Change Your Mindset

Today we’re pulling back the curtain to reveal the Wizard of Pod(casts), Cody Boyce, Founder of Podcast Masters. Cody and his team produce podcasts for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and other organizations that want to create brand authority, connect with an audience, and sound great doing it… including this one!

We discuss why podcasts are a powerful medium, for both hosts and listeners, and how the industry is likely to change over the next few months.

One of the most important pieces of podcasting, which a lot of people don’t think about, is its potential for lifelong learners. People who listen to podcasts are consuming so much information that can help them be more productive, do their job more effectively, be funnier, and countless other things. The list is constantly growing – there are 1,000 new podcasts (shows, not episodes) on iTunes every week!

Part of the reason that podcasts are so effective for lifelong learning, and what makes the medium so unique, is the freedom.

For the audience, podcasts can be listened to almost anywhere. Working out, on the commute, even while doing work – it’s available everywhere you are, as long as you have battery life.

For hosts, there is freedom in the space to do whatever they want. They can talk however, to whomever, and using whatever structure is most appealing.  

By virtue of this freedom and the relative intimacy of listening in on these conversations, podcasts hosts and audiences also form a relationship that you don’t necessarily see in other media.

This connection makes podcasts increasingly important for anyone, especially entrepreneurs, who want to develop a brand and build a community. It’s one of the easiest, and cheapest, ways to establish yourself in a particular niche. 

That leads us to one of the biggest questions about podcasts: monetization. You aren’t likely to monetize a show directly through ads. However, it is a great way to establish yourself as an expert authority in a space and begin adding value to people in your industry. If you can prove your authority and value in a space, then you can use the podcast to sell a product or attract customers to your actual business.

You can check out more of Cody’s shows here:

Manage to Engage – “We train leaders, managers and people who will be in the skills they need to not only be successful, but to be clear and open as people. Dedicated to the evolution of you, because businesses grow when people do.”

• Website
• iTunes
• Google Play

Balanced Blonde – “Here we will discuss everything from the young entrepreneurial blogging life to wellness, friendship, branding a business, writing, how to keep the passion alive and so much more. On each episode Jordan will interview someone in her life who has set their soul on fire and is doing awesome things.”

• Website
• iTunes
• Stitcher

The ONE Thing – “Discover the surprisingly simple truth behind extraordinary results. Learn how the most successful people in the world approach productivity, time management, business, health and habits with the ONE thing.”

• Website
• iTunes
• Stitcher

 Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters

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Today's guest is Allen Lloyd, the new CEO of the Montana Society of CPA's and the former Senior Manager of the Board of Executive Operations at the Ohio Society of CPA's. In this interview, you will learn how Allen employed principles of improvisation to build trust, create new opportunities, learn new skills, and grow as a leader.

We also have some fun (and learn a little bit more about two-way communication) by playing an improv game! You can find instructions to play that game with your team at the bottom of this post.

Allen started his career in accounting as an Executive Assistant. It’s been a long, strange road from the offices of Norman, Jones, Enlow, & Co to the mountains of Montana, but a lot of his success came from being willing to improvise, try new things, and listen.

It’s important to remember that Improv isn’t making stuff up. It's going into a room with nothing but walking out with something because you collaborated on an idea.

Allen really understands how to be an active listener and collaborator. It’s a simple concept but, in practice, it can be very difficult to park your agenda, listen to understand, and then have a response... especially in today’s age of cellphones and the two-second news cycle.

However, the ability to ask questions and then listen to everybody's input, comments, ideas, and then formulate some type of plan from that is critical for any good leader.

Leadership isn’t being in charge – it’s listening so you can help the person next to you.

“You can do more things by empowering others and giving them the tools they need than you're ever going to be able to do by yourself.”

LAST WORD GAME: An improv game for you and your team

During the interview, Allen and I play the Last Word Game. It can be a lot of fun, but it also helps teach active listening because you can't get ahead of yourself, which happens far too often in day-to-day conversations. Every player is required to listen to every word the other person says before they say anything.

Here’s how you play:

• Separate into pairs
• The first person says a sentence - any sentence
• The second person follows up with a new sentence using the last word from the previous sentence.

For example…

Person 1: Follow is something that leaders are good at getting people to do is to follow them.

Person 2: Them trees are growing outside.

Person 1: Outside is where I'd rather be right now because the sun is shining.

