Change Your Mindset

Welcome to the Improv is No Joke podcast. Today’s guest is Bill Sheridan, the Maryland Association of CPAs’ Chief Communications Officer, editor, and resident social media cheerleader. He is creator and co-author of the association’s acclaimed blog, CPA Success; Certified Association Executive and thought leader at the Business Learning Institute; and manager of the association’s numerous social networks.

Today we’re talking about what Bill sees on the horizon for information and technology, and how CPAs and other business professionals will need to adapt as technology changes.

“I see a lot of change. It's going to get crazy, and it's going to get crazy really, really fast.”

In 1965, Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, observed that the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits had doubled every year since their invention – or, more simply, the processing speed of computer technology is doubling every year. This observation is called Moore’s Law, and 51 years later it still holds true.

“It's doing more than giving us really cool gadgets to play with. It's fundamentally changing everything.”

Moore’s Law suggests that computer technology experiences exponential growth, which can be hard to comprehend. In The Future of Professions by Daniel & Richard Susskind, they illustrate exponential growth with a simple mental exercise: imagine folding a piece of paper in half over and over and over again (it’s not actually possible to fold a piece of paper more than a few times, but this exercise gives you an idea of what exponential growth looks like).

• 4 folds = thickness of a credit card
• 11 folds = thickness of a soda can
• 21 folds = taller than Big Ben
• 31 folds = tall enough to reach outer space
• 43 folds = tall enough to reach the Moon
• 100 folds = thickness of 8 billion light years

“Things are are changing radically, and they're changing for CPA's as well.”

CPAs will have to come to terms the fact that computers will outperform them on some tasks, but nothing will change the fact that people will still need accounting services. CPAs need to adapt to new technology and clients’ changing needs, and if you don’t adapt then the generation below you will – so you’ll still be out of a job. The profession will still exist, but CPAs will need entirely new, adaptable skillsets. CPAs will need to be better improvisers.

“I'm not here to tell anybody that you have to do this stuff, because you don't, but you also don't have to stay in business.”

The young professionals who are going to be leading the CPA profession in a very short period of time are completely comfortable with moving from new technology to new technology, because that's just the way life is for them. The pushback from the old guard is fine and it's not unexpected, and very soon the accounting profession is going to shift to something that's much more capable of embracing new things, just because of the shift in leadership.

“If we can get there first, if we can figure out how to become a little bit more future ready and then show our clients and customers how to do that as well, then our role as trusted business advisors just gets stronger.”

As Chief Communications Officer, Bill’s philosophy is that the MACPAs needs to be wherever their members are and reach them in whatever way that they like to be reached, and they try to do that across all of the different platforms. By reaching out to their audience and adding value to their social media experience, Bill helps the MACPAs maintain their role as trusted business advisors when information is more available than ever.

At CPA Success they write about what members of the MACPA need to know today – breaking news, new standards, etc. At the Business Learning Institute they focus on what might be happening down the road that they should be paying attention to. Similarly, they shared important news on their Twitter feed and engage more personally with their clients on Facebook.

I always enjoy sitting down to talk with Bill, and I greatly appreciate him taking the time out of his busy schedule. We’re going to touch bases again on the podcast, in about a year, to see how technology is changing and discuss how we have adapted.

 

Resources:

• Follow the CPA Success blog
• Get educated with the Business Learning Institute
• The Future of Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts by Daniel Susskind & Richard Susskind
• A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger
• The Second Machine Age by Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson
• Humans are Underrated by Geoffrey Colvin

 

Production & Development for Improv is no Joke by Podcast Masters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the Improv is no Joke podcast! Today’s guest, Brette Rowley, is a coach, educator, marketer and entrepreneur. She spent five years as a marketer before starting her own business, Brette Rowley Coaching, which leverages her experience as a business and marketing consultant in the corporate world to help young, professional job seekers brand and position themselves for success in a crowded job market.

I met Brette when she was working as a Marketing Consultant and Accounts Manager at Advantage Media Group, which is the publisher of my book. When she joined the company, there was a renewed emphasis in how they could use books to help their authors really take the next step in their business and really grow their businesses. She helped authors use their books as a tool to achieve their goals.

“I like to joke that I was a little bit of an accountability partner, a little bit therapist, a little bit strategist when I was on the phone with my client.”

Brette and Advantage Media Group have done a great job at educating their clients on marketing tactics, and these tactics are applicable to almost anyone. For a CPA, it can be something as simple as how to differentiate yourself from all the other CPAs out there. Start by putting on your client’s shoes and considering their needs. They don’t need to know every accounting tactic that you use. They need to know that they’re going to be taken care of and that you’re an expert. Understand what you’re selling, because it’s probably not what you think you’re selling.

“One of the things that initially drew me to marketing, in general, was the fact that those principles apply to everything across the board, whether you’re marketing a product, a service or yourself.”

