Learning and Training Trends for the New World

of Consulting

@tomhood

Tom Hood, CPA, CITP, CGMA

Why?

DISRUPTION AND UNCERTAINTY

ARE FACTS OF LIFEChange on a scale that few companies or sectors in the economy have been through.

MORE CHANGECOMING IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS

THAN IN THE PAST 117 YEARS OF MACPA’S EXISTENCE

Sleeter Group Survey 2014

The #1 Challenge!

The #1 reason clients leave their CPA firm is that they did not get proactive advice only reactive (historical) services.

To meet the demands of the future, auditors must:

• Stay ahead of the curve an evolving technology and the changing regulatory environment

• Sharpen technology, critical thinking and communication skills• Thoroughly understand a client’s industry and what makes the client

unique in that industry• Develop long-term relationships with clients and other stakeholders, based

on integrity, candor, professionalism, objectivity and their ability to share valued insights based on these capabilities

• Look ahead and provide insights on future challenges and opportunities

Forbes / KPMG Audit 2025 - The Future is Now

The capacity to be anticipatory (aware, predictive and adaptive) of emerging technology and trends in business, demographics, and the social environment impacting your organization and industry.

Source: CPA.COM Insight into the CPA of the Future Study 2015

92% of CPAs Not #FutureReady

1. Exponential pace of technology innovation (AI, Cloud, Big Data, Blockchain)2. Increased automation of technical knowledge3. Change in firm business model away from chargeable hour4. Shortage of talent5. Proactive, anticipatory skills in demand6. Increasing outside competition – High risk of disruption in accounting7. Strong culture required to innovate fast enough8. Trust, relationships and uniquely human skills in demand

FUTURE FACTS

"Increasing the proactive consultative approach to business service and technology information is one of the most important factors in improving a firm’s reputation and the strength of its relationships.”

- Doug Sleeter

Source: Joey Havens, HORNE, LLP

“…business leaders should use this information as a litmus test for choosing who to invest in, which partners to work with, and how to evaluate existing leadership. Are they ahead of the curve, doubling down on what’s next in the commitment to break new barriers, or are they staying the course, content to coast on prior achievements?

How you view the future will shape the actions you take in the present and how you act in the

present will indeed shape your future. Your Futureview will determine the future YOU!

– Daniel Burrus

Mindsett

Confidence

1.Fear of Losing the Business2.Fear of Being Embarrassed3.Fear of Feeling Inferior

The 3 Biggest Fears

"The Anticipatory Organization Learning System helps establish a mindset, a common language and eventually a culture of being anticipatoryfor our clients. By making this anticipatory skillset a core strength of our teams, it brings creative and new ideas that make us more valuable to our clients and it creates a game changer for our firm.”

-Joey Havens, CPAExecutive Partner, HORNE LLPTop 50 CPA Firm

Anticipatory Skills

THE ANTICIPATORY ORGANIZATION™ MODEL

KNOWWHAT’S NEXT

Transform Planning

DEVELOPOPPORTUNITIES

Transform Innovation

SHAPETHE FUTURE

Transform Culture

ACCELERATESUCCESS

Transform Results

blionline.org/ao

• Anticipation• Strategic Thinking• External Awareness• Vision• Continuous Learning• Innovation• Creativity• Problem Solving

• Decisiveness• Influencing/Persuading• Emotional Intelligence• Consensus Building• Collaboration• Inspiration• Risk Management• Communication• Prioritization• Business Acumen

The # 1 Missing Skill?Anticipation

/

“co-creation with customers produce differentiation. They consider the information explosion to be their greatest opportunity in developing deep customer insights.”

- IBM Global CEO Study

Collaboration Skills

Anticipatory + Collaboration = Insights

BLI Leadership Development “Strat House”

1. Develop Strategic Intent

Why?

Firm/Business Vision, Values, Strategy, and Culture

Business Strategy Foundation

LeadershipStrategy

Leadership Development

Strategy

What?

Who?

How?