Person 2: Shining praise on your people is a very important thing to do as a leader. 

Please let us know if you play this game with your team and tell us how it went. You can get in touch with Peter on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

Resources:

• See what Allen is doing at the Montana Society of CPAs
• Be a Great Leader: How to Inspire Others to do Remarkable Things w/ Simon Sinek

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Today’s episode is about something very close to me: diagnosing, managing, and informing others about Diabetes. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes later in life, and my son was diagnosed at the age of 16. We were lucky that I was paying attention, knew the symptoms, and took action quickly… but everyone isn’t that lucky.

Cathy Paessun, Executive Director for the Central Ohio Diabetes Association and former Executive Director of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, is on the show to discuss how we, as a community, can learn the information necessary to recognize potential symptoms and adapt appropriately.

First we will highlight the similarities and differences between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes are similar in that both suppress the effectiveness of insulin in the body. Individuals experiencing either type of diabetes may also present similar symptoms:

• Excessive thirst
• Excessive urination
• Excessive eating
• Lethargy
• Weight loss

However, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are very different.

Type 1 Diabetes

• Type 1 is an autoimmune disease, meaning the body’s immune response is attacking healthy cells.
• There is no way (that we know of) to prevent developing Type 1 Diabetes if you are predisposed to it, and there is no way to cure it after you are diagnosed.
• Although Type 1 was previously considered “juvenile diabetes,” this is not the case. There are 30,000 diagnoses of Type 1 every year, but only half of those are children.

Type 2 Diabetes

• Type 2 diabetes is caused by an overabundance of fat cells that suppress the effectiveness of insulin. It is not an autoimmune disease.
• Due to the nature of Type 2, it is preventable and can be managed with appropriate diet and exercise changes.
• In the United States, 95% of the approximately 30 million individuals who are diagnosed with Diabetes have Type 2.

When we are aware of these symptoms, we can be more present and focused when they appear in our own lives. This may be at work, with friends, or even at home. It’s important that we truly listen – with our eyes and our ears, as we learned from Greg Lainas last week – so that we can start a conversation.

If you think any of your friends, family members, or coworkers might be helped, or better able to help, after listening to this episode, please share it with them.

Resources:

• Central Ohio Diabetes Association
• Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

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Today’s returning guest is Gregory Lainas, Senior Vice President and Division Director of Robert Half Management Services, a division of Robert Half International. Greg is an incredible networker – so good, in fact, that he networked his way into the novel Flashback and was the first person in the history of Robert Half to obtain $20 million in gross margin – and this interview is packed with helpful tips and stories about networking for business development.

When we say networking, many of you (particularly accountants) might recoil. The concept is simple - it can be as simple as asking someone a question, and with social networking that ask is even easier -  but networking itself can still feel difficult.

Why do so many of us still find networking difficult?

• As we grow up, we find our comfort zones and it only gets harder to leave those zones. If social situations aren’t where you feel comfortable, that can be seem like a big obstacle.
• There’s a fear of failure.
• Your inner critic says you can’t do it, there’s no point, or you will embarrass yourself.

One way to quiet that inner critic, address your fear, and feel more comfortable is to take some of the pressure off of yourself by reframing your responsibility as a networker. Your primary role is not to talk – it is to listen, be interested, and be attentive.

“You’re born with two ears, two eyes, and one mouth. That means you should be listening and watching twice as much as you’re talking.”

The Greek philosopher Epictetus once said, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” Gregory adds that we are also born with two eyes, and he has a great point: when we are networking, we need to be listening with our ears and our eyes.

There’s a secret to looking interested and attentive: actually being interested, or even passionate, about what you’re doing! Maybe you don’t actually hate networking – maybe you just don’t like the things you are currently networking about.

In baseball, they say there’s only one thing you cannot teach a player to do. You can teach them to hit, you can teach them to throw, you can teach them to field… but you cannot teach them to run. You can teach an accountant to listen, bot can’t teach passion.

And you shouldn’t try to fake passion if you don’t have it. Give yourself a break by aligning your interests with your job or business, in some way. If you’re plastic, as Greg calls it, and camouflage your true interests, you won’t actually fool anyone.

Another way to think of your role as a networker – and, really, anyone in a service business – is to think of yourself as a doctor for your clients or customers. We're trying to do a diagnosis, and we can't do the diagnosis if we're constantly talking. We have to listen, process, adapt, then prescribe.

