One of my favorite things to learn about and to discuss with others is the subject of employee engagement. As a CPA firm we work in a profession known for burning through the young talent (staff). I always felt we could do it better, investing in our employees, focusing on communication and respect and this would lead to long-term success. I believe the results speak for themselves. McKonly & Asbury is in the midst of a 5-year run on the Pennyslvania statewide list of Best Places to Work and we have grown at an amazing rate. We have opened 4 additional offices during the past 3 years and continue to experience so many positive results, which I believe are a direct result of having engaged employees.
People often ask if I will share the secret for our success and I have to chuckle. There is no simple magic bullet. The kind of culture we have built is a journey. One that requires years of commitment and total belief that you win with people. I hope to share many of these insights to help others that desire to build a better organization.
A few books that I believe are foundational in building an organization of excellence would be Good to Great by Jim Collins and a couple of Gallup books (First Break All the Rules and Now Discover Your Strengths). These are three books we believe passionately about and have in fact done book studies with our entire firm. The Gallup books are required reading when you join our firm. We also require the StrengthsFinder test of everyone. We believe you need to understand your strengths/talents (those things that come naturally to you) as well as your blind spots (weaknesses) in order to thrive.
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