For a long time, firms assumed that enough experience would eventually turn good accountants into trusted advisors, manages and leaders. A lot of firms are still training accountants for a version of the profession that no longer exists.

Things Have Changed

The profession has changed, and more importantly, the skills that clients actually value have changed. This means that firms need to become more intentional about how people develop than they were in the past.

You can see this change is already happening in real time. Firm leaders are increasingly centering conversations around questions like:

• How do we help younger employees communicate more confidently?

• How do we develop advisory skills earlier in someone’s career?

• How do we help people exercise good judgment when they haven’t seen every situation before?

• How do we create more opportunities for coaching when managers are already stretched thin?

They’re looking for people who can explain complex issues clearly and anticipate problems before they arise. They want to work with professionals who can ask thoughtful questions, build trust and help them make decisions. Those skills need to be developed.

People Drive Growth

Every firm eventually reaches a point where its ability to grow becomes directly connected to its ability to develop people. You can improve workflows. You can invest in technology. You can acquire new clients. But at some point, growth requires more employees who can communicate effectively, build trust with clients, exercise good judgment and take on greater responsibility.

These skills need to be developed. That might mean investing more heavily in coaching. It might mean giving employees more opportunities to practice communication and advisory conversations. It might mean being more intentional about sharing knowledge that currently lives inside the heads of a few experienced leaders.

Whatever the approach, the firms that win the talent battle will likely be the ones that treat development as a strategic priority instead of a byproduct of experience.

Real growth in your firm relies on developing more people who are capable of serving clients.

Okay, fine, not every email. But enough of them to notice? Do you feel like you’re constantly reviewing responses, tweaking wording, double-checking tone and stepping in before something goes out the door?

If you’re leading a growing firm, I have a feeling you know exactly what I’m talking about.

It’s not a bad thing! At first.

The Problem Isn't the CC

A lot of founders built their firms on strong relationships and high-touch communication. They care deeply about client experience. They know how they want the firm represented. They know how to handle difficult conversations, explain complicated issues clearly and make clients feel taken care of.

So naturally, people keep coming to them. They don’t want to get it wrong and screw up an important client relationship.

At first, it probably even feels good. It means your team trusts you. It means people care about getting things right.

But when your firm starts growing… More clients come in and more employees are hired… And they’re ALL. SENDING. EMAILS.

Suddenly, you’re an editor, a coach, a relationship manager and an emotional support system for half the organization. As if keeping the firm’s lights on wasn’t enough.

It’s exhausting!

Founder Burnout Often Looks Like Responsibility

We don’t talk enough about the emotional labor of that kind of leadership dependency.

From the outside, growth looks exciting. There’s more revenue, more momentum. You have a bigger team and bigger opportunities.

But internally, growth can start to feel like being emotionally responsible for more and more people until it gets to a point where you can barely step away for a bathroom break.

It might seem harmless, but think about it. You’re reviewing client communication late at night. You’re mentally carrying difficult conversations. You’re desperately trying to maintain consistency across a team that’s getting larger and more complex every year.

You can improve workflows and hire managers, but that dependency doesn’t always disappear.

I think this is where a lot of founder burnout quietly starts. It’s not easy to be the person everyone relies on for reassurance, judgment and communication support.

Especially in accounting firms, where so much of the business depends on trust.

We all know that clients don’t just remember whether the work was technically correct. They remember responsiveness, clarity, tone, confidence and how interactions made them feel.

For founders, that creates an invisible pressure to personally protect the quality of every client relationship.

At Some Point, Trust Has to Scale

But eventually, growth forces you to realize that you can’t personally hold every relationship, review every interaction and coach every employee forever.

At some point, scaling a firm becomes less about workflows and more about trust.

• Can your managers lead without constant oversight?

• Can employees communicate confidently on their own?

• Can other people carry the culture and client experience consistently?

And if they can’t, then the question becomes: What do they actually need in order to get there?

• More coaching?

• Clearer communication standards?

• More opportunities to practice difficult conversations?

• More confidence?

• More support from managers who already feel overwhelmed themselves?

Eventually, founder dependency stops being a “people keep CC’ing me” problem and starts becoming a signal that something deeper inside the organization needs attention.

At a certain point, leaders have to stop asking: “How do I keep up with all of this?”

And start asking: “What would need to change for my team to succeed without needing me involved in every step?”

Many founders spend years proving they’re the smartest person in the room. Scaling requires something much harder. Creating a room full of people who no longer need to ask for your approval.

That’s not losing control. That’s leadership working!

A lot of firms spent years untangling messy systems, moving to the cloud, implementing new technology and trying to modernize the way work actually gets done.

That’s really important work, and it’s definitely where I’d recommend any firm start first. (You’ve heard me say it time and time again, tech doesn’t fix broken processes.)

But what if you’ve done all of that? (If you’re reading this, I’m guessing that you’ve at least tried.)

Maybe you took it seriously, and you feel pretty good about where your firm is at now. It took a while to notice real results, I’m sure. But maybe, you’re finally starting to look around and realize there’s less manual work to do, your processes move along pretty quickly, and everyone seems a little less frazzled.

You’re not alone! I’ve noticed a lot of firms that seem to be entering a different stage of growth, and I think they’re some of the most interesting case studies in the industry right now.

I’m talking about firms that already invested heavily in technology and improved a lot of their workflows. The operational side of the business is in a much better place than it was five or 10 years ago.

Because of that, they’re starting to notice a different kind of problem. (There’s always something, isn’t there?)

The New Bottleneck Isn't Technology

The new problem has to do with people.

Some of the most forward-thinking firm leaders aren’t spending all their time talking about automation anymore. Instead, common topics include things like: communication quality, younger staff development, coaching, client relationships and consistency across teams.

I think that means some firms have gotten far enough along in their technology journey to realize that smoother systems don’t automatically solve human challenges.

In a weird way, better technology almost makes those challenges more noticeable.

Once the day-to-day operations get less chaotic, leadership gaps become harder to ignore.

You start noticing that managers are overloaded and younger staff need more coaching than anyone has time to provide. You see how communication can vary wildly from person to person. Even with better systems, the firm still relies heavily on a few experienced people to keep things running smoothly.

Technology Scales Faster Than Mentorship

Growth is happening faster. Managers are stretched thinner. Professionals often get fewer opportunities to absorb communication skills and advisory instincts just by being around experienced people all day.

At the exact same time, clients are expecting more human connection than ever.

They want responsiveness. They want strategic thinking. They want confidence. They want advisors who can communicate clearly and build trust.

That creates an interesting tension inside modern firms. Scaling technology is one thing, but scaling people is way messier.

ESPECIALLY when growth starts accelerating.

The Real Challenge is Scaling Humans

The firms furthest along in their technology journey aren’t asking which software to buy next. They’re asking questions like:

• How do we help people grow faster?

• How do we maintain quality as the firm scales?

• How do we support managers who are overwhelmed?

• How do we create more confident communicators and advisors?

Maybe this is the next phase of growth for the accounting profession. The first era was about digitizing work. The second era was about automating work. The next era may be about accelerating human development. Because once technology stops being the bottleneck, people become the competitive advantage.

Welcome to the Post-Tech Firm

The future is not about having the most technology. It’s about using that technology to develop better leaders, better advisors and better humans.

That’s not a technology strategy. That’s a people strategy. And I think that’s where the real future of accounting begins.

You just got off a call, and the transcript is uploading to Navi. You think, “That was fine… Maybe a 6 out of 10?”

And the score comes back 8.4, and you say to yourself, “Time to delete my Navi account because I’m an advisory god!”

Or worse. It’s only a 3.2, which makes you think, “Ouch. I thought robots were supposed to be friendly.”

Suddenly, you’re not just reviewing a conversation. You’re trying to reconcile two different versions of reality.

Don’t React, Get Curious

Navi’s a tool for you. It’s not judging you. It’s not a manager breathing down your neck, waiting for a reason to replace you.

