Keeping Your Team Committed and Focused in Your Accounting Firm

Within the accounting industry, there’s so much talk about scaling your services and adding value to your firm. I’ve talked about both of these issues in the past because they’re relevant and becoming increasingly important to firm owners. However, what I think is often overlooked and not spoken about enough is what it takes for a firm to be able to do this.?

There’s so much emphasis on automation and process refinement (again, both important) and not enough discussion on the importance of the people in your firm and the role they play in achieving these larger goals.

It’s a given that when you begin scaling your size and/or services, you’re going to need to grow and expand your team. Hiring the right people is imperative but equally vital is keeping your existing team focused, committed, and motivated within your practice. Recruitment and finding talent is another discussion entirely, one I’d prefer not to dive into here because they’re actually separate issues from team management.?

Instead, I want to focus solely on what it really takes to lead a team effectively in what’s arguably one of the most demanding service-oriented industries in existence. Accounting as an industry is notorious for its grueling work hours, high-pressure demands, and speedy turnover times, all of which fall on your team.?

Your people are your most valuable asset in your firm. Making sure they can withstand this kind of pressure by providing the support and guidance they need is crucial to sustaining it.?

Why Commitment is a Two-Way Street in Accounting Firms

Getting the best from your team in their roles is as much your responsibility as it is theirs. Simply listing your expectations and expecting team members to meet them at all times is not enough, particularly in an industry as demanding as accounting. For them to be committed, you need to be equally committed first. You can’t invite people to the table without setting it. The metaphors for the importance of mutual commitment and accountability are endless.?

The point is that it’s extremely difficult to hold people accountable in any role they take on. Instead, a more empathetic and successful approach is to invite people to be accountable through leading by example as a manager or CEO.?

When someone new joins your firm or your team, it’s important to set them up for success as early as possible. Make sure they know their role and what’s required of them and also what resources and support are available to help them achieve their deliverables. Explain the values and principles that guide how everyone (including them) works in the firm and the same commitment that everyone makes.?

Doing this will not only demonstrate to them the value that they’re contributing, but also reinforce an inherent synergy and the idea of egalitarianism in that everyone is working towards the same larger goals and, no matter their role, is equally committed and equally responsible.

Keeping Your Team Committed and Focused

Again, accountability, team synergy, and egalitarianism are all feel-good concepts but how do you actually go about fulfilling them in a practical sense? Operating under the aforementioned agreement that both you and your team members are agreeing to enter a mutually committed and accountable relationship within the workplace, the obvious answer is that both parties should simply be accountable by extension.?

Provided that you clearly explained their roles, day-to-day responsibilities, and supportive resources at their disposal, as well as your responsibilities to them, this should work in theory. In practice, however, it often doesn’t play out this way. Knowledge gaps, information silos, personal strife, and tensions can all quietly chip away at commitment and focus within the workplace, even if your team is fully up to speed.?

It’s up to you to engage and ensure your team stays focused, motivated, and dedicated. This isn’t necessarily all KPIs and performance reviews. It’s also about checking in and asking how they’re doing, making sure they feel heard and that they’re aware of the value they bring to their roles.?

Often, the softer “qualitative” aspects of team management are brushed over for harder quantitative and data-driven outcomes, but we need to remember that our team consists of people. The software and automation tools we utilize in our firms help them to do their job better but we can’t sacrifice human connection for efficiency and expect team members to remain committed and stick around as the firm grows.?

It’s about finding a balance and guiding each team member, particularly if their performance is dropping. It may or may not be intentional. The important thing is to get them back on track as quickly as possible without having to sacrifice empathy in the process.?

A way to do this is to implement a tiered or multi-step system for reinforcing mutual dedication and commitment. If you see a team member or employee struggling, take the time to sit down with them. Explain to them what you see and lead by asking them if you were perhaps unclear at all about both their and your role within the firm. Revisit these explanations and reemphasize that you’re there to help them should they need it.?

If their work continues to suffer, meet with them again and make sure there were no miscommunication issues in the last session. You may need to dive deeper and ask questions like “what do I need to know that can help me help you?” or “what’s really going on that’s impacting your role?”?

At this point, you can set up actionable KPIs you’d like them to achieve within a certain timeframe to ensure they’re giving what’s necessary to their role. Make it clear again that you’re there to help and that there are supportive resources but that you will be monitoring their performance against these KPIs or goals.?

If they’re still missing the mark in terms of output and performance, meet with them again one more time to let them know. At this point, there’s a good chance they’ve either mentally checked out in their role or have significant ongoing personal or professional challenges affecting them.?

Ask them how their progress is going regarding meeting their goals for improvement and ask one last time if there’s anything they need that can help them. Tell them that this will be their final chance to turn things around and remind them of the deadline.?

Beyond this, if their performance is still lacking, there’s no more room for them on the team. Their lack of commitment (regardless of the reason) will begin to impact other team members in a domino effect and will negatively impact the team as a whole. Remember, you can’t hold people accountable, you can only invite them to be.?

Commitment is a mutually beneficial, two-way street and you can set up the avenues for success, but whether or not they’ll walk it is up to them. Guide them as best you can but also know when to make the hard call and let them go for everyone’s benefit, especially as you grow and scale your practice.