2. Identify Competencies

3. Identify Career Paths & Audiences

4. Develop Curriculum & map content

5. Compliance & Governance (Evaluation & Sustainability)

6. Communicate & Inspire

Future Ready Competencies in the Age of Machines• Communications• Leadership• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving• Anticipating and Serving Evolving Needs

• Synthesizing Intelligence to Insight• Integration & Collaboration• Tech-Savvy & Data Analytics• Functional & Domain Expertise

Our Research:

Future Ready Competencies in the Age of the MachinesLeadership

Anticipating and Serving Evolving

Needs

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Communications Technology Savvy &

Data AnalyticsIntegration & Collaboration

Functional & Domain Expertise

Lead & Inspire peopleEmpathy

Build relationshipsSocial & emotional intelligence

Service orientationEmotional intelligencePeople management

NegotiationCross Cultural Competency

Social IntelligenceGlobally focused & Cross

culturalTeam Development

IdeationCreativityInnovation

Brainstorm (Ideation) creativity / innoavtion

Novel & adaptive thinkingComplex problem solving

Critical thinkingCreativity

TransdisciplinarityNovel and Adaptive Thinking

Future-Facing

Synthesizing Intelligence to Insight

Large frame pattern recognition (outside their frame)

Strategic Guidance vs Tactical Acuity

SensemakingCognitive flexibility

Judgment and Decision MakingDesign mindset

Cognitive Load Management

Complex communicationNew media literacy

Computational ThinkingTech Savvy

CollaborateCo-ordinating with others

Virtual CollaborationCollaborative mindset

Finance and Accounting Professional's CompetenciesMoral and Ethical Reasoning

Look, Lead, Love,LearnCritical Thinking Skills: For

Financial ProfessionalsSmarter Decision-Making and Problem Solving for Leaders

Seven Secrets of Successful Business Communication – Part

1

Analytics and Big Data for Accountants

Leading and Collaborating in a VUCA World

The Eight Hour MBA: Key Concepts of Leadership Strategy

Critical Thinking For FinanceStrategic Problem Solving: How to Solve Tough Challenges the

Mastermind Way

Seven Secrets of Successful Business Communication – Part

2

Blockchain, Big Data and Business Intelligence for Accounting and Finance

Value of Collaboration – The Art of Relationship Management

MBAexpress: Emotional Intelligence

Critical Thinking, Case Studies and Fraud

Tapping Into The Problem Solving Power of Your Team

Effective Communication and Negotiation (Controller Series)

Understanding the Transformational Power of Data

and AnalyticsLook, Lead, Love,Learn

The Upside of Stress Creativity & InnovationMBAexpress: Smarter Decision-

MakingMBAexpress: Communication in

the WorkplaceKeeping Up With Technology

2017

Microsoft OneNote Digital Note-Taking Note-Taking and

Collaboration

MBAexpress: Nuances of Negotiating

The Anticipatory Organization: Accounting and Finance Edition

The Eight Hour MBA: Key Concepts of Powerful

Communication

Effective Communication and Negotiation

MacGyvering: The Art of Being Resourceful in a Crisis

Communications with Executive Presence for Business Success

How the Best Financial Executives Create High

Performance Organizations

BLI Competency & Career Path Learning

Communication Leadership

Critical Thinking & Problem

Solving

Anticipating & Serving Evolving

Needs

Synthesizing Intelligence to

InsightIntegration & Collaboration

Tech-Savvy and Data Analytics

Technical, Functional &

Domain Expertise

Core Values: Integrity – Competence - Lifelong Learning - ObjectivityCommitment to Excellence - Relevance in Global Marketplace

Purpose: CPAs, making sense of a changing and complex world.

OrganizationalLeader

Manager

IndividualContributor

• Financial accounting and reporting

• Cost accounting• Business

planning• Management

reporting and analysis

• Corporate finance and treasury management

• Risk management and internal control

• Accounting information systems

• Tax strategy, planning and compliance

• Team building

• Coaching and mentoring

• Driving performance

• Motivating and inspiring

• Change management

• Adept at influencing, inspiring and motivating others to facilitate change and achieve excellence.

• Strategy• Market

environment • Process

management• Business

relations• Project

management• Regulatory

environment• Macro-

economic analysis

• Skillful in evaluating facts, challenging assumptions and applying judgment to develop relevant solutions.

• Emotional Intelligence

• Executive presence

• Able to effectively exchange reliable and meaningful information, using appropriate context and interpersonal skills.

• Understand and leverage relevant technology in conjunction with core competencies to deliver superior services.

• Aware of exponential technologies and ability to anticipate impact on business (cloud, A.I., Big Data, Blockchain0

• #FutureReady – Aware, Predictive and Adaptive of emerging trends and issues that will impact the organization and its clients and customers, internal and external.

• Adept in identifying strategic directions and opportunities to meet the evolving needs of those we serve.

• Expertise in connecting data, performing analysis and using business acumen to provide astute guidance for better business decision making.

• Effective at building strategic alliances and working collaboratively to provide multidisciplinary solutions to complex problems.

