How I Work

Most leaders who find me aren’t failing. They’re successful, experienced, and stuck — and they’ve usually tried solving the problem themselves before they pick up the phone. What they need isn’t more advice. They need a clear diagnosis, a structured plan, and someone who will stay accountable to results alongside them until the work is done.

That’s the Accountable For Change approach. It’s direct, structured, and built around one principle: no hiding from the hard conversations.

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1 Diagnose Issues

Before anything else, we identify what’s actually broken. Not the presenting problem — the real one underneath it. This means asking uncomfortable questions, examining current processes, and uncovering the barriers that have quietly been eroding performance. Most leaders already sense what’s wrong. The diagnostic work makes it visible, specific, and addressable.

2 Define Priorities

Once we know what’s driving the chaos, we establish clear priorities. Not everything at once — that’s how change fails. We identify the highest leverage moves, sequence them deliberately, and build a 90-day action plan that creates momentum without overwhelming the organization or the leader running it.

3 Determine Step Changes

Sustainable change doesn’t come from radical overhauls. It comes from deliberate, sequential step changes that build on each other over time. We identify what needs to shift — in strategy, in process, in behavior, in team dynamics — and create a structured path that moves forward without triggering the resistance that kills most change initiatives.

4 Deliver Results

This is where accountability does its real work. Through regular coaching sessions I serve as a sounding board, a strategic partner, and the person who won’t let you off the hook when the work gets hard. We track progress, adjust when roadblocks arise, and keep moving forward toward the outcomes we defined together.

Who This Is Built For

This approach works for business owners, firm leaders, and executives who are ready to be honest about what isn’t working — and willing to do something about it. My clients tend to be people who have already achieved a meaningful level of success but have hit a ceiling they can’t see clearly from where they stand.

They don’t need motivation. They need clarity, structure, and someone in their corner who will tell them the truth.

Why It Works

My diagnostic instinct didn't start when I founded Accountable For Change. It started in public accounting.

As an audit manager at a Top 25 Atlanta CPA firm, I spent six years writing management recommendations as part of every audit — giving business owners specific guidance on what needed to change and why. The diagnosis was clear. The path forward was documented. What happened next depended entirely on whether the leader had the courage and discipline to follow through. Most of the time they didn't — not because they lacked intelligence, but because there was no one holding them accountable to the hard work of changing. That gap stayed with me.

When I joined Gifford, Hillegass & Ingwersen as COO, I brought that same diagnostic instinct into a Top 10 Atlanta CPA firm. In the early 2000s, business consulting was emerging as a new niche and CPA firms across the country were beginning to pursue it. I saw the opportunity clearly — and I had the passion for the work. Through a relationship I had built with a leading business consulting platform designed specifically for CPA firms, I had access to sophisticated tools and frameworks for strategy and consulting work with clients. I brought the idea to the GH&I partners and we launched the Business Strategy Group — an internal advisory practice working directly with business owners and leaders on growth, profitability, and strategic planning. It was the proof of concept that became Accountable For Change.

In the day-to-day world of business, original plans rarely remain unchanged. Markets shift, teams evolve, circumstances change — and plans must change with them. But it's human nature for leaders to want to stick to the original course, or to miss the early signs that a course correction is needed. That's when organizations absorb the fallout. It happens every day in business. I watched it, learned from it, and built my entire approach around helping leaders see it before it costs them.

When I founded Accountable For Change in 2015, it wasn't a pivot. It was the natural next chapter of work I had been doing for decades — diagnosing what's broken, building a structured path forward, and staying accountable to results alongside the people doing the hard work of change.

My clients call me a loyal dissenter. Someone who will see what they can't see, say what others won't, and stay in the room until the work is done.

Testimonials

Sue facilitated a strategic planning workshop for my team. As part of the process, she worked with our team members in helping them identify strategies pertinent to their functional areas. By doing so, we created a cascaded strategic plan that aligned our people with the vision of the wealth department. To ensure success, Sue coached me in the areas of leadership, plan execution and accountability. Working with Sue provided the needed nudge to step up our game and created a successful team.

Bryan Koepp, JD, CFP, TEP – Wealth Planning – National Executive at Regions Bank

I cannot speak highly enough of Sue and this program. I use the communication and organizational skills I learned through her business coaching every day, and I have found purpose and value in my work beyond completing daily task lists. I highly recommend her and her program for anyone looking to grow their business and confidence, and anyone who could use a little more balance in their lives.

Melody H. Demasi, Attorney - Dennis, Corry, Smith & Dixon LLP

Ready to find out what’s standing in the way?

404-668-5403 | [email protected]

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