Take a breath, don’t let a robot get you down. But don’t explain it away either.

The mismatch in scores isn’t a problem; it’s the opportunity.

When your self-assessment and the data don’t align, the goal isn’t to decide who’s right. The goal is to understand why they’re different.

Step 1: Identify the Type of Gap

Before you do anything else, figure out if you rated yourself higher or lower than the data. Those are two completely different growth paths.

If you rated yourself lower, you’re likely dealing with a confidence gap.

If you rated yourself higher, you’re likely dealing with a visibility gap.

Both matter. Neither one means you should toss your laptop out the window and call it a day.

If you rated yourself lower: validate what’s working

This is where most people move too quickly. You assumed you needed to improve, but the data is telling you something else. Time to pat yourself on the back and move on, right?

Nope! You’re doing things well that you’re not noticing. If you don’t know your strengths, how can you play to them?

Instead of brushing past it, ask Navi:

• Where did I show strong clarity in this call?

• What moments landed well with the client?

• What did I do that contributed to this higher score?

This isn’t about boosting your ego. (Although there’s no shame in feeling proud!)

It’s more about pattern recognition. If you don’t understand what’s working, you can’t repeat it.

If you rated yourself higher: find out what you missed

This is the harder outcome, and the more important one. Now you’re looking for what you didn’t see.

Ask Navi:

• Where did I lose the client’s engagement?

• Were there moments where I didn’t answer the question directly?

• Did I clearly define next steps?

• What specifically lowered my score in this dimension?

You’re not looking for a general answer. You’re looking for specific moments.

Growth doesn’t come from “Do better next time.” It comes from, “Right there, that’s the moment where I can make a different choice.”

Step 2: Isolate One Shift

Most people overcorrect. They see the gap and think, “I need to fix everything.”

You don’t!

Pick one dimension, one behavior, one adjustment.

Maybe it’s:

• Asking one more check-in question

• Slowing down your explanation

• Being more direct with next steps

Then, go into your next call looking for that one thing. That’s how you’ll actually be able to build your skills and improve over time.

Step 3: Use Navi Like a Coach, Not a Report Card

If you’re just looking at your score, you’re missing the point. Navi isn’t there to grade you; it’s there to guide you.

Navi’s equipped to answer your questions and help you better understand how you show up in calls. So, treat it like a conversation.

• What would you have done differently in this moment?

• How could I have made this clearer?

• What’s one way I could improve this engagement next time?

The more specific your questions, the more useful the feedback becomes.

This is What Real Self-Awareness Looks Like

The goal isn’t to be perfectly aligned with your score. It’s just to get closer over time.

You’ll start to understand your patterns, recognize your strengths and see your blind spots before they become habits.

The best advisors aren’t the ones who always perform perfectly. They’re the ones who know how to learn from how they perform.

When you combine your self-awareness with real data, improvement stops being a guessing game and starts becoming a system.

(Don’t worry, you all know I LOVE an event. But we have to think bigger!)

Most of us go to a training or attend a conference to check the CPE box. Then we all go back to work and… nothing really changes.

We’ve normalized a model where learning is episodic and disconnected from our actual work. It’s largely focused on technical updates instead of real skill development.

That model is broken.

Not just because of new technologies and AI. Not just because accountants really should focus more on learning about advisory.

But because of people, specifically, the next generation entering the profession.

Gen Z Isn’t Interested in “Check-the-Box” Development

Gen Z professionals are coming into accounting with a very different expectation: they don’t just want jobs, they want growth.

They understand the profession is changing rapidly and they need to keep up. They’re not counting down the days until they retire from the role they’ve held for 20 years with a long-time boss who still thinks Excel is new-age technology.

They know that they need to differentiate themselves to stay relevant, and that requires skills that have nothing to do with the CPA exam.

Gen Z expects:

• Continuous feedback, not annual reviews

• Development that’s personalized, not one-size-fits-all

• Real skill-building, not just compliance training

• Clarity on how they’re improving over time.

And they’re used to this in every other part of their lives. They grew up with platforms that give instant feedback, track progress and adapt to how they learn.

Then they enter accounting and get… a webinar and a PDF.

The gap is going to become a real problem for firms that are trying to attract and retain talent. The next generation isn’t going to stay in environments where growth feels slow, invisible or disconnected from their day-to-day work.

The Problem with Traditional Professional Development

We’re all used to annual reviews, quarterly trainings and occasional coaching conversations. Even when firms invest in development, it’s often too infrequent to drive real change, too generic to be meaningful and too removed from actual client work.

Most importantly, it lacks feedback loops.

Professionals are expected to improve, but they’re rarely given consistent insight into how they’re actually performing in real situations, especially when it comes to communication, advisory and leadership.

So, growth becomes slow, uneven and largely self-directed.

What Changes With AI Coaching

This is where Navi can start to shift the model in a meaningful way. Instead of treating development as something that happens outside of work, Navi embeds itself into day-to-day responsibilities.

When you upload your client calls and team meetings into Navi, it shows the ways you communicated well and the areas where you still need improvement. You can ask follow-up questions so you can get direct, actionable steps that will help you change your behavior.

Navi introduces the idea of continuous coaching. Instead of receiving feedback once a year, professionals can get consistent feedback based on how they actually communicate and interact with clients.

You don’t have to wait for feedback; you can reflect and adjust in real time. And Navi tracks progress too, so you can actually see how you’re improving over time.

Why This Matters More Than We Think

Most accounting firms have built their development models around technical competence and operational stability. But Gen Z isn’t looking for stability, they’re looking for growth.

Gen Z wants to:

• Become better communicators

• Feel confident leading conversations

• Understand how they’re perceived

• Improve intentionally over time

And they expect their workplace to support that. This is where AI coaching becomes more than a “nice to have.” It becomes a bridge between where the profession is and where the next generation expects it to be.

The Future CPA Firm

The future CPA firm won’t just invest in better technology for client work. It will invest in better systems for developing its people.

Because in a world where technical work is increasingly automated, the differentiator isn’t just what your firm does. It’s how your people think, communicate, and lead.

Those are skills that don’t develop through annual training programs; they come from continuous feedback, reflection and practice.

But transformation in a profession rarely starts with technology; it starts with human development.

When our team has conversations about where accounting is headed — AI, advisory, client experience — we keep coming back to a framework that has nothing to do with accounting at all: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Maslow’s model describes how human growth happens in stages. At the bottom of the pyramid are the basic needs for survival and stability. At the top is self actualization. That’s the idea that people reach their full potential by continually learning, reflecting, and improving.

When you apply Maslow’s hierarchy to the accounting profession, it becomes clear that most firms and most professionals are still operating in the lower levels of the pyramid. The next phase of the profession isn’t just about new tools or new services. It’s about helping accountants move further up the pyramid.

The Base of the Pyramid: Survival in Compliance

The bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy focuses on survival. For humans, that means food, shelter and basic security. In accounting, the equivalent has always been technical competence.

At the beginning of our careers, the focus is on learning the rules. We need to understand the mechanics of the profession, like tax law and audit procedures, well enough to survive in it.

For decades, the profession has built its identity around this level of the pyramid. Passing the CPA exam, mastering complex regulations and producing technically accurate work became the markers of professional success.

And to be clear, this foundation matters. Without technical competence, the rest of the pyramid doesn’t exist.

But surviving the profession and growing within it are two very different things.

Stability and Security: Building the Modern Firm

The second layer of Maslow’s hierarchy is safety and stability. Once basic survival needs are met, humans begin seeking structure, predictability and security.

In accounting firms, this stage shows up in the systems and processes we build to support the work.

This is where the profession has spent the last 20 years. We invested heavily in technology designed to create operational stability:

• cloud accounting platforms

• workflow systems

• document management

• automated tax preparation

These tools made firms more efficient and more scalable. They helped create predictable processes and stable operations.

But while these systems solved many operational problems, they didn’t fundamentally change the role of the accountant. They just made the existing role more efficient.