At Brette Rowley Coaching, she helps Millennials who feel stuck in their careers develop a strategy to sell themselves. She helps clients establish an end goal and how they plan to position themselves to make sure that they are headed in the right direction. Feeling stuck is a big challenge for her clients, but creating a plan helps clients gain momentum and see an end point.

“I like to say that I help people get unstuck.”

Brette launched an online course earlier this year called Painless Networking For Job Seekers, and she named it that because networking appears to be a big pain point for millennials. Her clients often picture awkward cocktail conversation and networking events, so she wanted to help people understand that there's a better way to network.

“You don't have to be out there pounding the pavement. It's about relationships, not necessarily the number of connections.”

Brette is launching her second online course on December 1st, 2016, and it’s perfect for anyone who has always wanted to start their own business and doesn’t know where to begin, or someone who has started and gotten stuck somewhere along the way. If you want to learn more about this course, just go to sidehustlestarterkit.com.

It can be very confusing out there, with the the landscape moving as quickly as it is, and I think having a resource, a coach, who can help you navigate those waters is only a great benefit and investment for any young professional’s future. I highly recommend that anyone feeling stuck in their careers or looking for a job transition sign up for a free, 30-minute coaching session with Brette to see how she can help.

 

Resources:

• Brette Rowley Coaching
• Schedule a complimentary coaching session
• Enroll in Painless Networking For Job Seekers
• Get ready for the Side Hustle Starter Kit launching Dec. 1, 2016

 

Production & Development for The Impact Entrepreneur Show by Podcast Masters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode I sit down and talk to two long-time business partners, great friends and excellent marketers. Claudia and Tom Trusty are the co-owners of Trusty & Company, a full-service marketing partner that maintains a diverse clientele ranging from brick and mortar retail to healthcare providers to a popular online knitter (and, of course, they only work with the best professional speakers).

 

“Marketing is really about communication and so we use whatever tools and resources that we can develop that help our clients connect with their audience.”

–Claudia Trusty

 

Trusty & Company truly is a full-service firm with a dynamic range of services:

• Design & Production
• Identity & Branding
• Advertising & Media
• Website Design & Development
• Interactive Media
• Social Media
• Strategy & Planning
• SEO Strategies
• Training & Education

 

“If you are beginning a business and you need everything from logo development to strategy then we are perfect for you because we can do it all.”

–Claudia Trusty

 

Whether you’re starting a business and need a brand new marketing strategy or just need a new website, Trusty & Company always starts with the same set of questions: tell us about you, your business, and your customers. They also ask new clients to tell them about what problem the client is trying to solve, and they address any preconceived notions they may have about marketing or design. Using improvisational techniques like Yes, And they can coordinate a marketing plan that improves on their client’s vision.

 

“We really try to make them think differently about their situation, and sometimes it's really good. Sometimes we start down a path where we come in to new ideas that they hadn't thought about before, and sometimes it doesn't work as easily because they're not ready to yet.”

–Claudia Trusty

 

In my time working with Claudia and Tom, they have helped me develop great products and improve the marketing for my business. The stellar design on www.PeterMargaritis.com gets a lot of great feedback, and the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is excellent. My web page is the first search result on Google when you search for me (with some help from a name that’s pronounced like a cocktail and spelled like an inflammation).

Google goes through about 500 algorithm changes every year, so Tom makes sure to stay up-to-date, but the most important thing for good SEO is solid web design. Another key aspect of Google’s algorithm is responsive design, or mobile-friendly design, which will greatly affect your search results.   

 

“A site isn’t built just on words anymore. The most critical thing is to build a site that looks and communicates very well to the customer. If customers understand it and can read it, the robots and the search engine can find it and read it.”

–Claudia Trusty

 

Design is a key element of online marketing, even if the content you are marketing is relatively dry. An accountant’s newsletter, for example, may contain very important information, but if it doesn’t look good who will open it and click through to your content? Trusty & Company help communicate information in a way that is both easy to understand and easy on the eyes. You can see a great example of their design in my newsletter.

I greatly appreciate Claudia and Tom taking time out of their busy day to talk to me about marketing, design and SEO. I admire the way they use improvisational skills to collaborate with each other and with their clients, and I love the content that they create. If you’re anywhere in the world and you are looking to improve your marketing, design or communication strategies – for web or physical products – get in touch with Trusty & Company.

