The BIG System

              Many successful accountants rely on two universal truths to maximize individual and team performance:

              1. Clarity at a higher level gives purpose to a lower level.
              2. Success at a lower level supports achievement at a higher level.

              Many accounting firm owners know they should be working ON their business, not just working IN it.  Oftentimes accountants start their own business to experience business success, ultimate destiny, and create personal wealth.

              Some accountants succeed at achieving their initial goals. They create, establish and grow their business. Then they recruit employees and hire in contract specialists. At that point, many owners are drawn away from working ON their business and end up spending more time working IN their business. They set up and initialize work systems and procedures. Then they manage, supervise, train, motivate, monitor, support, coach, counsel, and discipline employees as much as (or more than) they “lead,” “direct,” and “grow the business.”

              What accountants really want is a Big System for company success that puts “responsibility” with staff and enables each person to know how to achieve rather than just work. That is where an overall achievement system comes in. In this article we will introduce the system and summarize its power. Each accountant can then decide how they want to introduce and use it.

              The Big System Described

              When everyone follows this system they perform better, achieve more, and free the owner to focus on their own performance. Let us start at the “higher level.”

              • Your Values and Business Purpose. Everything everyone does must reflect the company’s values and support its overall purpose.
              • Company Goals. Successes which directly impact Values and Purpose are key to ultimate success. Everyone must know them, be clear about them, and agree to achieve them in all they do.
              • Functional Goals. Each job description has a purpose. Each employee and contractor must understand how “doing their job” is more than attention to detail or avoiding mistakes and shortfalls, it is about meeting agreed standards because that contributes to long-term company success.
              • Performance Targets. Targets support functional goals. Effectively applying knowledge and skills means individuals and teams will hit their performance targets as part of meeting high-level goals.
              • Key Focus Areas. Some parts of every job description are key to success. Some parts are less critical. Everyone must be clear about what is key to success in every situation as well as overall, then keep them front and center.
              • Key Tasks. Delivering on Key Focus Areas means actually prioritizing key tasks daily, weekly, monthly or project by project.
              • KPIs. Continually measuring one’s performance level against specific KPIs is a powerful, obvious, and easy way to manage one’s own actions without waiting for the manager or team leader to step in.
              • Daily Actions. What gets measured gets done.

              Summary Comment

              When every team understands and buys into the company’s purpose and goals, their own functional goals and performance targets make sense and matter more than just “doing one’s job” plus incentives or punishments. When people agree with and want to contribute to the greater success, they feel part of something important. They have reasons to own their key focus areas and key tasks. Their daily actions make more sense and have more meaning.

              Being clear about those things gives more purpose to daily tasks. Performing those tasks feed up through the levels of the Big System to deliver on company values and purpose. When each person and each team is aligned with the system, success becomes a given.

              If you are finding value in these blog articles, please check out our community of small to medium size accounting/bookkeeping firms.  Our set of systems can truly turn your business around and reduce the stress load you carry.

              For more information, please go to our website  www.getoffthewheel.com or Facebook.

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                Get off the Wheel Systems and Procedures for Greater Profits & Reduced Stress

                By: Diane Gardner 


                This Book is for you IF…

                You are an accountant, bookkeeper, or tax preparer with employees and one of the following describes you: 

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