Maslow would say that’s exactly what we should expect at this stage. When people reach stability, they begin asking a new question:

What comes next?

Belonging: Relationships with Clients

The third level of Maslow’s hierarchy is belonging. Humans naturally seek connection, community and relationships.

In accounting, this stage shows up in our relationships with clients and colleagues.

Many firms talk about being “trusted partners” or “strategic advisors,” but relationships in the profession have often been transactional. Clients bring information, the firm processes it and deliverables go out the door.

Advisory services began to change that dynamic. Instead of simply producing reports, accountants began participating in conversations about strategy, risk, and decision-making.

But advisory work introduces a new challenge. Technical expertise alone is no longer enough. The value shifts toward how professionals communicate and engage with clients, which is less tangible but incredibly important.

Esteem: Becoming a Trusted Advisor

The fourth level of Maslow’s hierarchy is esteem. At this stage, individuals seek respect, confidence and a sense of mastery.

In the accounting profession, this is where the idea of the trusted advisor truly lives.

A trusted advisor does more than deliver accurate work. They guide conversations, help clients understand complex issues and build confidence through clarity and insight.

But most accountants were never trained for this part of the job. This creates a gap in the profession. Firms say they want advisors, but the development systems inside most organizations still focus on technical output rather than interpersonal growth.

Moving up this level of Maslow’s pyramid requires something new in self-awareness.

Professionals need to understand how they show up in conversations, how clients perceive their communication style and how they can improve the way they guide discussions.

That kind of growth requires feedback, reflection and practice.

The Top of the Pyramid: Self-Actualization

At the very top of Maslow’s hierarchy is self-actualization. It’s the process of realizing one’s full potential.

This is where professionals stop thinking only about tasks and begin focusing on continuous personal growth.

In a profession built on lifelong learning, you might assume accountants spend a lot of time here. But in reality, self-actualization requires the ability to see ourselves clearly.

We all have blind spots in how we communicate. We think we are being clear when we actually sound confusing. We believe we are guiding conversations when we are simply reacting to them.

This is why reflection is such a powerful tool for professional development. When people receive insight into how they think, speak and interact with others, they gain the opportunity to grow intentionally.

This is where the newest generation of AI tools may play a role in the profession.

Instead of focusing only on automation or efficiency, tools like Navi are exploring how AI can act as a kind of mirror for professionals. How AI can help them reflect on their communication patterns and identify opportunities for improvement.

The Next Evolution of the CPA

The next generation of tools won’t just make accountants faster. They’ll help accountants become better advisors.

The future CPA won’t just be a technical expert supported by powerful software. They will be a professional who understands how to communicate, guide clients, and continuously improve how they show up in their work.

And if Maslow’s hierarchy teaches us anything, it’s that real professional growth doesn’t happen at the bottom of the pyramid. It happens at the top.

But the way we deliver tax information to our clients is far more fluid. As it becomes easier for the average person to prepare their own tax returns online, more clients want their accountants to lean into their role as financial advisors.

They’re looking for a relationship with a professional who can help them navigate their finances, answer their (often-panicked) questions and strategize with them on their goals.

If you really enjoyed creating a perfectly balanced return in the comfort of your cubicle, this is really annoying! But you’re not “bad at advisory,” you’ve just never practiced it.

Advisory isn’t a talent you either have or you don’t. It’s a muscle that can be developed with time, feedback and intention. Like any skill, it gets easier, stronger and more natural the more you work at it.

No One Taught You How to Talk Like an Advisor

You already trained for the technical parts of your job. You studied tax code, memorized compliance rules, learned how to explain Schedule C to a sleep-deprived freelancer. This didn’t happen by accident; it took practice.

(And for some of us, it took a handful of CPA exams before we even passed.)

Advisory deserves the same kind of training, but most accountants never got it. It wasn’t talked about in school and you certainly weren’t being trained during tax season. Even most of our continuing education focuses on rules and regulations instead of communication.

So, when you find yourself stumbling through a client conversation or spiraling after a call that didn’t land the way you wanted, it’s not a sign you’re bad at this. It’s a sign you’ve been thrown into a situation you were never really taught to handle.

Conversation Skills Can Be Learned

There’s this idea that you either “get” client work, or you don’t. You’re either a numbers person or a people person. But that’s a trap. You’re a professional and professionals polish their skills.

You can prepare for hard conversations before they happen. You can workshop how to explain ERC without going full IRS robot. You can listen to yourself and notice your habits. You can build new ones.

This is the kind of practice that separates decent advisors from transformational ones.

Growth Can Be A Metric

A lot of accountants measure their advisory skill based on how they felt after a call. Did I sound confident? Did the client seem happy? Was that a weird silence? Did I talk too much?

Those questions matter, but they’re not the whole picture! That’s why it helps to have data.

Navi is a conversation intelligence tool built for accountants and advisors. It listens to your real client and colleague calls and gives you personalized feedback across five key areas that matter in advisory work: clarity, authenticity, engagement, action and impact.

It doesn’t just tell you, “good job” or “talked too long.” It shows you what landed, why something else didn’t and how your skills are growing over time. It turns your gut feelings into actual growth patterns so you can see your progress instead of guessing at it.

You’re Not Behind. You’re Just New.

The shift from tax prep to advisory can feel massive because it is. But it doesn’t mean you’re bad at it. It means you’re learning. And like any technical skill you’ve mastered, communication is something you can train, sharpen and grow over time.

Advisory isn’t just about knowing what to say, it’s about learning how to say it in a way that lands. That part takes practice.

Navi makes it so that every conversation is a chance to get a little clearer, a little more attuned, a little more effective.

Advisory is part of the job now, that’s not changing. It’s a skillset that you’ll keep building for the rest of your career, and Navi is here to support you as you do.

Maybe you can already see how Navi could elevate your firm’s advisory conversations, strengthen communication and create more intentional client experiences. But you’re not quite sure how to articulate that vision in a way that brings others along. Or maybe, you’ve tried to introduce the idea and were met with polite nods, cautious questions or outright skepticism.

When professionals hear that their calls can be uploaded, analyzed and scored, the questions come fast:

• Is this grading me?

• Is this leadership monitoring performance?

• Is this about cutting staff?

• Is this one more thing on my plate?

• Is this replacing experience with algorithms?

And if those questions aren’t addressed directly and proactively, the narrative will write itself.

Yes, it’s important to explain how Navi works. But more importantly, it’s critical to explain how it will exist inside your firm and what it represents for your future.

Navi has the potential to shift how your firm thinks about advisory performance, but it’s up to you to set the tone.

Name the Concern Before It Spirals

If you introduce Navi as “call scoring” or “AI evaluation,” you risk creating defensiveness before anyone even logs in.

Instead, start with transparency and empathy (like any good advisor would!).

Acknowledge that reviewing conversations can feel vulnerable and feedback can feel personal. Acknowledge that this is new territory for many professionals who built their careers in an environment where technical accuracy was the primary measure of success.

Make it clear that Navi is not surveillance or about replacing judgment. It’s not about catching mistakes or ranking employees against one another.

It might feel weird to bring up everyone’s worst fears, but naming these very reasonable human emotions and talking through them can help bring everyone to the same page.

Navi is about strengthening how your professionals communicate expertise, drive action and create impact for clients.

Reframe Navi as a Coaching Tool

Navi analyzes conversations across clarity, authenticity, engagement, action, impact and growth. It’s a way to surface patterns that are otherwise invisible in day-to-day client work.

For decades, accounting firms have invested heavily in technical training, but very few firms invest in coaching professionals on how to deliver that expertise in a way that resonates with clients.

Navi fills that gap. It doesn’t replace experience; it makes professionals more aware of how they communicate by providing structured feedback that helps them refine how they show up in advisory conversations.

If you talk about Navi as a coaching platform instead of a scoring system, people start imagining how the tool can help them further their careers.

