learning as a competitive advantage

Tom Hood, CPA, CITP, CGMACEO

MACPA & the Business Learning Institute

Learning as a Competitive Advantage

Keeping your L>C

"In a world that shows no signs of slowing down, no individual

can rest on his or her intellectual laurels… The future belongs to this organizations, as

well as those individuals, that have

made an active, lifelong commitment to continue to learn.”

- Howard Gardner

Five Minds for the Future

2

OUR GYROSCOPE!

American Institute of CPAs

What CPAs have said about the future:

1. Changing demographics - Aging workforce, diversity, 4 generations in the workplace

2. Increased globalization, economic shifts and increasing competition3. The technological revolution - cloud, social, big data & XBRL4. Issues around Information Security, Privacy & data integrity5. Shift to consumer and employee power (from push to pull)6. Changes in the way we communicate - mobile, txt, skype

7. Work-life challenges or conflict - "do more with less", 24/7 work8. Information Overload - filter failure

9. Increasing complexity of rules and standards (IFRS, GAAP, PCAOB, SEC)

10.Economic uncertainty - deficit, debt and pressure on government

http://www.slideshare.net/thoodcpa/top-trends-to-watch-2012-cpa-horizons-2025

In 1997, the CPA profession crowd-sourced its future with over 3,500 CPAs in the CPA Vision Project

That was re-validated in 2011 by 8,000+ CPAs

CPAs...Making

sense of a changing

and complex world.

CPAs...Making

sense of a changing

and complex world.

Our core purpose, our reason for being is

Here is what they said…

The DNA of the CPAValues & Competencies

• Leadership• Communication• Strategic Thinking• Collaboration & Synthesis• Technologically Savvy

Our Vision Statement for the future is:( mandates to ourselves for a successful future)

• Communicating the total picture with clarity and objectivity,

• Translating complex information into critical knowledge,

• Anticipating and creating opportunities, and

• Designing pathways that transform vision into reality.

CPAs are the trusted professionals who enablepeople and organizations to shape their future.Combining insight with integrity, CPAs deliver

value by:

American Institute of CPAs® 8

Lifelong Learning

Technology

Market Permission

Trusted Attester

Pride in the

Profession

Worldwide Profession

Demographic ShiftsTrusted

Advisor

Value Propositio

n

Marketplace

Key Insights

Your Firm, Your Company,

YOU !

10

Wisdom from the MACPA Leadership Academy

According to these young professionals, the future is one in which CPAs:

● are proactive, flexible, adaptive and collaborative by nature;● have regained the trust of their clients and the public at large;● have successfully bridged the profession’s “leadership gap” by focusing on succession planning, personal growth, and generational cooperation;● have created the profession’s premier global industry standards and best practices;● have redefined the profession through work / life integration, collaboration, and a team-first approach; and● have earned a reputation as technological innovators.

Find your Edge

In a period of rapid change and increasing

complexity, the winners are going to be the people who

can learn faster than the rate of change

and faster than your competition.

- Tom Hood, CPA, CITP,CGMA

CEO of the MACPA & the Business Learning

Institute 11

Practice Areas

Competencies

Staff Levels

• How we work

• Skills we need• Knowledge• Skills• Abilities

• How we grow• Career Paths

The Learning Matrix

www.macpa.org

Staff Principal/

Director

Senior SeniorManag

er

Manager

Decision making by

specification, task specific

work

1st level supervision on

established guidelines & standards

1st level of strategic thought & focus on boundary spanning

activities

Assess & understand longer-term variables &

accomplishing future goals

Leading and/or developing new practice areas,

strategic alliances & talent

Critical

Turning

Point

Technical

Proficiency Lead

ersh

ip &

Stra

tegy

Copyright 2012 – Business Learning Institute

15

A leader’s job is to set context and provide hope and inspiration...

Tom Hood, CPA.CITPCEO

Maryland Association of CPAsBusiness Learning Institute

(443) 632-2301E-mail tom@macpa.org

Web http://www.macpa.orgBlog http://www.cpasuccess.com

CONNECT – PROTECT - ACHIEVE