For many accountants, CPD is still a tick-box exercise.
They look to do the minimum possible and, even then, focus almost exclusively on keeping their technical knowledge up to date.
But CPD has NEVER just been about keeping your technical knowledge up to date.
Sure that’s important but Continuing PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT has always meant more than that.
The range of CPD topics addressed at Accountex each year supports my contention – even if the offerings from professional bodies are often more limited.
To really keep pace, stay relevant and future-proof your practice, you need to be paying attention to three types of CPD:
1. Technical knowledge – The foundation, but no longer the full story.
2. Key business skills – Communication, self-management, delegation, leadership, managing clients and teams.
3. Tech, apps and AI – The game-changers for efficiency, profitability and client service.
A few years back I wrote a post here setting out a wide range of topics and activities that count as CPD for accountants >>>>
What about ‘Soft’ skills?
I’ve never liked the term “soft skills”.
It makes them sound optional. Or easy (as in soft vs hard).
Anyone who’s ever had to manage a team, deal with difficult clients or juggle conflicting priorities knows otherwise.
This is why I prefer to reference them as “Key business skills”. There are many, they aren’t all easy or common sense (as some would argue) and they are vital if you want to build a sustainable and successful practice.
That’s something I’ve addressed many times in my talks and on this blog over the years.
And now there’s a new skillset in town: Understanding, embracing and keeping up to date with AI and technology for accountants.
Tech and AI aren’t hype. They’re here.
Too many accountants are still hoping the AI storm will pass them by.
Spoiler: it won’t – unless they retire from practice in the next year or two (which I know some are planning to do thanks to the perceived extra hassle caused by MTD)
AI, automation and client-facing tech aren’t fads.
They’re redefining what clients expect and how practices operate.
In my keynote talk at Accountex 2024, I said accountants need to get on the AI bus or risk being left behind. This year? The bus has started moving and it’s only going to get faster.
In the Sole Practice Club, our discussions tend to focus on practical issues related to your key business skills, technology and AI.
There’s no overlap with the technical updates that members get elsewhere; so what accountants get from membership of the club is quite distinct.
Members choose the main focus for our monthly discussions and I encourage them to talk openly about what’s working, what they’ve tried and what they’ve learned from their experiences.
On the technology side of things they share what tools they’ve tried, loved or dumped – and why.
Also, how they’re using AI and so much more.
Our monthly meetings are full of shared insights and practical examples from accountants in the thick of it.
It’s real-world learning, rooted in the realities of running a practice in 2025.
Still only doing technical CPD? That’s a risky bet.
If you’re planning to retire soon or sell up, maybe technical CPD is all you need.
But if you want to stay competitive, relevant and in demand, you can’t ignore the other two types of CPD.
Clients expect more. If you have a team or plan to build one, they will need more. And your practice deserves more.
Want to learn from others doing things differently?
You don’t have to figure this stuff out on your own. Check out the Sole Practice Club and then let’s have a chat to see if we agree you’ll fit in and benefit from membership.
We don’t talk theory – we talk practice.