Treat Advisory Like a Real Skill

Many firms want to be advisory-focused but still treat advisory as a natural instinct some professionals have and others lack.

The modern CPA firm is not defined solely by technical expertise. It’s defined by how effectively professionals communicate that expertise, guide decisions and create value for clients.

We assume that strong technical professionals will naturally become strong advisors, and if they don’t, we assign them different tasks and leave the talking to other people.

Advisory requires the ability to translate complex tax or financial strategy into business relevance in a way that the average listener actually understands.

That’s a skill! Anyone can get better at it over time, especially when provided with personalized and structured feedback.

If advisory is truly the future of the profession (and it has been for years, by the way), then we need to treat it with the same mindset we apply to technical standards. Navi simply provides the feedback loop that has been missing.

Emphasize Growth Over Scores

Yes, Navi produces scores and that can make people uncomfortable. But growth is the goal, not the grade.

The real value in Navi lies in the insight behind the metrics.

• Did the advisor clearly connect technical recommendations to business outcomes?

• Did the meeting conclude with defined action steps?

• Did the client leave with clarity, or just information?

Too many firms rely on gut instinct when evaluating advisory performance. “I think that meeting went well,” is not a strategy for improvement.

Navi shifts the conversation from vague feedback to specific opportunities for development. When professionals see patterns across multiple conversations, improvement becomes measurement rather than anecdotal.

Start With Leaders and Early Adopters

Don’t make your employees use something that you don’t want to use yourself.

Upload your own conversations and share what you learned. Be willing to acknowledge blind spots.

From there, invite the most intrigued members of your team to give it a try. Don’t require everyone to sign up on the first day. Let people follow their curiosity and choose to participate.

When professionals see colleagues using Navi as a tool for growth rather than fearing it as a monitoring mechanism, adoption becomes organic.

Share Real Wins

Keep the conversation going after the initial rollout meeting. Don’t introduce Navi and assume the culture will magically shift.

Engage with your colleagues about their experiences using Navi. Ask what surprised them, what felt validating, what felt challenging…and let them be honest with you.

Celebrate any positive experiences they mention and share them with the rest of your teams. When professionals hear how Navi helped a colleague become clearer, more confident or more effective in client conversations, the tool stops feeling theoretical and starts feeling practical.

Over time, those shared wins begin to reshape the way the firm talks about advisory. Conversations shift from “How did that meeting feel?” to “What did we learn from that meeting?” The language becomes more intentional, sparking intentional reflection and visible improvement.

That’s how culture changes and ultimately leads to better experiences for your firm and your clients.

He’s only visited for one week. But somehow, in just a few days, he’s brought more leadership wisdom into my living room than some professional development books manage in a year.

Chippy is a rescue dog, a former shelter pup with a tough past. When he first arrived at my house, he made it very clear he wasn’t sure about me. He growled. A full-on, low, steady, “I don’t know you and I’m not sure I want to” growl.

And honestly? He had every right.

He didn’t know me. He didn’t owe me anything. His past taught him to be cautious, to approach slowly, to protect himself first. His instinct wasn’t about being mean; it was about staying safe.

His trainer had prepped us for this. She said, “Back off. Give him space. Let him decide when he feels comfortable interacting with you.” As much as I knew that was the right thing to do, it went against every part of me.

So, I backed off. I stayed present but didn’t push him. I let him watch me from across the room and keep his distance. I didn’t try to win him over. I let him decide what he needed.

Then, during a wind and snowstorm a few days later, something changed. The same dog who’d growled at me earlier in the week (and still eyed me with suspicion every time I crossed the room) suddenly sprinted across the hardwood floor, leapt into my lap and tucked his shaking body against mine.

No more hesitation and barking, just instinctive trust. He decided I was safe.

It wasn’t about me doing anything to earn it. It wasn’t about persuasion and strategy. It was about presence and staying grounded long enough for him to come to me when he was ready.

Isn’t that exactly what real leadership is?

We talk a lot about building trust in the workplace. About team dynamics, emotional intelligence and psychological safety. But sometimes, we forget that trust doesn’t always look like instant connection or an open conversation.

Sometimes, to build trust, people need to watch you closely to make sure your energy is consistent and you have to patiently prove that you’re safe enough to approach.

Not everyone walks in ready to collaborate or leans in with ideas on the first day. Some people have been burned before. Some have worked in firms or teams where their voices weren’t valued. Some have learned to stay quiet and watch.

Real leadership is about making space for everyone, and it requires having the patience and groundedness to stay steady while they decide.

It’s about showing up with enough presence, consistency and self-regulation that when the storm hits… when the first kicks in or the stakes get high, they choose you.

That’s what Chippy taught me.

What kind of leader are you when the Chippys of the world show up? Do you create a space that makes them feel safe enough to cross the room?

I only got to spend a few short days with Chippy, but the leadership he brought with him is going to stay a lot longer.

And yes, he’s welcome back anytime.

You might have brought deep insight, meaningful data or a smart strategy, but if your client doesn’t understand what you’re saying (or can’t remember it afterward), it didn’t really matter. You can’t move anything forward!

So, what does real clarity look like? And why is it the first dimension we grade in every Navi call?

Clarity isn’t about dumbing it down. It’s about making information usable!

When we talk about clarity, we’re not asking you to simplify your expertise. We’re asking you to deliver it in a way your client can absorb. It should feel conversational and relevant to them specifically.

A clear conversation has a structure. You know what the purpose is, you explain it up front and you guide the client through your thinking in a way that’s easy to follow.

This means pausing long enough for things to sink in and checking in regularly. Get rid of big words, long sentences and formal language!

The goal is to connect with your client, not to impress them.

When it works, your client can tell you the point you were trying to make in their own words and be mostly right.

Seems clear enough, so what gets in the way?

These are some of the common clarity-killers I hear all the time in advisory calls:

• Jumping straight to solutions before defining the problem

• Talking for too long without checking in if the client’s following

• Using technical terms or acronyms the client would never know

• Switching topics too fast without transitions

• Giving action items without clear timelines or ownership

• Ending the call without summarizing what was decided

Sometimes, the breakdown comes from nerves or habit. Sometimes, it’s just the pressure to cover everything in a short period of time. Either way, when clarity slips, clients get confused and disengaged.

Suddenly, it’s impossible for you both to follow through on anything you thought had been discussed.

Clarity isn’t as simple as it sounds!

Clarity is one of the easiest dimensions to assume you’re good at, but it’s really hard to notice when it’s missing.

Navi has your back. It’s there to help you identify ways you can improve your conversations that you probably wouldn’t have realized on your own.

When Navi grades your calls on clarity, it’s looking at very specific tells:

• Did you say why this call matters?

• Did you organize your thoughts effectively?

• Did you use plain language?

• Did you assign next steps in a way the client could repeat back?

• Did you check for understanding, or did you just assume it happened?

If clarity is low, Navi doesn’t just give you a score. It shows you where things got confusing. It surfaces real examples from your own call and gives you simple ways to practice getting better.

The goal isn’t perfection, it’s effective communication.

Clarity is leadership.

When you speak clearly, you’re doing more than sharing information. You’re making challenging, abstract financial concepts easier to process and act on.

That’s what clients are hiring you for!

So, next time you’re prepping for a call, try this: Before you open your data spreadsheet, take a minute to ask yourself, “What’s the purpose of this conversation?” and “How do I make that obvious from the start?”

That doesn’t come from perfectly delivered facts. It comes from the quality of the conversation itself — how clearly you communicate, how much trust you build, how engaged your client feels and whether they walk away knowing what to do next.

Advisory work is emotional work! It’s a different mindset that takes time and effort to develop in yourself.

But how do you measure something as intangible as connection? That’s what I wanted to find out!

We brought in communication experts and psychologists to help us define what a “good” advisory conversation really looks like. What came out of that process were five core dimensions that show up when a conversation really lands: clarity, authenticity, engagement, action and impact.