--

This week’s Improv article:

https://www.google.com/url?q=http://createsend.com/t/y-8649F5C543EE23C1&sa=D&ust=1478515251805000&usg=AFQjCNGDodf0YMg7Vl0Uh4rCz76w3mjiMA

Resources:

• Trusty & Company: Website | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
• Send Claudia an email
• Example of a Trusty & Company eNewsletter
• Stephen Colbert & Keegan-Michael Key discussing how “Every Rule of Improv is the Exact Opposite of Show Business”

   

Production & Development for The Impact Entrepreneur Show by Podcast Masters

 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are talking to very special guest Greg Lainas, Senior Vice President of Management Resources at Robert Half and President of the Connecticut Society of CPAs. He is also a character in the novel Flashback by Gary Bravely, an Accidental Accountant, and a world-class networker. Whether you’re a student looking for your first job or a professional who hasn’t had to look for a job in over 20 years, Greg has a lot of really useful information.

 

“If I can network my way into a book you should be able to network your way into a job.”

 

Greg also uses improvisational techniques and Yes, And to incredible effect. Through networking and saying Yes, And, Greg secured his first job as a CPA at Whittlesey and Hadley, found a way into ESPN in its infancy, received second interviews with IBM and Texas Instruments at their height, rose through the ranks of Robert Half to become Senior Vice President of Management Resources, and became President of the Connecticut Society of CPAs.

Those are just some of the incredible stories that Greg shares in this interview – and it doesn’t even touch on how he ended up as a character in a novel. Greg understands that anything worth pursuing in life takes effort, but that doesn’t mean it’s complicated. Everything comes down to forming relationships.

 

“When everything else fails, let common sense prevail.”

 

In a business environment there’s no such thing as a stranger. When you’re looking for a job, when you’re looking for a favor, what’s the worse thing that can happen? Someone says no, and that really isn’t very bad.

 

“There's no magic formula. It’s ask for help and you'll get help.”

 

I can't thank Greg enough for taking time out of his schedule. It was a lot of fun, and it gave me a few ideas of new things I’d like to try in my own businesses. Greg manages to find both creative and simple solutions to common problems, and I hope he inspires you to go out there, talk to your network, join professional and community organizations, and start saying Yes, And today.

   

This week’s Improv article:

Manage Stress With These 6 Improv Principles

Resources:

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

 

Production & Development for The Impact Entrepreneur Show by Podcast Masters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m excited to be speaking with Greg Kozera. He is a leadership expert, a wonderful speaker, a leading authority on fracking, and the author of two books – Learned Leadership and Just The Fracks, Ma’am: The TRUTH about hydrofracking and the next great American boom.

Greg’s first book, Learned Leadership, emphasizes the idea that leaders are not born, they are made. In the book he shares powerful stories and identifies ten keys to awakening the leader inside of you. Just the Fracks, Ma’am attempts to demystify the very technical process of fracking for non-technical people.

 

“Leaders know where they're going”

 

Greg believes that a strong, clear vision is a key component of strong leadership. Whether they’re CEO of Halliburton or captain of a high school soccer team, leaders are more effective when they communicate a strong vision with their team.

A clear vision can make the impossible possible. Greg brings this point home with an incredibly powerful story that starts at Halliburton and Dick Cheney then goes to the soccer state tournament to his wife’s car accident to Disney World. It really is amazing, and every step of the process was made possible by strong leaders with strong visions and the people that followed them.

 

“As leaders one of the things we have to do is develop our people.”

 

Strong leaders develop strong teams. One of the beautiful things about a strong vision is that it allows a team to more effectively work together. A soccer team can tie it up in the last second and a trauma victim can recover faster than anyone ever expected. True leaders develop their team, trust their team and don’t worry about losing their position.

 

“When you're hustling, when you're making things happen, luck will come your way.”

 

Greg really breaks down the fracking process and the history of fracking for the audience. It’s a message that may not resonate with all the ears in the audience, but he’s demonstrating strong leadership skills by providing the facts, the truth behind it, and showing the benefits.

 

“One of the keys to being a great leader is truth and integrity.”

 

I can’t thank Greg enough for taking time out of his day to talk with us. I’m always impressed with Greg's knowledge, experience and his approach to the speaking business, as well as his approach to leadership. Be sure to pick up a copy of Learned Leadership or Just the Fracks, Ma’am if you want to learn even more about the concepts that we talked about today.

Resources:

• Learn more about Greg: Website | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
• Learned Leadership by Greg Kozera
• Just The Fracks, Ma’am: The TRUTH about hydrofracking and the next great American boom by Greg Kozera

 

Production & Development for The Impact Entrepreneur Show by Podcast Masters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode I’m talking to an extremely passionate CPA, Lisa Anderson, a partner at Morse & Company. In addition to being a CPA in tax, she is also Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) and Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) through the AICPA.

Lisa originally became an accountant because she didn’t think she wanted to interact with people. However, through the many steps of her career, she has discovered that she does like being around other people – and she discovered that being an accountant isn’t just a technical job, it’s a relationship-building job.

 

“I have knowledge and I have a skill set that I want to share with people. If I'm not presenting it, it's not getting out there. So it's worth having that fear initially.”