How can we apply the art of listening and networking to improve business development?

The ultimate goal with any business interaction should be to stand out from your competitors and add value to your client or customer. Listening, passion and sincerity are all simple tactics, but they will help.

You can also stand out by offering a distinct value proposition… but you won’t know what you can offer if you don’t play the role of the doctor and find their pain, first.

Don’t believe it’s that simple? Next time you’re at a business appointment, try starting off with something like this: “Rather than me pontificate about all the services I represent, I'd like to learn more about your business. What keeps you up at night? What's preventing you from getting from point A to Point B?”

Wait, listen, and pay attention. The results will speak for themselves.

If you take the time to honestly serve your clients, and add value, then you will earn the right to do business with them, and you will set yourself apart from the competition in the process.

Resources:

• Connect with Greg on LinkedIn
• Robert Half
• Flashback by Gary Braver

Exciting News: Listen, Learn, and Earn CPE Credits

I’m excited to share that I've partnered with the American Association of CPAs and the Business Learning Institute to bring you a new learning opportunity for accounting professionals to earn CPE credits. Starting May 30th, you can earn up to 1 CPE credit for each completed podcast episode purchased for only $29 through the MACPA and Business Learning Institute self-study website. Just listen to an episode you purchase through the website and then take their review and final exam while you're working out, or after listening to an episode on your commute to and from work. It's that easy. You can learn more about getting CPE credits for listening to the show on my website.

While all episodes of the podcast are available on my website, only those purchased through the MACPA BLI self-study website are eligible for CPE credit.

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Today’s guest, Erin Daiber, is a recovering accountant who now devotes herself to helping professionals become their best selves.

As the Chief Possibility Officer of Erin Daiber Coaching & Consulting, she coaches individuals through CPA licensure, career transitions, and the path to leadership, as well as helping firms develop and deliver robust and thoughtful training programs. She’s also just a lot of fun, so I’m really excited to share this conversation with you!

“Not everyone has that natural ability to connect and relate to other people, so it’s a skill I like to help others develop.”

An interesting aspect to Erin’s coaching services is her CPA licensure training. She doesn’t simply train individuals in the technical aspects of accounting or do exam prep. She often works with individuals who have failed parts of the test multiple times, are concerned about being passed over for a promotion, or are at a make or break point in their career.  

A big part of her coaching is helping these high-performance individuals cope with the stresses of failure, which they may not be familiar with, and instill them with the confidence and leadership skills they need to excel in a firm after they pass the test.

It seems to be working. The average pass rate for each part of the exam is just under 50% – Erin’s clients have an 85% pass rate, and she’s never had someone fail twice after working with her. She had clients sitting for five parts of the exam in the last quarter and they all passed!

“There really needs to be a focus on developing yourself as a leader and developing the people around you.”

Erin also works with individuals who are already in leadership roles in their business. If you’re familiar with accounting, you know that firms tend to utilize Peter Drucker’s Peter Principle: they promote people to the level of incompetence.

Accountants tend to focus on being really technically sound, which of course is important because that's the job, but being able to teach and develop others is not a skill that comes naturally. We don't just know how to do that just because we are promoted a leadership role. You have to develop those skills, and sometimes it feels like too little too late.

Erin helps leaders prioritize their focus. It’s not all about the day-to-day. They need to emphasize developing themselves as better leaders and developing the people around them so that everyone in the company feels empowered to contribute to the firm’s long-term success.

“We really have to create where we're going as individuals and as a profession, because otherwise it does look really enticing to just do tax returns how we've always done it.”

You can learn more about Erin’s coaching at ErinDaiber.com and, if you have to take a part of the CPA exam soon, I highly recommend you get in touch!

Resources:

• Connect with Erin: ErinDaiber.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

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Today’s guest, Reverend Susanna Goulder, is a life purpose coach and President of Live Your Good Life Coaching. She specializes in helping entrepreneurs and professionals quiet their minds to align with their innate strengths, values, and purpose.

In a previous life, Susanna was the original set decorator for Sex and the City. The industry put obstacles between her and happiness, so Susanna left her successful career in Motion Pictures and Television and entered the seminary to lead a purpose-driven life.

Susanna had it all and everything looked good on the outside, but inside she felt like a square peg in a round hole. The only thing she knew was that she wasn’t happy. When you feel like that, the ultimate challenge is to not beat yourself up and, instead, listen.