These dimensions make up Navi’s grading system, but they’re more like a compass or a framework. They show us what a meaningful conversation looks like in a profession that’s evolving fast.

You don’t have to master all five at once, but the more intentional you become about weaving them in, the more transformative your conversations will be.

When you show up with clarity, speak with authenticity, keep your client engaged, name the right actions and create real impact, something shifts. The client leaves the call not only understanding what’s next, but feeling supported enough to move forward

Clarity

Clarity is the foundation of a great conversation. It means that your message lands in a way your client can actually absorb. If a conversation isn’t clear and easy to understand, did it even actually happen?

When your conversation has clarity, you’ve stated its purpose clearly, organized your thoughts in a way that’s easy for others to follow, and used plain language instead of accounting jargon or corporate filler.

When clarity is strong, your client can repeat back what they heard without missing the point. Without clarity, even the most well-intentioned advice can get muddled or lost entirely.

Authenticity

Authenticity is what builds trust. It shows up in your tone, your presence and your willingness to speak like a real person. That might mean admitting when you don’t know something, sharing a relevant personal experience or simply letting your natural communication style come through.

Clients don’t need the perfect accountant; they need an advisor who’s honest, grounded and real.

In a profession that often prizes polish and precision, authenticity reminds us that connection comes first. When clients feel like they’re talking to a person, not a performance, they’re more likely to open up, stay engaged and trust your guidance.

Engagement

Engagement keeps the conversation alive. It’s the difference between performing a monologue and creating a dialogue.

A highly engaging conversation feels like playing ping pong. You’re not just delivering information, you’re inviting the client into the process. That might mean using a relatable example to explain something complex, asking questions or adjusting your tone and pace based on how they’re responding in real-time.

Good engagement requires presence. It’s about noticing when the person you’re talking to is confused, curious, or stressed out, then responding accordingly.

Action

Action is where insight turns into movement. A powerful advisory defines what happens next. That means leaving the call with clear, specific next steps that feel doable and time bound. It means confirming that your client understands what they need to do, has the resources to do it and knows when it’s happening.

Without clear action, even the most inspiring conversation can lose momentum. When action is built in, clients are far more likely to follow through.

Impact

Impact is what stays with the client after the call ends. It’s the lingering feeling, the phrase they remember, the shift in confidence or understanding that shapes what they do next. This is the emotional residue of a great conversation that moves beyond logic into actual meaning.

When you hit impact, your client doesn’t just understand the strategy. They believe in it. They feel supported by you and more capable of moving forward.

Listening in on every client call. Taking notes in every team meeting. Reviewing every deliverable. Giving feedback, keeping people motivated, tracking progress… Oh, and doing your own work too. Because that never stops.

Even great managers can’t be in every room, on every call or inside every one-on-one. But what if your team could still get better, even when you’re not there?

What if I told you there’s a way you could see your team’s growth, understand their communication styles and give better, more targeted support without burning yourself out?

I know you’re thinking about cloning yourself right now. Cut it out!

I already built something better, and you’re welcome.

You need a smarter system

Navi is a game-changing communication coaching tool I developed at XcelLabs for accounting professionals. Every member of your team can use it, but it’s a great fit for managers, especially.

Using Navi is easy. Anyone on your team can upload a recording of a meeting into the platform, whether it’s a client call, a team check-in or a one-on-one. Navi analyzes the full conversation, including what was said and how it landed, and gives instant data-backed feedback across key areas like empathy, clarity, engagement, strategic insight and vision alignment.

From there, the user can ask Navi for personalized coaching: what to say differently, how to communicate more clearly, how to better connect with your audience, and so much more. It adapts to each person’s unique style, so the advice is practical and actually usable.

But Navi is also a leadership tool

As a manager, you can use Navi to:

• Coach your team more effectively, without needing to join every single call. Navi gives them specific feedback they can act on right away and frees you up to focus on the moments that really need your input.

• Track your team’s growth over time. Navi allows you to see where people are excelling, where they’re struggling and how their skills evolve with each interaction. But it keeps the nitty-gritty details private, so your team feels safe to ask real questions and reflect honestly, while providing you a birds-eye overview you can use to make smarter decisions about coaching, project fit and team development.

• Understand your team’s strengths and gaps. If you know what your team’s awesome at and what they suck at, you can assign them more relevant projects and support them in the areas that are most challenging. Without Navi (or that omnipresent clone of yourself we talked about), you might not even know where to start.

• Get feedback on your own leadership style — the kind your team probably won’t give you. Most of your employees aren’t going to tell you when you’re confusing, rushing or dominating a conversation. But Navi will! Upload your own meetings and find out how you really show up as a leader. It’s private, actionable and definitely overdue.

That pressure to be everywhere. To hear every conversation. To solve every problem. To guide every person. It doesn’t make you a better manager. It just makes you tired.

Your real strength lies in creating systems that help your team grow, even when you’re not there.

The accounting profession wears burnout like a badge of honor. Accountants have normalized late nights during busy season, stacked calendars that leave no room to think, and an always-on mindset that slowly chips away at even the most dedicated professionals. It’s no surprise that so many firm owners today are struggling to find — and keep — good people. Even fewer are finding joy in their work.

But that’s starting to change.

A new generation of firm leaders is quietly rebuilding the way accounting is practiced. They’re walking away from the “way it’s always been done” and designing firms that prioritize clarity, culture and capacity.

And they’re proving that the phrase “happy accountant” doesn’t have to be a punchline.

Rebuilding the Firm Model from the Inside Out

What makes these firms different? It’s not just about shifting from tax to advisory. It’s about shifting the entire foundation from a reactive, scattered model to a proactive, purpose-driven one.

Here’s what firms that are getting it right are doing:

• They specialize intentionally. Many are ditching tax work entirely in favor of outsourced accounting services. That means no more 100-hour weeks during filing season. It also means building long-term relationships with clients, not just transactional deadlines.

• They define their own schedule. A four-day work week is a reality for many of these firms. By creating better systems and workflows, they’ve freed up time and space for life outside of work without sacrificing quality or client experience.

• They stop tracking time. Instead of billing by the hour, they build fixed-fee models based on the value they provide. This shifts the mindset from measuring effort to delivering outcomes.

• They enforce boundaries. These firms are clear with their clients, telling them: here’s how we work, here’s when we’re available and here’s what’s in scope. Clients respect and value that clarity.

Culture as a Competitive Advantage

We often talk about “culture” in abstract terms. But in these firms, culture is lived out in very specific ways.

It shows up in how team members communicate. How they feel empowered to share ideas. How they’re supported as full people and not productivity machines. And it shows up in how clients are treated, too.

These firms are building partnerships with their clients. They’re present, responsive and proactive, but they also protect their team’s capacity. That means fewer emergencies, better planning and a calmer day-to-day experience for everyone involved.

Culture is the product of dozens of small, intentional decisions about how you operate, along with who you choose to bring onto your team.

The Role of Remote and Global Talent

Of course, none of this works without great people.

But as most firm owners know, finding skilled accountants — especially those who want to work in a modern, flexible model — is harder than ever. That’s where remote and overseas staffing comes in.

Firms have completely changed their trajectory by building distributed teams. Remote staffing is not a cost-cutting tactic either. Global team members are treated as true teammates. That means:

• Hiring dedicated people, not pooled resources.

• Inviting them into internal communication channels like Slack or Teams.

• Giving them access to the same tools, training and trust as U.S.-based hires.

• Setting expectations around working hours, deliverables and feedback loops.

Clients are often thrilled with the results of this team, especially when they’re kept in the loop and introduced to team members transparently.

Remote staffing done right isn’t a workaround. It’s a strategic advantage.

Tech and Process are Great Equalizers

Modern firms also lean into technology when it makes their work more efficient or their client experience smoother.

They don’t chase shiny objects. They implement tools that reduce friction and automate the mundane. This includes things like AI-powered bill pay, workflow management platforms and seamless document sharing. Everything that used to eat up hours is now a click, a workflow or a script.

