By: Jennifer C. Zamecki, CPBA, CPVA, CAIA, TriMetrix
It always has been a little fuzzy to figure out what exactly makes some CPA’s top-notch and others mediocre at best. Well-Run Concepts has been conducting research to quantify what is needed in the position of a top CPA today by defining these key areas:
- Attributes: personal skills or competencies
- Values: rewards and culture
- Behaviors how the do the job.
We used a comprehensive, validated, step-by-step process called the Trimetrix™ system to determine what is needed for top performance. This article will summarize our findings to date and here is what we found.
Attributes tells us if an individual can do the job by looking at what personal skills or competencies are needed in the job of CPA.
The Top Seven Attributes are:
1. SELF MANAGEMENT: The ability to prioritize and complete tasks in order to deliver desired outcomes within allotted time frames.
- Independently pursues business objectives in an organized and efficient manner
- Prioritizes activities as necessary to meet job responsibilities
- Maintains required level of activity toward achieving goals without direct supervision
- Minimizes work flow disruptions and time wasters to complete high quality work within a specified time frame
2. CONTINUOUS LEARNING: The ability to take personal responsibility and action toward learning and implementing new ideas, methods and technologies.
- Researches job related topics to improve understanding, expertise and personal performance
- Continually updates business skills
- Actively seeks suitable opportunities to implement newly acquired skills and knowledge
- Provides expertise, knowledge and information to others as required
3. GOAL ACHIEVEMENT: The overall ability to set, pursue and attain achievable goals regardless of obstacles or circumstances.
- Establishes goals that are relevant, realistic and attainable
- Identifies and implements required plans and milestones to achieve specific business goals
- Initiates activity toward goals without unnecessary delay
- Stays on target to complete goals regardless of obstacles or adverse circumstances
4. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY: A measure of the capacity to be answerable for personal actions.
- Accepts personal responsibility for the consequences of personal actions
- Avoids placing unnecessary blame on others
- Maintains personal commitment to objectives regardless of the success or failure of personal decisions
- Applies personal lessons learned from past failures to moving forward in achieving future successes
5. PROBLEM SOLVING: The ability to identify key components of a problem to formulate a solution or solutions.
- Analyzes all data relative to a problem
- Divides complex issues into simpler components in order to achieve clarity
- Selects the best options available to solve specific problems
- Applies all relevant resources to implement suitable solutions
6. FLEXIBILITY: The ability to readily modify, respond to and integrate change with minimal personal resistance.
- Adapts effectively to changing plans and priorities
- Demonstrates the capacity to handle multiple tasks at one time
- Deals comfortably with ambiguity
- Adjusts preset plans as necessary with minimal resistance
7. RESULTS ORIENTATION: The ability to identify actions necessary to complete tasks and obtain results.
- Maintains focus on goals
- Identifies and acts on removing potential obstacles to successful goal attainment
- Implements thorough and effective plans and applies appropriate resources to produce desired results
- Follows through on all commitments to achieve results
Values make up the next critical success factor needed, which tells us why an individual will do the job or, in other words, what rewards & cultures are they seeking on the job.
The Top Three Values are:
1. THEORETICAL
Rewards those who value knowledge for knowledge’s sake, continuing education and intellectual growth.
2. TRADITIONAL/REGULATORY
Rewards those who value traditions inherent in social structure, rules, regulations and principles.
3. UTILITARIAN/ECONOMIC
Rewards those who value practical accomplishments, results and rewards for their investments of time, resources and energy.
Behaviors tell us how an individual will perform the job. We analyzed which of the behaviors an individual should possess to perform well in the job CPA. This is very important information to know in understanding communication styles.
The Top Three Behaviors are:
1. ORGANIZED WORKPLACE
The job’s success depends on systems and procedures. Its successful performance is tied to careful organization of activities, tasks and projects that require accuracy.
Record keeping and planning are essential components of the job.
2. ANALYSIS OF DATA
The job deals with a large number of details. It requires that details, data and facts are analyzed and challenged prior to making decisions and that important decision-making data is maintained accurately for repeated examination as required.
3. CUSTOMER ORIENTED
The job demands a positive and constructive view of working with others. There will be a high percentage of time spent in listening to, understanding and successfully working with a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds to achieve “win-win” outcomes.
Now that we have a clear picture of what the CPA Job looks like, I would like to ask you this…
- If you are a CPA, do you have these critical success factors mastered? If not, what’s your plan to develop them?
- If you are CPA firm, how are you currently measuring the talent in your CPA firm today?
- Do they have the above named attributes, values and behaviors?
- If so, great! You are ahead of the competition!
- If not, how will you develop them or better yet, select talent that already has it?
Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
If you want to know for sure, then run a Personal Talent Profile on yourself or your staff. Then match the results to the benchmark of the CPA Job in this article.
If you have a unique culture in your firm, you may want to be more specific and run a Trimetrix™ job benchmark with your own stakeholders. Then you can match your talent to your unique culture.
Either way, if you are not assessing your talent now, how can you meet the challenges of today’s evolving CPA needs?
Well-Run Concepts would like to work with you to develop a scientifically validated system for defining, selecting and developing top talent for your company.
If you would like more information on how the Trimetrix™ system works, or more details of our research, please visit us on the web at www.well-run.com, or email us at
Your comments are encouraged and welcomed.
For more information on sales skill training and assessments, visit our website at www.well-run.com or call (877) 566-2900.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Take a minute and check out our latest newsletter. Go to:
http://well-run.com/hottips.html
Thank you~
Jennifer C. Zamecki
WELL-RUN Concepts Inc.
Helping Organizations Define and Develop Top Talent
Ph: (352) 624-2684 Toll Free: (877) 566-2900
Fax: (352) 624-2689
303 S.E. 17th St. Suite 309-170
Ocala, FL 34471
Web Address: www.well-run.com
email: Jennifer@well-run.com
About the Author Jennifer Zamecki
Jennifer Zamecki is the Founder and President of Well-Run Concepts Inc., a Human Resources consulting firm that specializes in the TriMetrix Process for analyzing the unique configuration of personal skills, behaviors, and motivators required for a specific job. Her specialties include:
- Assessments
- Hiring top talent
- Management training
- Employee selection and coaching systems
- Executive Management and Leadership Coaching
- Job benchmarking
- Leadership
- Profiles
- Talent and performance management
- Talent development and coaching
- Talent selection and recruitment
- Teamwork, team building, and communication
- Validated assessment tools
