CPA Center of Excellence® Insight Toolkit Named Top New Product
Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) March 10, 2016 -- The CPA Center of Excellence® has been breaking new ground since 2014, and the most recent addition to its product mix is already receiving national acclaims. The Insight HR & Career Development Toolkit was recently named as one of 2016's Top New Products in the CPA profession by leading accounting news source Accounting Today.
Only 13 products made the annual list this year. They included everything from software and hardware products and apps to services and educational programs. Insight was named as one of two products in the list's self-improvement category.
Accounting Today's Daniel Hood and Danielle Lee praised Insight as a product that "lets CPAs evaluate themselves on core competencies and the 'soft skills' that will mark the future leaders of the profession, as well as offering 360-degree assessments, and a toolkit for tracking personal development."
The Insight Toolkit was launched in the fall of 2015 after months of development and testing. It's an innovative online tool that CPAs in both public accounting and business can use for self-evaluation, and CPA firms can use for personnel evaluations, and project or client engagement reviews. Businesses can also use it in corporate accounting and finance departments. There is no other product like it available on the market for CPAs.
"The Insight HR & Career Development Toolkit is a unique approach to CPA professional enhancement and career advancement," said Strategist - CPA Center of Excellence® Jess Halverson Bowyer. "It's a perfect addition to the other components offered through the CPA Center of Excellence® that include online learning, critical business skills development and collaboration."
Insight offers a free self-assessment trial for CPAs to evaluate themselves on the proficiency in increasingly important non-technical, critical business skills, and then generates in a report that provides an initial glimpse into a CPA's current skill levels in competencies such as leadership, decision making and critical thinking.
For those who want to take advantage of a broader analysis, a full assessment is available for an affordable $30 and enables CPAs to first evaluate themselves, then invite colleagues, coworkers and/or clients to provide anonymous evaluations (this can include up to 300 people). This type of approach is considered to be the HR Gold Standard that eliminates bias and identifies blind spots and hidden strengths.
Insight also includes access to a personal learning journal, recommended learning and resources tied to the critical business skills you are assessing, the ability to connect with a mentor, and a knowledge forum for those interested in professional development. It is beneficial for CPAs in both public accounting and business, and can be customized by companies that employ CPAs to measure any competencies or parameters.
Insight equips CPAs with a better understanding of their critical business skills, as well as a roadmap for developing those skills and ultimately reaching their full potential.
"We're extremely pleased with this significant achievement and recognition for the Insight Toolkit," said Gary Bolinger, CAE, president & CEO of the Indiana CPA Society, which powers the CPA Center of Excellence®. "Soft skills are vitally important for CPAs at all levels and career stages. Insight gives CPAs the tool they need to know exactly where they stand and what they need to improve on in order to reach personal goals and client and employer satisfaction."
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ABOUT THE CPA CENTER OF EXCELLENCE®
The CPA Center of Excellence® is an entity that provides leadership, best practices, research, support and training in the focus area of soft skills for professional service providers, especially CPAs. It has five main components. The Insight HR & Career Development Toolkit, the handbook CPA Excellence A Quick Start Guide to Defining and Mastering Vital Skills for Success, a series of online interactive courses, a multi-featured online community, and member networks in which CPA colleagues interact with each other in person and online.
The components complement each other but are also beneficial individually. The toolkit is the starting point. The book is a planning guide and framework for human resource strategies that contribute to talent development in non-technical skills such as communications and critical thinking. The online interactive courses have elements of social, competency-based, interactive and on-demand learning, and the knowledge they develop supports the rest of system. The online community and member networks enable CPAs to share knowledge and further develop skills.
U.K.-based international consultant David Griffiths, Ph.D., served as an advisor in the development of the CPA Center of Excellence® and its products and resources.
The CPA Center of Excellence, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Indiana CPA Society. Its products and services are relevant to CPAs not only in Indiana, but throughout the United States, as well as to accounting professionals globally. They are also useful to individuals in other professions, clients of CPAs, and businesses that employ CPAs.
For more information about the CPA Center of Excellence®, contact Jess Halverson Bowyer, strategist - CPA Center of Excellence®, at (317) 726-5027 or jess(at)cpacoe(dot)com, or go to cpacoe.com. Indiana CPA Society President & CEO Gary Bolinger, CAE, is also available for interviews by contacting Dave Shatkowski at (317) 726-5022 or dshatkowski(at)incpas(dot)org.
Visit cpacoe.com for more information.
Elise LeBlanc, CPA Center of Excellence, http://www.cpacoe.com, +1 (317) 726-5012, [email protected]
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