Our approach to learning

Nano – Rapid Application – Curriculum

Multidimensional and adaptable. Traditional to Nano – 10-minute learning, App for content curation and reading journals. Collaboration and engagement tools. ThinkTank, conferences.io, MBSN

Blended – ILT – E-Learning Curriculum

E-Learning Versus Traditional Learning

• $1 in e-learning = $30 increase in productivity

• 18% increase in employee engagement

• Learning time reduced 25 to 60 percent

• Increases retention of learning dramatically

• Keeps them productive and able to self-pace around busy schedules

MBAExpressKey MBA Concepts in hours, not years.

* Recognized by INC. Magazine

AOAF recognized as 2016 Top learning Product“Everyone keeps telling accountants that they need to change their focus from the historic and the backward-looking, and to start being proactive and offering future-focused advice –but no one tells them how.

The beauty of the Anticipatory Organization program is that it actually gives you a set of tools to harness the hard trends that are shaping the future, and use them to create new value for your firm and your clients.”

- Daniel Hood, Editor-in-Chief, Accounting Today

28 lessons – 4 modules – 1 hour/week• Very short single-concept videos (mini TED Talks)• Rapid application exercises• Visual job aids to reinforce learning

Anticipatory Organization: Learn More in Less Time

Your turn – now what?

Closing Thoughts

Source: Leon Katsnelson - IBM

If there is a conversation about the future of the profession, you're bound to hear Hood's name mentioned as one of the people leading the way.

Tom Hood, CPA, CITP, CGMA

• CPA Practice Adviser Accounting Hall of Fame • Named the Second Most Influential Person in Accounting by

Accounting Today Magazine• Top 150 Influencer by Linked-In• Top 25 Influencers in Learning & HR by HR Examiner• Top 25 Public Accounting Thought Leaders by CPA Practice

Adviser• Working on Learning Management with AICPA/CPA2Biz,

Cloud Curriculum, Performance Management, Leadership & Generations

CEO, Maryland Association of CPAs (MACPA) macpa.org

Business Learning Institute (BLI) BLIonline.org

linkedin.com/in/tomhood/

– Accounting Today

www.blionline.org

What we do

28 lessons – 4 modules – 1 hour/week• Very short single-concept videos (mini TED Talks)• Rapid application exercises• Visual job aids to reinforce learning

Anticipatory Organization: Learn More in Less Time

"The Anticipatory Organization Learning System helps establish a mindset, a common language and eventually a culture of being anticipatory for our clients. By making this anticipatory skillset a core strength of our teams, it brings creative and new ideas that make us more valuable to our clients and it creates a game changer for our firm.”

- Joey Havens, CPAExecutive Partner, HORNE LLPTop 50 CPA Firm

Horne took their entire firm through the learning system and had some impressive results

Using the Anticipatory Organization Learning they identify hard trends and opportunities for the Health Care industry and then use that as thought leadership for their clients in focus/innovation groups. The opportunities are matched against firm services and any gaps become possible innovations and new services.The hard trend of Cyber-security led to the acquisition of a cyber practice which is one of the fastest growing services in the firm.The Horne Government services group used hard trends to identify mobile app opportunities. They built an app that subsequently won a major contract due to the time to deploy and serve the citizens, beating much larger firms.

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-Kathy Watts, CPA Chair of the BoardPartner in Charge of HealthcareHORNE LLPTop 50 CPA Firm

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Rich Stang, CPA, Managing Partner of DeLeon & Stang

DeLeon & Stang, local firm in Maryland took entire firm through and created a future-focused, proactive culture.

One client meeting, a young staff accountant asked the client what where their goals for the future. The client said, nobody had ever asked that question before. The client gave them the work on the spot. The point is that the staff accountant felt comfortable talking about the future after taking the learning system.One partner wrote, it is a lot more fun talking to clients about the future than delivering tax returns. The Anticipatory Organization learning system has given our team confidence, tools and techniques in being able to talk about the future and trends with clients.

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Jeff Wald, Managing Partner of K-Coe Isom

K-Coe Isom is creating an anticipatory culture of proactive advisors comfortable with the fast-arriving future

There is definitely a recognition that the future will be very different from today, and I think a general feeling of, we're going through transformative change in our firm but in our industry as well. And those people driving that, their acceptance of it makes me feel confident that we'll be able to deal with it in the future.Our people have a new language that allows them to work on innovation projects faster and bolder than before the learning.

User of the learning system reported benefits like these:

Increased successful innovation projects.A common language of anticipation and future-thinking.A shift in mindset to future thinking and opportunities.Increased acceptance and readiness for change.New abilities to have proactive, future-focused conversations with clients.

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IBM – MACPA-BLI PartnershipKeeping you Future Ready