“There’s purpose everywhere. It’s just finding out how to settle into where you are expressing your strength.”

We often talk about listening on Improv is no Joke, but we don’t spend enough time talking about listening to yourself.

This isn’t entirely our fault – in fact, it’s a challenge because the human brain is out of balance.

The left side of the brain - which is pragmatic, survival-oriented, and analytical - is wired like a superhighway. The right side of our brain - which is more creative - is wired more like a dirt road. The left side of the brain is underdeveloped and underutilized.  

When we feel overworked or out of place, we need to quiet our mind and let the left side of your brain rest. Be patient.

“We need to listen well with others, but we also need to listen well with ourselves.”

Your best life is continually coming to life, and watching what's happening in your life will guide you. But you have to be quiet because, if you're using your mind to direct yourself, then you're not listening to the world around you giving you signs.

It doesn't matter if we think of ourselves as left brained or right brained people. What we want to do is find ways, when we get stuck and we're pushing at the work in front of us, to just step away and quiet our minds.

“We want it to be easy, and well-being is easy when you're in the right place doing the right thing.”

If you want more resources or support, you can go to Live-Good-Life.com. Susanna also has some live events coming up in May and June. You can learn more about her upcoming book, Manifest Your Big Best Life: Love What You Do, by heading over to her website or shooting her an email.

Resources:

• Connect with Susanna: live-good-life.com | LinkedIn | [email protected]

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Today’s guest, Thaddeus Rex, is a Brand Strategist and Charisma Trainer. Before he was a brand expert, he learned about communication and storytelling as a musical artist, cast member of an Emmy Award winning PBS show, and motivational performer.

As a career musician, Thaddeus quickly learned that there are hundreds of people with the same service or expertise you have to offer (and some will do it for free). Audiences wouldn’t come to hear guitar – but audiences might come to hear Thaddeus Rex… if he offers something unique.

That’s why Thaddeus started developing stage shows to promote reading and motivate kids, and that gig highlighted his branding chops.

People with products wanted Thaddeus’ help. They see him making a living off of nothing but stories – well they had products that people needed, but they didn’t have any good stories to help people understand why.

Brands are made of three components: Stuff, Stories, and Audiences. A really good brand is a collection of stories pointing in the same direction to help your employees and audience understand what your stuff is, and why they want to be part of it

Thaddeus has broken down the Five Factors that every competitor looks for in your stuff before they make a choice, and these are the factors that will give your business a competitive edge. He calls the training Checkmate Your Competitors.

By understanding the Five Factors of Competitive Edge, you will be able to align your stories and stuff with your greatest strengths.

1. Low Cost - The easiest way to differentiate your stuff, but it’s not usually sustainable. (That’s why we usually FLEE Cost, a useful mnemonic device for this list).
2. Features - Whatever your stuff can do that the competitors can’t. In professional services, it's hard to build any features that your competitors can't do.
3. Location - You’re in a place that your competitors can’t be.
4. Experience - Most businesses spend a lot of time trying to create a good experience for their audience. We’re really proud of the experience that we’ve worked so hard to build, but it’s really just par for the course at this point. Experience is not typically a great way to distinguish yourself (unless you’re Disney).
5. Esteem - Often overlooked, this is when your stuff builds an audience’s self-esteem. How can your business make someone feel good because they use your stuff?

When you differentiate on cost, they can always find someone who is lower cost. When you differentiate on features, they can always find someone who has different expertise... But when you differentiate on esteem, and you have a cause that you believe in and your story communicates that to the customer, that's really hard for someone to copy.

You can learn more about The Science of Charisma and improving your brand at ThaddeuxRex.com.

Resources:

• Connect with Thaddeus: ThaddeusRex.com | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
• Get a competitive edge with Checkmate Your Competitors
• Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds by Carmine Gallo
• The Experience Economy: Work Is Theater & Every Business a Stage by B. Joseph Pine II & James H. Gilmore

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Today’s guest, Ria Greiff, is former therapist turned editor, writer, model, speaker, and public radio host. She hosts two NPR shows on WCBE 90.5, You Inc. and You Tune, and her mission is to elevate the emotional intelligence of the populace. I was honored to be the guest on You Inc. in an episode about multiplicity that aired on 4/29.

You Inc. is about giving people the tools to improve their brand, and your brand is You Inc. She’s giving people the ability to maximize their experiences with others so that they can create bridges, instead of dams.

