Hey y’all, I’m Nikki Winston, and welcome to The WERKin’ Mommas podcast. I’m a mompreneur, CPA, and award-winning blogger with my content creations & career advice featured in some cool places like T-Mobile for Business, Bloomberg Accounting & Tax, Coursera, and the Journal of Accountancy.

I’m sharing the accounting tips that business owners need to know, proven methods to make CPA exam studying less stressful, and the career advice and life skills you need to win. You’ll also hear the frolics and frustrations of a mother to 2 growing kids. 

My guests and I speak the unfiltered, unedited truth, and have real conversations about what it really means to DO THE WORK. Grab your water, your whiskey, or your coffee and tune in!

Let your network know that you’re tuned in to this episode! Use the hashtag #WERKinMommas and tag me, @NikkWinstonCPA, on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Welcome to Season 2 of The WERKin’ Mommas podcast!

Mechanics vs. Concepts: Do You Know What You Doin?

I find myself constantly having this discussion about mechanics vs. concepts. - so much that I wrote about it years ago in Reader's Digest and have countless conversations with professionals about using your brain and not being afraid to do the job. You understand HOW to do something but do you understand the WHY?

In accounting and in real life, this is a blurred line. Just because you know how to download the report and copy/paste into specific cells of an Excel file doesn't mean you understand the financial, operational, and/or global impact of what you at your job everyday. Are you really adding value? Improving processes? Or are you doing things exactly the way your predecessor showed you before they left? Is your lack of knowing complicating the process?

This was a freestyle episode as this topic has been on my mind as I see how even in the pandemic, many people are transitioning into new roles and careers. As you step into this new role, are you going to carry your predecessor's torch or are you going to put on full display all the things you talked about in the interview?

Whether you're a CPA candidate, millennial professional, or business owner, listen to this episode for a different approach to upgrading your skillset.

Check out the #CareerConvos blog to continue this conversation.

Need to chat about your next career move, prep for an interview, or learn how to negotiate salary? Put time on my calendar for a 1:1 career chat.