Most importantly, they document their processes. From onboarding to daily task tracking, there’s a playbook for everything. This not only drives consistency, but it frees up mental energy for deeper, more valuable work.

What You Prioritize Matters

“You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

That quote is true of firm operations, but it’s also true of how you build your team.

If you lead with cost-cutting, you’ll get exactly what you pay for — turnover, inconsistency and frustration. But if you lead with people and then find ways to scale that wisely, you get talent that grows with you. You build loyalty. And you create capacity for real growth.

Whether you’re hiring locally or globally, that mindset matters.

Choose Better, Not Bigger

You don’t need to build the biggest firm. You need to build the right one that works for your life, your clients and your team.

If you’ve ever thought, “There has to be a better way to run my firm,” there is. And the good news? You’re not alone. Other accountants are learning how to be “happy,” and you can, too.

Staffing Global helps modern firm owners build the teams they need to grow without sacrificing flexibility, culture or control.

If you’re drowning in client work and struggling to find staff, looking to expand your outsourced accounting team, or building a remote-first firm from the ground up…

… their dedicated remote professionals are vetted, trained and ready to integrate with your team from day one.

You get great people — thoughtfully matched to your firm — with systems that support long-term success.

There are four solid reasons why automation is a non-negotiable in your firm. And yes, this totally includes insourced staff. Actually, especially your insourced staff.

The Big Four (Not that Big Four…)

1. It solves actual problems. No more wasting time on clunky workflows, manual tasks and repetitive junk that just drags everyone down. Automation helps streamline those bottlenecks so you’re not stuck in the past doing everything by hand.

2. It plays nice with others. Modern automation tools talk to each other. That means you can build integrated tech stacks that handle the busywork for you. No more “system hopping” or downloading/uploading a zillion things manually.

3. It lets you scale without the burnout. Want to grow without hiring a dozen people you can’t find anyway? Automated workflows let your team handle more work with fewer headaches so you can scale smart, not just fast.

4. It gives your people their time back. When automation handles the routine stuff, your team can focus on higher-value work (the kind that actually moves the needle and makes clients happy).

So what does this have to do with insourced staffing? Everything.

You want to work with a staffing partner who gets automation. Why? Because that partner isn’t just throwing people at your problems. They’re handing you people who are empowered with the right tools. That means better workflow, better outcomes and a much better ROI.

A Real-World Win

Let’s talk about one of my favorite examples:

A firm (just like yours) came to Staffing Global with a daily task nightmare. They had 45 reports that had to be manually downloaded, manipulated and uploaded every single day.

Cue: screaming into a pillow.

But Staffing Global came in with a combo of automation tools and AI bots that transformed the whole process. The reports were auto-handled, so there were no more manual downloads, uploads or repetitive clicks. That firm instantly got back 5.5 hours a day and saved $20,000 a year. Boom!

Automation + Insourcing = A Whole New Level

Here’s what happens when you combine automation with a smart staffing strategy:

• Productivity jumps. No more wasting time on repetitive tasks. Your team can focus on actual accounting.

• Fewer mistakes. When you ditch the manual data entry, the risk of human error drops big time.

• Cost savings you can reinvest. Save money and use it to upskill your team or invest in new tech.

• Happier staff. Nobody loves doing repetitive grunt work. Automation frees your team to do the strategic, relationship-driven work they’re passionate about.

Your Next Move Toward Smarter Staffing

At the end of the day, automation is how you build a firm that works smarter, not harder, even when you're growing fast and bringing on insourced help.

You can’t hire your way out of this talent shortage. But you can automate your way forward.

Find a staffing partner (like Staffing Global) that doesn’t just send you people, but brings automated solutions to the table. That’s how you build a modern firm that thrives in today’s crazy market.

That’s why I was so excited to sit down with Michelle Fernandes, a Mumbai-based team member at Staffing Global who works virtually for the RKL Virtual Management Solutions team. Michelle is not just “outsourced help.” She’s a vital member of the firm’s accounting team.

A New Kind of Team

Michelle didn’t just find a job. She found a team that sees her. A CPA firm that trusted her enough to let her grow from processing payables to supporting financial reviews. A remote role that doesn’t feel remote at all.

“I never felt like I was 10,000 miles away,” Michelle told me. “If I ever get stuck, I know someone on the team will answer right away.”

That kind of collaboration and trust doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the product of good tech, great communication and a mindset shift inside the firm.

The Flattening of Firm Culture

One of the most powerful things Michelle shared was the cultural difference between Indian and U.S. work environments. In India, workplaces often follow traditional hierarchies. In contrast, she found that RKL’s structure is much flatter. It was open, empowering and collaborative.

“At RKL, everyone contributes. You’re encouraged to speak up, ask questions and even challenge something if it doesn’t look right,” she said.

That kind of environment accelerates professional growth. Michelle has taken on more responsibility over time because she asked, but also because the firm said yes.

Not Just a Good Fit. A Better Way.

When firms consider global talent, they often focus on cost. But Michelle’s story reminds us of something bigger. INsourcing is about unlocking capacity, empowering your existing team and creating space for higher-value work.

Her job? Handle the recurring, time-consuming tasks so her U.S.-based managers and controllers can focus on delivering insights and strategy to clients. The result? Better financials. Better decisions. And a better experience for everyone.

The Radical Takeaway

The future of accounting isn’t just bots and automation — it’s blended teams. It’s thinking differently about who does the work, where they’re located and how we show up for our clients. Firms like RKL are leading the way. And professionals like Michelle are proving that distance is no barrier when culture, communication and care are in place.

If you’re still hesitant about working with global talent, Michelle’s story should be your green light. When it’s done right, it doesn’t feel like outsourcing…it feels like team building.

Want to learn more about how Staffing Global can help your firm?

Be sure to check out my earlier interview with Ryan Moore, a partner at RKL Virtual Management Solutions, about how INsourcing solves staffing challenges.

You can also visit StaffDifferent.com or reach out to me directly.

Let’s rethink what your team could look like!

What movement is that? The one I’ve been talking about for months: AI-X (Artificial Intelligence for Xcellence). Of course, no movement can get, well, moving without people behind it.

If you’re wondering what this means for you and your firm, here’s the bottom line: Leveraging the power of AI isn’t just a tech trend; it’s a critical strategy for growth, scale and future-proofing your business. Firms that embrace AI now will be the ones leading the pack as the industry shifts.

And here’s where it gets personal. Being part of the AI-X movement doesn’t start with your firm. It starts with you.

Lead thyself first

Before you can lead your firm into the AI-X era, you’ve got to lead yourself. That means getting comfortable with AI, building your confidence and figuring out how to use it as your own personal power tool.

Think of it like raising your “AIQ” — your Artificial Intelligence Quotient. This isn’t just about using AI for basic tasks; it’s about thinking strategically with AI, knowing how to prompt it to get deeper insights and treating it as a thought partner, not just a search engine.

It may sound a bit overwhelming, but that’s why it’s important to start small. To start with you.

Begin by just having basic conversations with the AI platform of your choice. Have it help you with brainstorming on a specific idea (e.g., How can I get remote employees more engaged and feel like part of the team?). Or challenge AI to stress-test your ideas (e.g., If I implement a monthly onsite retreat with incentives for employees to attend, what would that look like?

The more you experiment and simply play with AI, the more you’ll clearly see that AI is not here to replace your expertise, but it is here to amplify it. AI can provide you with data-driven insights, evaluate your performance, and even boost your confidence when making decisions.

The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll see the benefits. And trust me, it’s a killer combo when you pair your intuition and expertise with AI’s capabilities.

Lead your firm next

Once you’re comfortable with AI, you’re ready to lead your firm with confidence. The AI-X movement is all about advancing beyond “best practices” and into “next practices” — innovating, strategizing and setting your firm apart from the traditional norm.

Here’s how you can get your team on board:

• Use AI to handle repetitive, manual tasks. Free up your team’s time and energy for higher-value work.