Ria practices what she preaches. You’ll learn during this episode that presence and trust, two principles of improvisation, were vital tools for achieving her goal – a public radio show.

Ria was a persistence presence at WCBE, which gave her the opportunity to demonstrate her talents and build trust. Ria volunteered at the station every day for six months before she submitted a show proposal – and she volunteered for another six months before she hosted a show.  

We should all be doing the same thing in our own business relationships, or potential business relationships. Who do you want to do business with: someone you trust or someone you don’t know? Someone you trust, obviously.

And how do you gain trust? Well, as Ria demonstrated, one reliable way is to be present. Don’t ask for anything – just add value and let that relationship grow over time.

As we referenced in the introduction, Ria does a lot more than the radio show!

• Read her articles for CityScene Magazine
• Check out the Fashion Meets Music Festival Magazine
• Join the Friends of Portal Park FB Group to learn more about her public edible initiative

Resources:

• Connect with Ria: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
• Listen to You Inc.: iTunes | Website
• The Cheat Code: Going Off Script to Get More, Go Faster, and Shortcut Your Way to Success by Brian Wong

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Jody Padar is a radical CPA, the CEO & Principal of New Vision CPA Group, and the author of The Radical CPA: New Rules for the Future-Ready Firm. Later this year, she will release The Radical CPA 2.0. She’s been one of Accounting Today’s top 100 influencers in the accounting profession for 6 years, and in 2015 she was named a Managing Partner Elite.

Jody represents the next generation of accounting professionals; the vanguard of the new movement of “digital CPAs.” She is trying to educate the profession on its natural evolution into the digital age… before they go extinct.

Jody believes in embracing the cloud, social media, bots, and other highly advanced technologies and practices. She wants to alter how CPAs think about firm culture and serving their clients.

So far, embracing technology and looking to the future is going very well for Jody. The average CPA firm grows 4% annually. Her firm, New Vision CPA Group, grew 25% last year – organically, or without acquiring anyone. On top of that, she expects to grow 25% again this year.

Jody’s success isn’t surprising. She’s moving into the future with consumers, because that’s what CPAs have to do if they don’t want their firms to go the way of Blockbuster and Blackberry.

She really doesn’t understand why more CPAs don't let the technology do the grunt work. CPAs are spending their time doing work that's not value added, instead of letting technology do it.

Do you want to join Jody on the front lines of accounting?

• It all starts with a firm’s commitment to doing everything in one way, which is often a problem. The firm’s strategies, technologies, and processes need to be cohesive, from the top down. How each firm does this will vary, but it needs to remain consistent.
• Invest in yourself and the future. Growth may be a little bit slower in the short term, but if we don't invest in this change we're not going to be relevant in the future. If firms don't make changes, then nobody will want to buy them... including their managers, who they think are going to come in as partners. They're jumping ship and starting their own firms because it's so easy to start a firm today.

Jody’s upcoming book, The Radical CPA 2.0., will focus on how you can build continuous innovation into your firm, so there's no longer change management – it's just continuous innovation as part of your firm. How do you have that culture of continuous innovation? How do you measure it? How do you manage it? How do you get your team members to do it?

In the meantime, you can learn a lot more by picking up a copy of The Radical CPA or by signing up for her newsletter (where she gives away most of the advice from her books away, for free!).

Resources:

• Connect with Jody: LinkedIn | Twitter
• Sign up for Jody’s newsletter
• Learn more about New Vision CPA Group

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This week we’re talking to returning guest Greg Conderacci, the energy management expert who wrote Getting Up!: Supercharging Your Energy and, at the age of 66, rode his bicycle across the United States in just 18 days.

In episode 35, we focused on the difference between time management and energy management. We discussed tips and techniques for getting the most energy out of ourselves, and how we can generate more energy when we need it. Click here to give it a listen, if you haven’t already.

Today, we focus on the relationship between intellectual energy and emotional energy, identifying energy vampires, and using a S.T.A.K.E. really F.A.S.T.

This interview is part two of a three-part series about how to supercharge your physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual energy. Later in the Summer, we’ll part three will focus on spiritual energy.

Until then, you can learn more about managing energy, reducing stress, and balancing your career in Getting Up!: Supercharging Your Energy.

Resources:

• MorePersonalEnergy.com
• Getting Up!: Supercharging Your Energy by Greg Conderacci

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