Learning the Skill of Anticipation is Game-Changing and Required
Katherine Watts
Guiding clients to reach accounting, finance and operational goals | Client Accounting Services (CAS) Expert | AICPA Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Accounting 2018 | AICPA Council | TSCPA Past President | UofA Alum
We announced this week that HORNE is the nation’s first accounting firm to partner with The Anticipatory Organization and train its team members with “The Anticipatory Organization?: Accounting and Finance Edition.”
What in the world does that mean you might ask? The short answer is this: accountants are operating in a world defined by accelerating change and complexity. As a result, the ability to anticipate (disruptions, problems, customer needs and new opportunities) will be the most important skill any business person can possess. I firmly believe that. So, we’re teaching our team at HORNE the skillset of anticipation as we build the Wise Firm building blocks of Forward Thinking and Windshield View.
Just for some background, it will be helpful to know that we’ve been working with Futurist Dan Burrus, the author of Flash Foresight and The Anticipatory Organization training modules we are using. Since the summer, he has been helping us to understand the hard trends facing our firm and profession, as well as to act on the opportunities we see. Now, we’re committing to carrying that same anticipatory mindset to our clients. Reacting to change is no longer enough, because clients are starving for anticipatory guidance.
For us, it is about relevance. And in order for HORNE (or any other firm) to stay relevant to our clients, we must learn to anticipate change and help prepare for the opportunities before they arrive. We are also committed to prepare our team members for the future—the opportunity to learn anticipatory skills make them future-ready. It also ensures that our firm will even become more relevant to our clients.
The status quo of reporting as historians, or simply reacting to change, will only lead to the commoditization of our services, skills and knowledge. We have to preactively guide our clients with our Forward Thinking and Windshield View. I think we are well on our way.
Learn more about “The Anticipatory Organization?: Accounting and Finance Edition”
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Investisseur | Fondateur de Triode et de quelques échecs auparavant | Innovation en technologie, naval et défense ??
9 年Salut Nicolas, tu deviens de plus en plus mon curateur préféré. Cheers!
CEO, Maryland Association of CPAs
9 年Wise Firm indeed. Horne is truly paving the way for its clients and the future of the accounting profession,
American Educator, Non Profit Board Member, Family Office Trustee
9 年This is long overdue as we knew at the turn of the century that we would need to move from a practice driven profession to client centered firms and now on to humanity driven firm branding as an industry.
Retired Chief Executive Officer at Maryland Association of CPAs (MACPA)
9 年Game-changing indeed.- great piece!