7 Ways CPAs Can Lead in a New World with New Rules

At the 2026 VSCPA Ignite conference, negotiator Scott Envoy delivered a blunt message for CPA leaders: The rules that once governed business strategy, leadership and negotiation no longer apply. In a world defined by uncertainty, complexity and rapidly shifting information, success depends less on planning for the future and more on building organizations that can adapt to whatever comes next.

“There’s plenty out there about the state of the world right now,” Envoy said. “But the key part is how do you respond to it and how do you take advantage of it?”

Envoy offered several ways leaders can strengthen their organizations through unknown environments.

1. Move from resilient to antifragile. “Resilient [means] something that doesn’t break,” Envoy said. “Antifragile [means] something that becomes stronger.” For CPA firms, being antifragile means leaning into volatility to gain competitive advantage, pursuing clients displaced by market disruption, and experimenting with new services.
2. Simplify talent management with a performance matrix. Leaders should celebrate top performers, invest in willing learners, and address or exit those who won’t perform.
3. Stop chasing certainty. Build decision agility. Envoy challenged the traditional reliance on long-term strategic planning, calling it increasingly ineffective in today’s environment. Instead of forecasting, CPA leaders should develop decision-making protocols, scan the horizon continuously, and focus on client cravings rather than stated needs.
4. Give direction, not process. Motivated employees respond to being asked for specific outcomes, not just to follow a process. Define success clearly and allow flexibility in execution.
5. Reward bold ideas. Remember the differences between sunk costs and opportunity costs. The opportunity costs for investing in ideas from team members that challenge your old assumptions, strategies and culture may be worth it.
6. Encourage dissent. Ask employees who don’t agree with a decision to push back with reasons why. In a “right of appeal,” team members should clarify the original issue and decision and their proposed changes and rationale.
7. Focus on rapid incrementalism. The world is moving too fast for large strategic shifts. Encourage small, rapid changes to build momentum.

The bottom line

“There is a big distinction right now in making your people feel safe versus making them safe,” Envoy said. “That will give them career security, not job security.”

For CPA leaders, the message is clear: Stop trying to control uncertainty and start building organizations that can thrive in it.