Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants

1650 West 82nd Street, Ste 600
Bloomington MN 55431
Ph: 952-831-2707 Fax: 952-831-7875
www.mncpa.org

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MNCPA Leadership Academy

Immersive learning for future CPA leaders

Burnout. Turnover. Hiring shortages.
There’s no secret solution to the challenges facing CPAs today. But there is one key area that plays a major role in employee retention and engagement — leadership development.

Strong leaders must be cultivated. And that's what the MNCPA Leadership Academy does.

This immersive experience:

Tackles the unique challenges of leading effectively in public accounting.
Equips emerging leaders to contribute in a valuable way, bring actionable insights to the workplace and drive future success for the entire firm.
Meets four times, allowing attendees to sharpen skills and make progress on leadership development plans between sessions.
Includes a personalized training session tailored to the individual.
Provides regular feedback to your firm's sponsoring partner to maximize follow-through, progress and accountability.
Supports your firm’s pipeline of future leaders and employee retention efforts.

Program overview

Designed for: Accounting professionals in public practice, ages 25-35, with at least three years of professional experience, between the senior/manager level or on that track for advancement

Time commitment: Four full-day workshops and one 50-minute, personalized training session

CPE: 33 credits (1.5 ethics)

Instructor: Jon Lokhorst, CSP, CPA, PCC

Location: MNCPA Education Center, Bloomington, MN

Investment: $2,025 nonmembers / $1,725 MNCPA members

Registration deadline: June 13, 2025

Space is limited.

Schedule and workshop details
All courses are 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

JUNE 26, 2025
Leadership Foundations

What is leadership?
Leadership challenges in a professional service firm.
Building a strong personal leadership foundation.
Your unique style and how it shapes your leadership approach.
Creating your Leadership Development Plan.

JULY 24, 2025
How to Lead Well in All Directions

The critical role of emotional intelligence.
Self-leadership and navigating work-life tensions.
Leading across, down and up.
Collecting 360-degree feedback for leadership development.
Leveraging technology and AI for leadership development.

AUG. 26, 2025
Essential Leadership Skills

Enhancing communication and tips for difficult conversations.
Skills and mindset required for effective delegation, feedback and accountability.
Essential coaching skills and practice.
Leading with flexibility and adaptability in various work environments.
Ethical leadership.

SEPT. 22, 2025
The Innovative and Strategic Leader

Strategic thinking and innovation skills.
Building high-performance teams.
Leading teams through change.
Adaptive and situational leadership.
Next steps on your leadership path.

Receive a bonus one-on-one coaching session if you register by May 16!

Space is limited.

Registration deadline: June 13, 2025

Jon Lokhorst, CSP, CPA, PCC

Leadership resources

Written by Jon Lokhorst, CSP, CPA, PCC

Who was Dorothy Vaughan and what can you learn from her legacy?

How to keep your best leaders

Be the CEO of your career

Flexibility and the workplace of the future: What does that mean?

CPA Stories: Developing tomorrow's leaders

Feedback from attendees

"Do it. Invest in yourself. You will learn some practical ways to manage people and work in a way that accountants understand.”

Tracy Stevens, Boyum Barenscheer

"The Leadership Academy is a great way to develop a game plan for your leadership journey. Jon brings valuable insights to group discussions between people that are in a similar situation which leads to impactful takeaways.”

Matt Mikel, John A. Knutson & Co., PLLP

"The Leadership Academy is an engaging and informative training. It helps to build and expand your leadership toolbox. The academy is also a great place to safely ask leadership-related questions and connect with others in the industry going through the same stage of their career.”

Past participant

2024 Leadership Academy graduates

Why leadership training?

89% of past attendees have been promoted or are on track for promotion.¹
56% of past attendees report having enhanced relationships with firm partners/firm leaders.¹
56% of past attendees have received salary increases not tied to cost-of-living adjustments/annual raises.¹
92% of employees think having access to professional development is important or very important.²
“Promoting from within provides a clear path to greater compensation and responsibility and helps employees feel that they are valued and a part of the company’s success.”³
Top reasons employees leave include feeling overworked and/or unsupported, limited opportunities for career advancement and lack of recognition.⁴

_1._{Survey of past MNCPA Leadership Academy participants, November 2023}
_{2. Impact of Professional Development Survey, Better Buys

3. 5 Strategies to Improve Employee Retention, Forbes

4. 14 Effective Employee Retention Strategies, Robert Half}