What Makes People Interesting?
When I think of what makes people interesting, British comedian John Cleese comes to mind. It takes a great deal of talent to be a consistently funny writer for your whole career and he has done just that. I was …
Category: Management
Motivating Your Team
In September 1962, American President, John F. Kennedy, gave one of the best and most inspiring speeches ever made when he said, “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing …
Budgeting Blues
The Division Manager looked at me balefully. “Don’t ask me why we didn’t meet the budget. Those budget numbers aren’t mine. They’re way too high. I never agreed to that.” He had a case of the budgeting blues. If you …
Social Innovation – An Accountant’s Perspective
Social Innovation is about changing systems at their root, about looking at how things are done and making them better, not just for customers, but for everyone. Yet even the most socially conscious system needs financial accountability. My goal is …
How to Choose an Accountant or Bookkeeper
How to choose an accountant or bookkeeper for your #startup, #business or #charity How to choose an accountant or bookkeeper Your small business is growing and it’s time to outsource your finance management so you can run your company more …
2014 Accounting Grads: A Challenge
Yesterday was convocation at my son’s university. Sitting watching all the Commerce grads, I remembered my own graduation, and the guy sitting next to me saying, “We’re done. If I learn anything more in the rest of my life, it …
Good News for Accounting Students
Peter Paulson, from Ranstad USA, just forwarded me this infographic. It confirms what I have seen elsewhere. Simply put, more accountants are retiring than graduating, particularly in the audit field. This is a bright spot in a world filled with …
Should We Claw Back Government Pensions?
In a recent article in the Toronto Globe and Mail newspaper, CD Howe President Bill Robson makes the case for reining in the cost of government pension costs. Here is the article. Bill makes some excellent points. I would only …
Budget Spreadsheets are Complex!
Budget Overview Chart
Even as a professional accountant, I find other people’s budget spreadsheet models complex and difficult to follow. This article is about simple steps that budget preparers can do to help other people understand how their spreadsheets interact with one another. …
Building Staff Morale
How effective is “cheerleading”? Here’s the unsolicited email: It’s hard not to see that in today’s economic climate, most businesses are suffering with issues concerning staff morale. It could be that they just aren’t motivated enough, lack energy or just …