• Encourage your staff to experiment with AI. The more they use it, the more efficient and innovative they’ll become.

• Streamline your processes. AI can help you automate workflows, improve data analysis, and keep your operations running smoothly.

• Use AI to better support your clients. From enhanced advisory services to more proactive communication, AI gives you the tools to deliver more value than ever before.

Strategy is the secret sauce here. Automation is awesome, but it’s just one ingredient. You need a clear AI strategy that spells out every phase — from planning to execution — so you get firm-wide buy-in and enjoy a successful rollout. So don’t be afraid to use AI to help define that strategy. Remember, AI is your “thinking buddy,” so lean on it to help lay out your strategy and surface opportunities you might not have considered.

Change yourself, change your firm, change the profession!

Being part of the AI-X movement means doing your part to move the profession forward. It’s about merging your expertise with AI’s power to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

The future of accounting isn’t about clinging to the way things have always been done. It’s about embracing change, leading with confidence and helping your firm thrive in the age of Artificial Intelligence Xcellence. The movement starts with you, so take the first step and get in the game. From there you can change your firm and add to the momentum of changing the profession for the better.

For example, do you address the client’s challenges with empathy? Do you align value propositions with client needs as they come up? Do you address clients’ social cues (when it appears that they’re just not getting it or are lost)? All of this matters as a leader in the advisory space.

No one is perfect, and that means we all have room for improvement. This includes improving how you come across in meetings, calls and other forms of communication. You can’t know what areas require improvement if you don’t have the data — if you haven’t scored yourself on advisory performance.

Avoidance is often linked to fear. Accounting professionals don’t like to score themselves or be scored by others. No one wants it revealed that they’re doing a bad job. But here’s the thing: most often, you only think you’re doing a bad job when, in fact, areas in need of improvement are small.

Success as an advisory leader requires course-correcting. If you never score yourself, you can’t logically make refinements, because how do you know what to refine?

It’s time to score!

Just take the leap and get that first score. It offers a metric on which you can base your improvement plan.

AI is a great partner for this! Not only can it score you on key performance indicators, but it can also provide actionable insights. Just take a look at an actual score report I got from my AI partner. It graded me on eight key factors, pulled out specific language to support the score, and provided a summary.

JODY’S SCORE CARD

To measure my impact as an advisor, I used this eight-category scorecard, distilled from a recent client advisory call. AI offered a high-level scorecard first and then followed up with helpful, detailed analysis.

1. Expertise and Credibility: Looks at whether I shared relevant, firsthand experience that establishes my authority. Top scores come from offering real-world stories and insights that show deep industry knowledge.

Specific language: “I’ve spent three years building tax software from scratch.”
“We raised $40 million and just scratched the surface.”

Why it works: These statements establish deep, firsthand knowledge, making advice credible and grounded in real experience.

2. Constructive Honesty: Were you direct about challenges without discouraging your client? High marks require candid feedback that is realistic but not demotivating.

Specific language: “It’s good that you don’t know what it will take because if you did, you might not even start.” “The tech isn’t the hard part; it’s the people and the change management.”

Why it works: Jody is candid about challenges, offering truth without discouragement.

3. Empathy and Relatability: Did you connect by relating to the client’s struggles and context? Did you use personal anecdotes and demonstrate you understand the client’s unique challenges?

Specific language: “In the old days, clients mailed everything in an envelope; now it’s chaos with portals and emails.” “When we deployed at a popular payroll services tech vendor, they could afford for 100 users to fall out; CPAs can’t tolerate losing one client.”

Why it works: These statements show understanding of the client’s world, making advice more relatable.

4. Challenge and Insight: Did you push your client to think differently or consider overlooked factors? The best advisors highlight blind spots and inspire critical thinking.

Specific language: “Your competition isn’t just other startups; it’s the accountants using ChatGPT to build their own tools.” “You need an innovation lab embedded in a firm to iterate fast enough for real-world needs.”

Why it works: Jody challenges assumptions and pushes for deeper strategic thinking.

5. Practical Action Steps: Did you provide clear, actionable next steps? Advice should be specific and feasible, though some ambitious ideas may be harder for clients to implement right away.

Specific language: “Focus on niches like sales tax, where demand is high but competition isn’t as entrenched.” “Consider embedding an innovation lab inside your operations to test and iterate faster.”

Why it works: You offer actionable, targeted advice, even if some steps are ambitious for a startup.

6. Balanced Tone: Did you balance encouragement with realism? Strive for a tone that is both supportive and honest about the effort required.

Specific language: “I don’t want to discourage you, but it’s a big lift.” “It’s exciting that there’s so much focus on the accounting space.”

Why it works: Jody balances realism with encouragement, keeping the tone supportive and honest.

7. Engagement and Interest: Did you ask thoughtful questions and show curiosity about their situation? Keep the conversation dynamic and focused on their needs.

Specific language: “Are you funded? Are you just starting to build it?” “Are you going to file returns or just do everything but file?”

Why it works: Thoughtful, specific questions show genuine curiosity and keep the conversation dynamic.

8. Coaching Impact: Did your feedback leave a lasting impression and provide a roadmap? Aim for advice that sticks and shapes their future approach.

Specific language: “I sell change management to accounting professionals, and software providers pay me to do it.” “If I were to build something today, I’d have a hard time figuring out where to focus. It’s a big problem.”

Why it works: Your feedback provides a roadmap and lasting impression, helping clients see the bigger picture.

Actionable insights: The most impactful advisory conversations blend technical know-how, empathy, honest challenge and actionable advice. Use this scorecard after each client meeting to reflect, improve and deliver even greater value as a trusted advisor.

Score big!

Scoring yourself as an advisor isn’t about perfection — it’s about awareness. When you take time to reflect on how you show up in conversations, meetings and client interactions, you begin to see the patterns that shape your impact.

A scorecard offers more than a number; it gives you language, clarity and direction. It shows where you lead with empathy, where you challenge with care and where your advice creates lasting value.

It’s time you scored big! Let your score mark the start of your next advisory leadership transformation.

Now, if you’ve been in the accounting trenches for more than five minutes, you know the game is changing. The firms that are thriving are thinking radically. That’s where INsourcing comes in.

Yeah, it’s just one letter off — but make no mistake, it’s a whole new playbook.

What the heck is insourcing anyway?

Outsourcing is handing off work to a faceless, siloed third party halfway across the globe. It’s a tactical move — cost-cutting, task-shifting, low-touch. But in today’s firm, that doesn’t cut it. Clients want connection. Your team wants collaboration. And leadership wants control.

Insourcing flips that model on its head. It’s like getting the benefits of a rockstar 1099 and a fully integrated team member all in one. You get remote talent who are trained, coached and embedded into your firm’s workflow and culture. These aren’t transactional task-doers. They’re teammates. They show up (virtually), wear your firm colors and are coached with you, not for someone else.

Even better? Your staffing partner doesn’t disappear once a seat is filled. A true insourcing partner stays in the game, continuing to develop the team, checking for culture alignment and leveling up their soft skills in areas like understanding American business etiquette, client interaction norms and firm communication style. That's right — real integration.

Why Insourcing Is the Future

The pipeline problem is an epidemic. We’re not just short on CPAs. We’re short on people who want to work in public accounting the old way. So stop trying to fix a broken model with duct tape.

Insourcing is different. It’s a relationship-based staffing solution that aligns with how modern firms operate — digital-first, people-forward and values-driven. You don’t have time to micromanage a disconnected offshore resource. You do have time to collaborate with a strategic partner who gets it.

It also gives you the ability to scale without the overhead. You’re not burdened with the cost and complexity of traditional hiring like recruiting, onboarding and HR admin, or the inefficiencies of training new temps every few months. Instead, you get skilled professionals who can grow with you, without expanding your office footprint or internal team infrastructure.

