2026 Leadership Day

2026 Leadership Day Sessions

• 9:30 to 11 a.m. | Fix It Before It Breaks: How to Read the Room, Decode Communication Styles, and Lead Hard Conversations That Protect Trust and Results

  Speaker: Heather Lisle 

  Overview: Most professionals aren’t bad communicators; they’re just missing the signals right in front of them.

  In this interactive 3-hour workshop, participants will learn how to read a room in 30 seconds or less, interpret nonverbal communication cues by communication style, and confidently navigate high-stakes, hard conversations without escalating tension or damaging relationships.

  This session blends real-time observation, practical frameworks, and hands-on application through role plays and case studies so participants don’t just understand the concepts…they use them immediately.

  Participants will walk away with:

  • A fast, repeatable method to assess any room or conversation.
  • The ability to recognize and adapt to different communication styles in real time.
  • Clear language and strategies to handle tough conversations with confidence and control.

  Designed For: CPAs and other tax professionals seeking to strengthen their communication skills, better understand interpersonal dynamics, and confidently navigate challenging conversations in professional settings.

  Major Topics:

  1. Reading the Room Quickly
  2. Decoding Nonverbal Communication
  3. Recognizing and Adapting to Communication Styles
  4. Navigating Difficult Conversations
  5. Using Intentional, Impactful Language

  Learning Objectives: By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  1. Read the Room Fast
     1. Quickly assess group dynamics and communication styles within the first 30 seconds of entering a meeting or conversation.
  2. Decode Nonverbal Signals with Accuracy
     1. Identify key nonverbal cues (tone, posture, facial expressions, pace, eye contact) and understand what they signal across different communication styles.
  3. Adapt Communication in Real Time
     1. Flex their communication approach to match the style of others, improving clarity, trust, and influence in both team and client interactions.
  4. Navigate Hard Conversations with Confidence
     1. Apply a simple, structured framework to lead difficult conversations that are clear, productive, and outcome-focused without triggering defensiveness or conflict escalation.
  5. Use Language That Lands (Not Backfires)
     1. Replace reactive or vague communication with intentional, style-aware language that drives

  Prerequisites: None

  Advanced Preparation: None

  Field of Study: Personal Development – Non-Technical

  Level of Knowledge: Basic

  CPE Credit: 3.0

• 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. | Emotional Intelligence: The Hidden Driver of Profitability

  Speaker: Shawn Collins

  Overview: Emotional intelligence is often dismissed as a soft skill, but its impact is visible in hard business outcomes. For accounting and finance leaders, emotional intelligence influences client trust and retention, employee engagement, leadership effectiveness, conflict resolution, and decision quality under pressure. This session connects the core components of emotional intelligence to the everyday situations that affect organizational performance and profitability. Participants will learn a practical framework for increasing self awareness, regulating their responses, understanding others, and handling challenging interactions more effectively. They will leave with specific tools they can immediately apply in client conversations, team leadership, workplace conflict, and high pressure decisions.

  Designed For: CPAs and other tax professionals seeking to strengthen their emotional intelligence skills to improve client relationships, enhance leadership effectiveness, navigate challenging conversations, and drive better business outcomes.

  Major Topics:

  • The four domains of emotional intelligence
  • The relationship between emotional intelligence and business performance
  • Self awareness and emotional regulation under pressure
  • Client trust, communication, and difficult conversations
  • Conflict management and relational effectiveness
  • Leadership, employee engagement, and retention
  • Practical tools for strengthening emotional intelligence
  • Personal assessment and development planning

  Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to: 1. Identify the four primary domains of emotional intelligence and describe how each influences professional performance. 2. Explain how emotional intelligence affects profitability drivers, including client retention, employee engagement, turnover, collaboration, and decision quality. 3. Apply practical emotional intelligence techniques to stressful situations, workplace conflict, and difficult client or employee conversations. 4. Assess their individual emotional intelligence strengths and development opportunities and identify specific actions for improvement.

  Prerequisites: None

  Advanced Preparation: None

  Field of Study: Personal Development – Non-Technical

  Level of Knowledge: All Levels

  CPE Credit: 1.0
  

• 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. | Why CPA + AI is the Next Competitive Advantage

  Speaker: Jana Kelly

  Overview: AI won’t replace an accountant but it may very well replace an accountant who doesn’t use AI appropriately. This session will explore the history of accounting moments that transform the profession including the advent of AI and discuss how to be judicious and ethical users. Knowing that the next generation of accountants are already using AI every day, lets explore how to guide them. 

  Designed For: CPAs and other tax professionals seeking to understand the evolving role of artificial intelligence in the accounting profession, including its opportunities, limitations, ethical considerations, and impact on the next generation of accounting talent. 

  Major Topics:  

  • AI in the field of accounting, where it makes sense and where it has limitations  

  • How to guide the next generation to be judicious users of AI 

  Learning Objectives:  

  • Review the history of other transformative moments in the history of accounting 

  • Discuss training techniques for new staff in the world of AI tools 

  • Explore the limitations and risks of AI both now and in the future 

  Prerequisites: None 

  Advanced Preparation: None 

  Field of Study: Information Technology – Technical  

  Level of Knowledge: All Levels 

  CPE Credit: 1.0  

• 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. | Leadership Panel

  Moderator: Sungani Banda, CPA

  Panelist: Barabra Bass, Walter Wilhelmi, Sandi Hegwood

  Overview: This candid and engaging panel features seasoned leaders from the accounting and finance profession who will share personal stories, pivotal lessons, and actionable advice from their leadership journeys. Whether you're stepping into leadership for the first time or looking to grow your influence, this session will provide valuable insights into navigating challenges, building trust, staying motivated, and developing a leadership mindset. Come ready to learn, reflect, and be inspired by those who’ve led through change, growth, and adversity.

  Designed For: CPAs and other tax professionals seeking practical insights and inspiration from experienced leaders to strengthen their leadership skills, navigate challenges, and grow their professional impact.

  Major Topics:

  Leadership Foundations: Traits Every Great Leader Should Have
  Navigating Tough Decisions and Common Pitfalls
  Building Influence and Trust Within Teams
  Leadership Mistakes: Learning from Experience
  Time and Energy Management for Busy Leaders
  Staying Motivated and Leading with Purpose
  Habits and Practices of High-Impact Leaders
  Supporting Growth in Others: Mentorship and Development
  First-Time Leadership: What to Know Before You Step Up
  Lifelong Learning: How Great Leaders Keep Growing

  Learning Objectives: By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  Identify key traits, habits, and mindsets of effective leaders.
  Recognize common leadership challenges and strategies to overcome them.
  Reflect on personal leadership goals and areas for development.
  Apply advice and lessons shared by experienced leaders to real-life situations.
  Develop greater self-awareness and intentionality in leadership roles.

  Prerequisites: None

  Advanced Preparation: None

  Field of Study: Personal Development – Non-Technical

  Level of Knowledge: Basic

  CPE Credit: 1.0