The PACK:
Professional Advisory
of Collective Knowledge
Exclusively for Leaders of Canadian
CPA Professional Service Firms:
Are you ready to be inspired with leaders and peers from CPA professional service firms, to meet all the challenges your firm faces and to innovate and transform your firm and workplace in 2022 and beyond?
It's not about doing more, it's about doing it different and doing the key things you need to do. You've had a lot to deal with, this isn't about making it harder.
Be More. Do Less.
If 2020, and 2021, and now 2022 have taught us anything, it should be that we cannot do the same old and expect to thrive. Change is the name of the game...and in one way or another hundred, it's here to stay. It's okay to get through this and to keep your head down while the storm surges, but if you don't look up at some point, you won't realize you missed the opportunity to grow and thrive.
It's About Thriving. Not Striving.
Join The PACK: There's Strength in Numbers!
"Professional development is a collective resource...
Peer engagement forges powerful growth."
—Laura Lipton
Monthly Peer-Based Group Zoom Meeting
A 90-min zoom meeting each month with your small PACK group, comprised of a 60min specific theme/topics (topic contributions by the group) prepared and facilitated by the Coach/chair and open discussion by the group; with a 30min Q&A on current needs and topics.
Topics Focused on Key Areas of Change
This is NOT about the same-old leadership training that most firms have been doing for decades. There is no doubt that the world has changed and also the world of business. So too must professional service firms change with the times. It’s imperative that your firm become a leader of change in order to remain relevant and powerful in the pandemic /post-pandemic world. The PACK programs are about challenging the status quo, figuring out innovation that works for you, and transforming into what is needed now and in the future.
1-to-1 Individual Monthly Call
30-min private, individual monthly coaching calls with Debra Burke, to review your unique needs and strategy, and to follow up questions and implementation from the PACK session.
Peer-to-Peer Learning Model
Our groups (PACKs) create an environment of trust between our members, so that we are able to guide accounting leaders to implement new solutions and transformational changes while learning from both your peers and your coach. That’s where the power is...the collective wisdom of the peer-to-peer learning model, with the leadership of an experienced professional service firm CEO and coach.
ABOUT DEBRA BURKE
Debra Burke brings more than 25 years of coaching and leadership experience along with her passion to the mission of Intentional Growth and The PACK which is to offer transformational change and impactful business coaching, at a time when business and the way we do things has been turned upside down. Debra wants to work with leadership to help your whole organization benefit and thrive in these new times.
Debra has recently been CEO of an international tax/accounting firm for over 6yrs, where she successfully transformed a firm, growing to a team over 60 people in 4 global offices. Prior to that, she has many years experience working in public accounting and tax, and transitioned into coaching/consulting with professional service firms. She is currently a candidate for MSc in Organizational Psychology.
The PACK: Professional Advisory of Collective Knowledge
The PACK is a group of professional peers who are willing to challenge the status quo, embrace innovation that allows your firm to become or remain relevant, and are willing to do the work to transform into what is needed to succeed now and in the future.
This isn’t the usual 'manage goals' type of sessions…oh no. It’s so much more! The past 2 years have taken a lot from everyone around the globe, some much more than others, but we need to see and understand the changes that have been brought, and learn and GROW from them.
We’ll start the year off with the right tools - including the right people (peers), mindset, timing, strategies - and amazing support, not willpower to ensure that you're equipped for growth in 2022!
I'm hoping you bring the Passion as well, but if not, we'll work on that. It's been a tough 1-2 years.
The focus isn't on making you do more. It's about making the right changes that allow you and your team to be more, with the support of a group of peers, and the wisdom of this coach and this program.
BE MORE. DO LESS!
Our new 2022 small group The PACK zoom meetings will start in 2022 and will outline the Mindset, Strategy, Motivation, and Passion you will bring to our 90min monthly sessions!
We’ll also book your 30min individual zoom meetings with Debra, at your scheduling convenience, to set the ground work for your unique firm vision and transformation moving forward. The combined 2hr monthly focus on your organization and your team will yield big results.
Combining our 90min The Pack group zoom meetings with our 30min individual zoom meetings, will become a really important, not-to-be-missed, 2 hours of your monthly schedule! We will use our time well!
IT'S ABOUT THRIVING. NOT STRIVING.
We will deep-dive into a variety of extremely important and timely topics: (not listed in any particular order).
Which ones resonate the most for you?
Keep an open mind as you might be surprised to find the topics you think are less interesting or relevant for you might become VERY interesting, when we discuss as a group.
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Remote vs Office vs Hybrid Business Model – Who Decides?
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Burn-Out Is Real and Costly – Yes, I’m Talking To You Partners!
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Strategy, Strategy, Strategy NOT Location, Location, Location
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The Great Staff Retention (vs Resignation)
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Employee Engagement - An HR Term or the Meaning of Your Success?
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Global Teams and Why You Might Need Them and How To Do It Right
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Culture – What you Know and Don’t Know You Don’t Know…
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Organizational Change is a Four Letter Word
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The Future of Accounting Is Warm and Fuzzy, If You Embrace AI
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Who Are You? Who, Who, Who, Who? Why That Story is Important
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Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Is Harder And Easier Than You Think
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Be More. Do Less. How does that work?
