Participant Polls from Tom Hood's sessions at the Wolters Kluwer CCH Users Conference in Las Vegas, October, 2015 Almost 200 participants attending Tom's sessions responded to a series of polls using conferences.io. The sessions were: How to Get Ready for the Fast Future and Top Trends in the CPA Profession - The Shift Change. The questions asked were generations in the audience, top challenges, top skills needed to be successful, and the top challenges facing accounting firms. The end of the report contains two more questions - What is hard about being an accounting / finance professional? And a brainstorm of hard trends and opportunities from our work with futurist and best-selling author, Daniel Burrus and the Anticpatory Organization: Accounting and Finance Edition www.blionline.org/ao

1. Par$cipant*Polls*
CCHUC15*
Tom*Hood,*CPA,*CITP,*CGMA*
CEO*
MACPA*&*Business*Learning*Ins$tute*
@tomhood*

2. Genera$on*

3. Biggest*Challenges*
1. Succession*&*
Talent*
Development*
2. Being*reac$ve*vs*
proac$ve*
3. Recruitment*&*
reten$on*
4. Managing*change*
5. Not*enough*$me*
109*responses*

4. Top*Skills*
1. Communica$on*
2. Inspiring*and*
mo$va$ng*others*
3. Strategic*&*Cri$cal*
Thinking*
4. An$cipa$ng*and*
serving*evolving*needs*
5. Influencing*and*
persuading*others*

6. Biggest*Challenges*
1. Succession*&*Talent*
Development*
2. Recruitment*&*
reten$on*
3. Being*reac$ve*vs*
proac$ve*
4. Not*enough*$me*
5. Managing*change*
85*responses*

7. Top*Skills*
85*responses*
1. Strategic*&*Cri$cal*
Thinking*
2. Communica$on*
3. Inspiring*and*
mo$va$ng*others*
4. An$cipa$ng*and*
serving*evolving*needs*
5. Change*leadership*

8. Top*Challenges*Facing*Your*Firm*
85*responses*
1. Recrui$ng*top*talent*
2. Engagement*of*our*
people*
3. Workload*
compression*
4. Reten$on*of*top*
talent*
5. Business*
development*and*
growth*

9. http://www.blionline.org/ao

10. Tom Hood, CPA, CITP, CGMA
CPA Practice Adviser Accounting Hall of Fame
Named the Second Most Influential in Accounting by
Accounting Today Magazine 2015
Top 150 Influencer by Linked-In
Top 25 Influencers in Learning & HR by HR Examiner
Top 25 Public Accounting Thought Leaders by CPA
Practice Adviser
Working on Learning Management with AICPA/CPA2Biz,
Cloud Curriculum, Performance Management /XBRL,
Leadership & Generations
CEO
Maryland Association of CPAs
(MACPA) www.macpa.org
Business Learning Institute
(BLI) www.blionline.org
http://www.linkedin.com/in/tomhood/
Hood's&greatest&a,ribute&isn't&that&he&consistently&
glimpses&the&future&more&quickly&than&the&rest&of&us&
(though&he&does).&It's&that&he's&able&to&bring&it&back&to&
the&present&and&serve&as&its&?reless,&inspiring&and&
effec?ve&champion.&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&– Accounting Today

11.
Wolters Kluwer CCH Users Conference ­ Oct 25­28, 2015
What is hard about being an accounting professional?
Explaining to a client our value and our industry not keeping it where it should be.
Time requirements
Attempting to be all things to all clients...
Time management
It is not hard, just exhausting.
Managing work life balance in the profession
Managing family and work
Handling client expectations
Time commitment
Time commitment
Compromising and adapting to change in the fast technological environment
No time for long term strategic planning
Busy work versus value work
time commitment
Time management
Working with different generations
Always putting out fires
The volume of complex returns being completed close to a deadline and the related time commitment.
Adjusting from compliance to advisory
knowing exactly what the product offerings are
Hurdles of changing to retain talented staff
Value added services
Keeping up with new laws and business changes to deliver great client service.
Keeping up with all changing tax laws
Time requirements
Trying to be everything to everybody and doing it well
Tired of compliance work
changing regulations
Being current with social media
Time commitment away from family
Marketing
Time commitment, unable to take vacation without being interrupted with work
Busy season
Technology

12.
What is hard about being an accounting professional?
Busy season
Managing client expectations with staff expectations
Time management
speed of change
managing client expectation
Finding the right people to fit the firm
Lack of experienced staff
Hard Trends & Opportunities
This exercise involved identifying the Hard Trends (future facts) that will happen and to develop
opportunities for firms to take advantage of these future certainties.
The three categories of hard trends are:
1. Technology and the three digital accelerators (Processing, Bandwidth, and Storage)
2. Demographics (Gen X ­ managers are one half of both Boomers and Gen Y)
3. Government regulations
Hard Trend Opportunity
Years in retirement is expanding Offer financial services to an aging population
Partner retirement Using technology to supplement experience and staff.
More automated tax prep Offer alternative services to tax prep
Aging boomers Fast tracking managers into partners
BEPs ??? Cut out dead weight
*ELearning needs to reflect how people Micro modules and device and location agnostic
want to learn
Tax law always changing New services for clients ­ planning & proactive
Unmotivated staff (Soft trend) Inspire and develop staff (involve and engage)
New tax laws More better work for CPA firms ­ job security
New tax laws Educate clients as laws come ­ proactive approach.
Automation of Tax & Accounting Automate and move up value chain
Increasing technology Helping clients transition to new tech
Aging Baby Boomers Fast track to partner
Access to more technology Deliver results to clients and communicate using more
technology
SALT regulations increasing Develop SALT consulting niche
Firm mergers/acquisitions New pars attracting new business owners
Retiring partners Focus on succession planning

13.
Hard Trends & Opportunities
Hard Trend Opportunity
Partners retiring Opportunities to move up current staff
Succession planning Advancement opportunity
Increasing Technology Use technology appropriately ­ make capacity for more
Partners mandatory retirement Fast track high potentials
Millennials are not looking to work as hard as their predecessors Develop new staff
Partners retiring Advancement opportunities
Tax return completion by computers Revolutionize the service offering to the client ­ more value
Automation of tax preparation on cloud Proactive to clients all aspects leverage technology
Partner retirement Change employee track ­ career plans
Partner retirement ­ loss of knowledge Work across firm to leverage wisdom of boomers and skills
of other generation (X & Y)
Shortage of Managers ­ Gen Xers Fast track high potentials & upskill
* Note: Nano­learning is in the latest exposure draft for CPE Standards from the AICPA/NASBA and
has been adopted in two states, Maryland and Ohio
The Burrus/BLI ​Anticipatory Organization: Accounting and Finance Edition​ (​www.blionline.org/ao​) is
structured learning in three minute single concept videos with rapid application exercises developed
specifically for the accounting / finance profession ­ together it is in a five hour CPE module to qualify in
states without nano­leanring.