Creating A Level 5 Culture CART Chicago May 2016 Presented by: Craig A. Underhill, CPA, CSPM Shannon B. Hunter, CPA, CGMA

Adoption vs. Implementation ■ Waiting until the water is warm ■ Not now we’re too busy ■ L5 is for that group over there

Modifying Existing Culture ■ We do tax, accounting, business services… ■ How do we put the client at the center of everything we do?

Staff Empowerment ■ We need staff to take the initiative to understand the clients they work with (not on) ■ Need to develop relationships with client – Owner, management, frontline employees – If you don’t know them, it’s difficult to care ■ Provide them with opportunities to create and then deepen relationships

Story Building What if you thought about your client’s like a great novel? How would the table of contents read? What chapters of the story have yet to be written? How would the client like the story to end

Story Building ■ At client’s business location: – Purpose: to document their table of contents ■ Partner/manager/somebody/ poses questions to begin creating the table of contents – Staff captures client’s thoughts in a TOC ■ Close meeting with a question – Was this process helpful? – Can we continue this conversation next month? ■ Tour the facility and look for opportunities to discover more about their business (i.e. questions for the owner) Staff are in meeting with partner and client

Small Group Activity Multiple Groups ■ What questions will inspire your clients to share their story? Different Groups ■ Design an inspiring Table of Contents deliverable ■ Break the stereotype of a CPA deliverable

Let’s Try it Out ■Volunteers needed for the following roles: 1.CPA Firm Role ■To ask client questions ■A listener to hear what the client is saying ■Be able to summarize to the client what they heard 2.Client Role ■Answer the questions as they pertain to your firm 3.Everyone Else ■To create the table of contents ■Debrief process - all

Break time? ■Do we need a break?

Recap ■Build relationships at all levels within the client’s business ■Questions, listen, respond, capture, deliver Client’s Novel TOC ■Let’s focus next on our team in training

Continuous Improvement ■ L5 culture requires training – Soft skills – Analytical skills – Implementing processes ■ Build personal pathway ■ Build dashboard

Training Takes a New Shape ■ Soft skill development – Communications: DISC – Motivators: TTI Assessment – Stress awareness: TTI Assessment – Art of a focused conversation – Brainstorming process

Training Takes a New Shape ■ Analytical skill development – Profit Planner to see what drives profitability – Building what if cash flow models – Building dashboards – Create a business simulator ■ Participant would learn what an owner struggles with

Training Takes a New Shape ■ Process skill development – Follow MBA process of how to organize and document an engagement – Staff team competitions ■ Run their own planning sessions (internal) ■ Learn how to hold ideas discovered today to be used months from now ■ Creating accountability

Training Takes a New Shape ■ Build personal pathway – Staff $COPE Scorecard – Create strategies for improving weak areas – Create implementation timeline – Facilitated by L5 leaders ■ Dashboard – Monthly goals they are striving towards – Accountability – Share accomplishments and challenges – Work together to grow the individual

Group Exercise Small groups will work on the following: 1.What 3 things are you going to do when you go back to your firm? – How can you be a catalyst for change? 2.Discuss your ideas with your group – Group spokesperson will summarize and share ideas they heard 3.Each of us will our ideas to Steve – NOW! 4.Report your successes in October

In a Nutshell ■Culture shift is needed to create a firm wide mindset ■Staff building relationships with client’s team ■Drafting the client’s novel ■Continuous improvement with a twist ■Leadership needed to create an environment where L5 culture can thrive