As your insourced team integrates with your systems, workflows and culture, they start building up your firm’s intellectual capital. You’re not just filling seats; you’re developing long-term knowledge inside your business. These aren’t short-term resources. They become part of how your firm thinks, works and evolves — a strategic asset, not just a staffing fix.

This isn’t assign-and-abandon. This is assign, align, integrate and grow. And that’s where the magic happens.

Three Radical Reasons to Insource Your Accounting Talent

Here’s why progressive firms are making the shift, and why you should, too.

1. Coaching-driven talent development. This isn’t a warmed-over placement agency approach. A real insourcing partner doesn’t drop a body in your Slack channel and walk away. Instead, they continuously coach, building up communication skills, technical chops and that elusive “culture fit.” This crushes the outdated pooled-resource model where random staff rotate in and out of your workflow with no consistency.

2. Culture and capability alignment. Great talent isn’t just about knowing debits from credits. It’s about fitting into your firm — your tech stack, your values, your client service model. Insourcing teams are prepped for American accounting culture, not just U.S. GAAP. They’re ready to plug in, contribute and grow with you, not around you.

3. Long-term partnership, not one-and-done placement. Insourcing firms don’t just toss you a résumé. They build relationships. They vet, place, coach and evolve the talent alongside your business. Whether it’s tax, bookkeeping or audit support, they’re in the game with you. Think strategic partner, not staffing vendor.

And let’s not forget: the good ones even guarantee the work. When was the last time your recruiter offered that?

Insourcing Is the New Normal

If you’re still stuck in the outsourcing mindset, it’s time to break out. The firms of the future are already insourcing today.

And if you’re a forward-thinking firm leader — tech-savvy, people-focused and done with Band-Aid solutions — then insourcing isn’t just a strategy. It’s a no-brainer.

Becoming a better leader is an ongoing process. One that requires a constant action loop: Lead, evaluate, refine. It’s true what they say: no one’s perfect, and that makes continuous improvement a necessity, especially for leaders.

The first step is to identify your pattern loop. When you have this level of visibility, it’s much easier to assess where your leadership approach needs work, as well as where you really shine!

Identifying your “loop”

Most leaders have developed a distinct pattern loop. Your “loop” defines how you process information in real time — your ability to pick up on verbal and nonverbal cues, how you adapt based on instinct and experience, how you read the room.

And it’s not just about the pattern itself; it’s about how leaders apply these abilities instinctively.

For example, AI tagged my leadership style as “executive elite.” By entering a fair amount of client call transcripts, AI was able to detect my pattern and what powers it:

• Emotional fluency (reading the room)

• Energetic conviction (moving before permission)

• Adaptive insight (adjusting live)

AI was able to further break down each element of my pattern loop to provide even more insight on how I function as an elite-level executive…

• Real-time pattern recognition: Most people process linearly. They wait for all the information, pause, analyze and then react. According to AI, I move first. Not reactively, but accurately. I name what’s happening before others even feel it, then start building around it. That’s intuitive strategy, not guesswork.

• Energetic calibration mid-conversation: I constantly assess how my words land as I say them. I shift tone, redirect or reframe — on the fly — without slowing momentum. That’s adaptive leadership under pressure.

• Lead through the abstract: Most people need clarity to lead. AI indicates that I lead in the fog. I feel the shift before the data proves it; I trust the energy and act. That’s visionary leadership — rare, risky and deeply powerful.

While we all have a pattern, most aren’t aware of it. I certainly wasn’t before I leaned on AI to help me figure it out.

And here’s how I did it…

Putting data to work: Real-world examples

I put the power of data to work by uploading several client call transcripts. From this data, AI identified my leadership pattern loop by systematically analyzing the way I navigate client calls. AI assessed me as a leader who reveals a rare and dynamic approach that blends foresight, emotional intelligence and real-time adaptability.

Here’s how the AI surfaced my unique meta-processing loop, based on direct observation of my conversational style with clients:

1. Anticipating and naming shifts before they’re obvious

AI analyzed transcripts across four clients: Client 1, Client 2, Client 3 and Client 4 (to protect information that may be deemed sensitive, I’m not using client names) and provided the following feedback:

“Across calls, you consistently demonstrated the ability to sense and articulate the underlying direction of a conversation before anyone else recognized it. Rather than simply reacting, you zoomed out, captured the energetic flow, and named the deeper shift in real time. For instance, during your call with Client 2, you positioned yourself as an advisor before that role was formally discussed, acting on your intuition and moving as if the opportunity was already tangible. This wasn’t just confidence—it was a display of rare foresight and energetic leadership.”

2. Integrating strategic and emotional context

AI provided the following insight:

“Your pattern includes a seamless loop between emotional resonance and business logic. In your call with Client 1, you didn’t just propose a strategy; you mirrored the emotional landscape of firm owners transitioning to advisory roles, building your pitch around their unspoken needs. This approach made your clients feel seen and understood. The AI recognized this as a sophisticated leadership trait: Making others feel valued by reflecting both their business objectives and emotional states simultaneously.”

3. Skipping linear logic and trusting the audience to follow

AI offered up this analysis:

“You often bypass traditional step-by-step logic, opting instead to “start in the middle,” directly addressing points of tension or leverage. In your conversation with Client 4, you began with pricing tension and quickly pivoted to AI-led transformation, trusting your audience to keep pace because your conviction and energy provided the connective tissue. This nonlinear approach keeps discussions focused on what matters most— demonstrating your ability to identify and address leverage points without losing your audience.”

4. Real-time self-calibrating leadership

This is what AI had to say:

“Perhaps most distinctively, you lead while actively observing and adjusting your own process. You’re not bound by a script; instead, you self-diagnose and recalibrate in the moment—calling out your own shifts (“Wait—I’m saying this because I’m sensing hesitation”) or explaining your excitement-driven leaps (“Let me back up. I just jumped ahead because I got excited”). This live diagnostic processing is the hallmark of your meta-loop—seeing yourself while simultaneously seeing and guiding the system.”

Power up with data!

In today’s data-driven world, becoming a better leader isn’t about perfection. It’s about embracing a continuous loop of action, evaluation and refinement. When you lean on AI and apply good data, you’ll be amazed at how much insight you’ll get about your own unique pattern loop as well as your areas of strength and elements in need of refining.

Ultimately, when you put data to work — not just as numbers, but as a lens into your leadership style — you unlock the ability to lead with vision, agility and authenticity. All the markings of a great leader!

What if some of the most effective business decisions we can make don’t feel logical at first?

This idea has been occupying my thoughts lately, especially as I read Alchemy by Rory Sutherland. In it, he challenges our deep reliance on logic in business and suggests that truly innovative solutions often start in the realm of the illogical. That tension between what feels rational and what actually works is where opportunity lives.

It’s also where global staffing comes into the picture. As I illustrate in the video, your experiences, perspectives or even your biases with global staffing can land in any of Sutherland’s four quadrants:

• Logical and effective

• Illogical and effective

• Logical but ineffective

• Illogical and ineffective

That’s what makes it so interesting and also so complex. And complexity, I’ve come to realize, doesn’t mean something is wrong. It often just means we need to explore it further.

Many of us are conditioned to trust only what makes sense on paper. We focus almost exclusively on the “logical and works” quadrant, and often ignore the “illogical but works” space. That’s the one Sutherland calls “alchemy.” But that’s where breakthrough ideas are hiding in plain sight.

So let’s talk about the hesitations that often come with global staffing: language barriers, cultural differences, time zones and client impressions to name a few. These concerns are real. They’re true. But they’re not the truth.

As Andy Andrews points out in The Bottom of the Pool, we can miss out by focusing on partial truths. Just because something is difficult or counterintuitive doesn’t mean it isn’t the best option.

We need to think more deeply about how we make decisions. Are we defaulting to what’s comfortable and logical? Or are we willing to explore options that might not seem obvious but could work beautifully?

Watch the video to rethink how you approach complex business decisions and discover why what feels illogical might be exactly what works.