated, but it will give you the ability to provide quality reports that differentiate you.?

Get a little deeper than the surface value of financial data.?With a well-thought-out structure of your COA, you can create almost any report that you want quickly.?

Are you still standing with your glasses off, in your tights? Well, now is the time to put your hands on your hips. That's it. That's the power stance we want. Feels good, huh?

Identify where your clients have been frustrated.

Your client's matter. Yes, even Edith. So your client services matter. Don't make assumptions here. Talk with your entire firm and see if there is a reoccurring complaint from your clients.?

Now identify the biggest complaint that your clients have. No tissue is needed; this is not about feeling bad; this is about improving and learning your kryptonite and making necessary adjustments.

Take some time to discover the positives your clients think about you.?

Go ahead celebrate. Let people know that you are faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and can leap a building in a single bound. It is ok, Clark; you can let people know you are more than a reporter.

Make company culture a priority.?

I know, it's heads down, all hands on deck, work, work, work. But this kills culture and causes burnout and frustration.?

If you are looking to protect your investment in your employees, you need to help them feel engaged. Engaged employees who feel inspired at work are 125% more productive than simply "satisfied" employees.?

If you want to check me, here is a?report by Bain & Company, Inc.

Help clients and employees feel appreciated and respected if you want to boost engagement and loyalty.?

Learn to communicate remotely

Covid has drastically changed the way we do business. The most significant change is most companies correspond virtually now.?

If you have not learned how to get your message across with online tools, you will be left behind.?

You should become familiar with the software that helps you keep up with the ever-changing improvements of remote business.??

Here is an excellent article in the?Journal of Accountancy to help you improve remote communication.

Set Clear Expectations

It's been nice to have a break. Now it's back to work, leading up to the busiest months ahead of you.?

It's no secret that many financial professionals work themselves to death. Surprisingly there are statistics to that, but they are a little depressing. So I will not share those numbers with you. Let's say they are concerning enough that I want to quote?Jack Torrance from The Shining, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."?

Make sure you set clear boundaries. Know when you should take a break and when the day should be done. The easiest way to do this is to set clear expectations with your clients and yourself. We all have different weights we are willing to pull. Just make sure yours is not too heavy.??

Good luck this year with all your adventures and endeavors. I look forward to communicating with you throughout the year to see how you are coming along.