As technology continues to automate many tasks in the accounting profession, what will always differentiate you from technology, are your people skills and in particular the relationship you create with your clients. This is especially true for Client Advisory Services. To truly excel at offering Client Advisory Services, it takes being highly valued, honored, and respected by your clients.

Do you need to understand and embrace how incoming innovations will change the way we do our jobs? Absolutely, but that’s not enough. You also must identify key skills only humans provide, cultivate them, and make them a key focus of your practice. Establishing yourself as a valuable advisor to clients is just as important to futureproofing as understanding how blockchain could change audits or AI will make data entry a thing of the past.

In an accounting world obsessed with advisory services, it’s strange that we often overlook the foundational aspect of relationships: communication.

You don’t need to be a research expert to find countless articles online detailing the vital importance of advisory services for accounting firms preparing for the future.

Not so long ago, we won our clients through referrals, and most of our client base lived within a 5 to 10 mile radius from our office. We went to local networking events in the evening and possibly advertised in the local paper, yellow pages or maybe even sent direct mail.

As technology continues to transform the accounting industry, it’s important to remember that what will always differentiate us as accounting professionals from technology is our ability to humanize the numbers and create long-lasting relationships. In particular, this means the connection we build with people and our ecosystem -- our clients, teams, colleagues and business partners.

Many of you have been communicating almost entirely via digital platforms for more than a year, so I don’t need to tell you Zoom fatigue is real. When hours of everyday are spent communicating via videoconference, chat, text, email, and more—all without so much as one in-person conversation—it’s only natural for burnout to set in. And when it does set in, stress and anxiety are sure to follow.

In the past year, our workspaces have changed a lot. Many of you have gone from having a dedicated office to working entirely remotely to switching back and forth in a hybrid model. No matter where you do your work, though, a lot of the stresses are the same.

As we approach the coldest part of the year, it’s clear that our current work-from-home (WFH) forecast shows no signs of slowing down. With the lower temperatures likely to produce a spike in Covid-19 cases, it’s possible restrictions will be tighter during the winter than during the previous few months.

Back in the olden days when we spent most of our work lives in offices, we separated our days with countless little breaks. We went on walks, ate snacks in the break room, had conversations with our fellow team members, and more—and we never thought twice about it.

This far into an unprecedented year, I’m willing to bet that you have your remote workflow down pat. You know when to start your day, how to reach out to clients and teammates for help, and what to do if Zoom crashes during an important meeting.

"People will forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel."

This is one of my favorite quotes--often attributed to poet Maya Angelou and others--because it highlights something everyone in business struggles with--focusing on the entirety of the experience rather than one isolated activity.

During the beginning of the year, when all of us were adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic, we didn’t have to devise a perfect work-from-home strategy. Even if you had some experience working remotely, you probably weren’t planning for a day when going to the office would be an impossibility. It’s only natural that corners got cut in the rush to transition.

I enjoy collecting inspirational quotes from luminaries, but I have found sports personalities especially intriguing since sports and business have so much in common.

In order to succeed at the highest level, athletes and coaches must have passion for their endeavor, a strong work ethic, and a constant drive even when faced with incredible setbacks and obstacles. This is something every business person can relate to. What can you specifically learn from the world of sports?

In this time of so much unrest and pain, many of us turn outward in anger and frustration. It is a natural tendency for us to react in this way to the horror we see around us and the growing stress we already are experiencing in our daily lives. It can leave us feeling helpless and sad, so what is left is more noise and opinions on what others can do. We often can think that when we look at problems of racism, prejudice, school shootings, the environment, and so on, that the issues seem so overwhelming that we don’t know where to begin.

Over the past weeks and months, the COVID-19 crisis has touched all of our lives. Some states may be beginning a cautiously guided reopening phase, but there’s no telling which restrictions will remain in place and for long. The situation is, in a word, unprecedented. With such rapid and seismic change—whether that change means losing your job or doing it in a whole new way—it’s only natural that people are feeling a little down and struggling to adjust.

The old adage goes that curiosity killed the cat, but lucky for us humans, intellectual curiosity poses no such dangers. In fact, cultivating and maintaining a sense of intellectual curiosity is one of the most beneficial traits a person can have. Curiosity serves as a catalyst for both the success you have in the workplace or the fulfillment you find outside of it. As the great Dorothy Parker once wrote, “Curiosity is the cure for boredom.”

These are stressful times for all of us with all the worries about the coronavirus pandemic and the impact it will have on our family and friends, and the nation at large.

My yoga practice is helping me manage in these difficult times. You don’t need to practice yoga though to learn how to calm your mind (though it helps). I have found that we all have natural abilities within us to calm our minds through meditation.

One thing is true in business, nothing will go right all of the time. Eventually, you will face a crisis in your business. It could be internal like a project coming unhinged, team conflicts, financial issues, or a break down in an everyday process. It can also be external, such as dealing with troubled clients or a public relations issue.

There’s more than enough for all of us to grow into the people we want to be. Once we acknowledge that fact, we can start to see abundance where we once saw scarcity. That shift in perspective can change so much, and it will definitely make your more highly effective at whatever you do.

No matter if you are starting out, growing your business, or have an established company, you may need to outsource certain tasks. No matter your budget or needs, there are times when you should think about shifting the workload to others, so you can devote more time and energy to the areas that will best grow your business. These key areas include finding new clients, supporting existing ones, launching new projects, and managing your staff.