Walk It Like You Talk It: Learning & Development for the Advisory Firm You Want to Be

Many firms talk a good game about transforming into advisory powerhouses — moving beyond traditional audit and tax services toward more advisory ones. But when you zoom in on their learning and development practices, the story often doesn’t match the strategy: “We need 12 hours of CPE.” That’s not advisory. That’s compliance.

Let’s be honest — you can’t build a future-ready advisory firm with a rearview-mirror learning model. Advisory services demand more than technical competence. They require strategic thinking, complex problem-solving, business acumen, and deep interpersonal skills. That doesn’t happen with checkbox training. It happens when learning becomes a driver of performance, not just a requirement for licensure.

So, what gives?

At Spiirall, we take what I like to call an ethnographic approach to uncover the disconnect between what firms say they value and what their learning programs actually support. We observe how learning really happens, analyze cultural patterns, and ask: Are your L&D efforts aligned with your firm’s growth aspirations — or reinforcing a compliance mindset that no longer serves you?

In many firms, learning is still synonymous with meeting CPE requirements. But tracking hours isn’t the same as building capability. Compliance-driven learning focuses on what’s required to keep a license — often with little concern for whether knowledge was retained or skills were built. In contrast, learning-driven cultures ask different questions: What can our people do after the training? How is this improving our performance?

While the advisory side of the business is growing fast, many learning programs still reflect the old model — over-indexing on technical topics. That’s not surprising: most CPE systems were built around regulatory content. But advisory work demands a broader skillset: business acumen, critical thinking, relationship management. These competencies are essential, yet often underrepresented in formal learning plans.

During our recent VERTIGO session, Walk It Like You Talk It, we guided participants through a “Values Walk” — a deceptively simple but powerful activity. Step left for compliance-driven practices. Step right for learning-driven ones. The steps told a story. One that sometimes didn’t match the firm’s stated values.

The takeaway? Awareness is the first step. Alignment comes next.

Here are a few practical ways to bridge the gap:

• Reframe Metrics: Shift focus from hours completed to capabilities gained. What can your team do now that they couldn’t before?
• Design for Advisory: Integrate critical thinking, communication, and real-world scenarios into your training. Make learning look like the work you want to be doing.
• Extend Learning Beyond the Event: Advisory firms don’t run on isolated workshops. Use reflections, boosters, and spaced practice to deepen retention.
• Get Culturally Curious: Examine the messages you send about learning. Is it optional? Is it celebrated? Who champions it?

A strong advisory culture doesn’t emerge from one great session — but it does start with a choice to stop talking the talk and start walking it.

For more on building a values-aligned learning culture, check out my earlier article: “Culture of Learning: Is It the One You Want?”

At Spiirall, we believe firms deserve to have the guidance and support needed to create the learning and development strategy they aim to achieve.  If you’d like to learn more about how Spiirall has provided guidance and education to hundreds of accounting firms in their journeys to design better L&D strategies, schedule a discovery call with one of our strategists. Contact us at info@spiirall.com and let’s develop your gameplan together.