Recorded live at AICPA ENGAGE 2026, this episode of the JofA podcast explores the reasons that mindset and leadership may be even more important than technology adoption as finance and accounting professionals navigate an era of nonstop transformation.

Joel Morris, a vice president at Wolters Kluwer, and Tom Hood, CPA/CITP, CGMA, executive vice president–Business Growth & Engagement at the AICPA, discuss what separates future-ready organizations from those struggling to keep pace, focuses on AI, workforce development, and strategic thinking. Morris and Hood also explore the human skills, trust, and risk management practices needed to help organizations adapt, innovate, and remain relevant in a rapidly changing profession.

One key component mentioned in the conversation is the Rise2040 report and initiative.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• How each speaker defines the "perpetual transformation state."
• Why Hood says mindset—not technology—may be the biggest factor in future readiness.
• How Morris distinguishes organizations who are getting "ahead of the wave" from those that say they're too busy to devote time to thinking about growth methodologies.
• What Morris and Hood see as the biggest barriers to successful AI adoption.
• The reasons that human skills are becoming more important, not less, in an AI-powered profession.
• How trust can help accountants and finance professionals navigate ongoing transformation and why Morris calls trust "that through-line into everything that you do."