Top Leadership Skills for Accounting Professionals

Time Management is a misnomer, as we all have the same 24 hours in a day. But how we set goals and prioritize that 24 hours is how we maximize the gift of time. In this session we discuss the urgent vs. the important, how to effectively set goals and prioritize all the tasks we must get done in a day, week or month.

In today’s volatile economic environment and business world, the art of managing has taken on a new meaning. Remote work, co-sourcing and alternating working arrangements have made the task of managing more complex. Management has never been easy. Even with hundreds of available resources, being in a management role can feel like stepping off a cliff with no lifeline when you are unprepared. Now, more than ever, managers are responsible for the well-being, production and success of a team of people. This can be dauting if anything goes wrong or when change abruptly hits. What sets the great boss apart from the average boss? What do great managers actually do? Whether you have held a management position for several years or are just transitioning to a management role, you will find that becoming and remaining a good manager is often an art rather than a science. This session explores the goals and traits of managers as we enter the age of the new normal. We will first focus on the special requirement created by the new normal. We will end with the best practice skills and traits identified through research as long-term manager traits.

2020 was a unique year for all aspects of business. One thing it showed us was the importance of understanding the role of management and executing the process while understanding the workplace is made up of individuals of all generations, cultures and moral values. We have seen how expectations of millennials vs. "the older" generation can vary dramatically. Attitudes and reactions to simple, day to day management instruction can be interpreted in numerous ways. And expectations for work output can be varied.

We’ve all been there, trying to reason with an incredibly difficult person. The situation proves frustrating, maddening, and sometimes even frightening. The truth is you can’t reason with an unreasonable person. However, there are proven techniques to better manage such dicey situations. The difficult business issues that arose in 2020 and will certainly continue into 2021 make this an even more difficult issue to handle. Often, professionals’ resort to changing positions or moving to another area. However, difficult people are everywhere. It might be possible to avoid the 1st one or two difficult people, but how about the 3rd, 5th, 10th person you encounter? Hiding isn't a permanent solution. So rather than turn to some drastic decisions each time, why not equip yourself with the skills to deal with them? There are tactics that professionals can use with your boss, a customer, a family member, even a stranger. Keep in mind: The closer your relationship the person, the more knowledge you’ll have of what will best work to calm things down. When you're dealing with a person behaving unreasonably, the fear response center in your brain is going to be activated. It's up to you to engage your conscious mind in order to defuse the situation. Some of these tips are general, suggesting a mindset to cultivate. During these course we will examine some of the most successful techniques experts have identified to utilize when working with difficult people. Some of these tactics may be difficult at first but when you know the situation, understand the people involve, the tactics can effectively help de-escalate the issue and provide a sense of calm to the discussion.

Few financial professionals even consider the importance of building their executive presence and then they wonder why they don't have a seat or a voice at the executive boardroom table. In this series of six modules, you will learn how to elevate your own executive presence and achieve high levels of influence, leadership and make a strategic contribution inside your organization.

Some forecasts show that by 2025, millennials, born between 1980 and 2000, will make up 75% of the workforce. While all individuals are different, millennials have some common characteristics that affect their motivation and productivity in the workplace. This course describes these important personality characteristics and offers concrete suggestions for using this knowledge to enhance millennial employee satisfaction and productivity.