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Succession Starts Now
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And Much More…
"Not everything that is faced can be changed,
but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
—James Baldwin
Learning
When I say, learning, I mean throwing out some of the stuff you knew about running a firm and being open to embrace new, smart, innovative, and sometimes radical ideas for a successful business model in the changing, disrupted chaos of the pandemic/post-pandemic world, and the future of professional service firms! Without transformation, many firms of today will struggle to be relevant (or viable) in the future. Sounds harsh I know, but it's true.
Collaborating
When I say, collaborating, I mean sharing some of your collective wisdom and real life stories, to help others feel less alone and give them guidance. Sometimes sharing your success stories will make you feel vulnerable because you thought of this group as competitors, and sometimes sharing your failures will also make you feel vulnerable because you thought of this group as competitors, but the sharing goes both ways. There is power and strength in sharing knowledge.
Creating
When I say, creating, I mean actively participating, engaging, discussing, debating, researching, and embracing ideas that you will be able to confidently implement into your firm, because this group and this environment will be the place you can use to figure out what you want and what will work! It will be a place where failure or success isn’t the only thing we discuss, because it’s the steps that you take along the way that are the interesting parts.
Some of The Challenges Facing Professional Firm Leaders:
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What are the the areas of your practice that keep you awake at night or have become the focus of your leadership meetings?
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Does your next 5 year strategy plan look very different than the last 5-10yrs? It should.
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What do you know or think about the Future of Work as it relates to pandemic/post pandemic business, for your Firm and for your clients?
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Are you having the necessary conversations regarding continuing remote work or hybrid or full time office and the long term strategy for any/all of those? Who’s holding these conversations?
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Many businesses are dealing with The Great Resignation in one form or another. With professional service firms, the people focus is a huge element in every area of your business and your challenges. Are you focusing on culture? Are you adapting AI into your business? Are you embracing remote business? Is there a global element to your strategy?
As individual business leaders, and as a group of challenged business leaders, this is a critical time to become what we need to! It’s especially a critical time for professional firms to remain (or become) extremely relevant.
You’re not alone!
You’re not alone in that the vast majority of other firm leaders (and leaders in most organizations) are struggling with the same issues. If you've been too comfortable, now is the time to realize, as a leader, the game rules have changed.
I’m inviting you to join an intimate group that will offer an experienced, curated, facilitated environment of trust, confidentiality, familiarity, collegiality, and respect as we deep dive into the core issues that most firms are dealing with today.
The pandemic has changed many of the priorities and processes of the work that you do.
Most businesses are in the midst of major change as well, but the difference is that as a professional service firm – YOU are here to serve THEM, and possibly offer advisory services and guidance that can help your clients through this time, gaining their trust and loyalty, and growing your thriving business at the same time! It's easy for clients to want you to commiserate with them about 'how difficult things are', but they also want you to be the person who helps them redefine it.
Is your firm doing that? Are you embracing change and redefining it?
What's in it For You? What Do You Gain From Joining The PACK?
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YOUR BUSINESS needs you: Be a knowledgeable and powerful leader for the current state and also the Future of Work that the profession needs and is looking for going forward post-pandemic and into the next phase of disruption and growth.
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YOUR TEAM needs you: Be the knowledgeable and powerful leader AND role model that your team need and want, which means making some transformational changes in how and why you do things.
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YOUR CLIENTS need you: Be the knowledgeable and powerful professional/advisor that your clients need as they look to you for guidance and professional advise in their business challenges and successes.
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Feel extremely well supported and respected by peers and thrive in an environment where we’re all in this together.
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Make significant changes in the numbers in your firm (numbers and KPI’s such as retention, revenues, profits, number of clients, number of engaged team members, raving client testimonials, etc). However, more than the numbers, the greatest changes will be YOU as a leader, and YOUR FIRM as a workplace and and as a client advisor! The impact will become so much more than numbers! You will make RAVING FANS out of your team members, and your clients.
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I COULD go on, but you get the idea…I AM COMMITTED to seeing every member get the most of what they need!
"It is not simply the brightest who have the best ideas;
it is those who are best at harvesting ideas from others.
It is not only the most determined who drive change;
it is those who most fully engage with like-minded people.
And it is not wealth or prestige that best motivates people;
it is respect and help from peers." -Alex Pentland
New PACKs Start in 2022!
Choose Your Pricing Plan, then Click REGISTRATION For New Dates
Each package includes monthly: 90min group zoom meeting and 30min individual coaching call
$6800
$625
$1775
WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT WORKING WITH DEBRA
Jason H. Dir of Finance
It's been such a pleasure working with Debra. She has helped to lead our firm through significant growth and change and worked with our partner group to strategize for the future in many key areas. Importantly, she also helped stabilize our workplace environment, increasing our employee retention and positively affecting morale to become extremely high.
Steve K. CPA, CA Partner
Debra became hugely beneficial to me in running a profitable firm and leading a team. As I continued to work with her, within two years, I more than doubled my revenues. My firm has continued to grow and I have benefitted from her deep knowledge of business strategy and experience managing an international accounting and tax firm, as well as her passion and expertise for leading a team and implementing key processes. I highly recommend Debra.
Sue C. CPA, CA, Partner
I have really appreciated working
with Debra and having access to her experience. She's really helped me get clear on what I want for my firm. I've been impressed by the trusted relationships she has created with the group members and the supportive environment she's created for everyone.