 

Lisa is passionate about specialized tax education, particularly as it relates to divorce. She gives presentations to attorneys, other accountants and non-accountants, although she faces a major challenge in marketing divorce law education to the average person – the person who may one day really need that information to make a good decision. There’s obviously a monetary piece to this, but just listening to Lisa it’s obvious that the main driver is how much she wants to help people.

 

“I love giving people the skills to be able to make decisions. I never want to direct people to make a certain decision, but I want to give them the tools and the knowledge. I want to educate people. I want them to be able to make good decisions.”

 

Lisa brings a welcomed dose of empathy to the accounting field, and I appreciate her for that. Empathy is huge for CPAs, and those that choose to employ it build much better relationships with their clients.

 

“It's helping people with a problem overcome the problem, acknowledge there's a problem and figure out how to tackle the problem. We don't always make it go away entirely, but we find a solution.”

 

I greatly appreciate Lisa for taking the time out of her day to sit down and talk with me. She is a delight, and she brings a lot of valuable information and relationship-building skills to the fields of accounting and divorce law. If you’re going through the process of a divorce and you need a little information, Lisa is the person to talk to. An investment in her may save you a lot of money in the long run.

 

 

Production & Development for The Impact Entrepreneur Show by Podcast Masters

--

How To Leave a Review For My Podcast:

I would appreciate if you take a moment and write a review. It helps the podcast find greater visibility in the iTunes community. Here are the seven steps you need to take in order to leave a review:

1. Launch Apple’s podcast app
2. Tap the search tab
3. Enter “Improv Is No Joke” in the search bar
4. Tap the blue search key at the bottom right
5. Tap the album art for the podcast
6. Tap the reviews tab
7. Tap “write a review” at the bottom and begin writing

If you’d like to leave a review but remain anonymous, all you have to do is go to your iTunes account information page, go to your settings and click, “Edit nickname.”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m extremely excited to bring you today’s guest, Judy Carter. She is a keynote speaker, an incredible author, and an effective coach. She is also retired from an impressive career as a stand-up comedian.

To be completely transparent, Judy has been incredibly influential in my life and my career. One of her books, The Comedy Bible, is something that I have referred to many, many times throughout the years. More recently, Judy coached me in how to better perform comedy and present stories.

Judy’s newest book, The Message of You, shares a lot of what she taught me as a coach. Judy believes that we all have a great story to share that reflects the experiences we have had, but we have to learn how to identify the important moments in our life and draft an interesting narrative around them.

 

“We all have this attitude that our life is absolute, random and chaotic, and in reading my book The Message of You people find that it's not random, it's not chaotic. That you actually have a message in your life and everyday you're living that message, and you have something in your stories and what you've gone through that, if you share, can really help other people and create a ripple effect of inspiration.”

 

One challenge that I faced, and that many public speakers face, is the desire to maintain a personal distance from the audience by withholding personal information. However, Judy says, “you can't spell message without your mess, M-E-S-S, and you can't see the mess in your life without age, A-G-E.”

To take action on this advice, Judy also offers The Message of You Journal: Finding Extraordinary Stories in an Ordinary Day. It is a 21-Day Interactive Journal that will guide you to uncover the inspiring stories that occur in an ordinary day before they slip through your fingers. If you want to take it one step further, Judy also offers online workshops that will help you get paid to share your story.

 

“It's truly how you deliver your information that's important, and if you can deliver it in a way that touches people, it makes people laugh, they'll retain it better and they'll stay awake, and they’ll so appreciate you.”

 

Judy has an incredible giveaway for a few of you. She is willing to share some of the comedy formulas she uses in her coaching and her course with the first three people from the Improv is no Joke audience who email her at [email protected].

 

“Take command of your life story. Take command of The Message of You and find your message now. Find that message now. Find it, and use it to become an influencer in the world.”

 

I greatly appreciate Judy coming on the show. She was very generous to share her time with us and she shared some really powerful stories. I highly recommend picking up The Comedy Bible if you have any interest in performing comedy, and picking up The Message of You to start sharing your story better.

 

Resources:

• Learn more about Judy: Website | Twitter | YouTube
• The Message of You by Judy Carter

 

• The Message of You Journal by Judy Carter

 

• The Comedy Bible by Judy Carter
• The Message of You online workshops

 

Production & Development for The Impact Entrepreneur Show by Podcast Masters

 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re speaking with Mark Wyssbrod, founder of the special firm Pro@ctive CPA and a local capitalist. He also invests in small businesses in a CFO role through a firm called Small Business CFO.

 

Mark was also awarded the Small Business Person of the Year by the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce in 2013, the Public Service Award by the Georgia Society of CPAs in Spring of 2015, and was named in the Top 40 Under 40 list by the North Atlanta Business Post last Fall.

 

“Stop saying What If and start saying Yes, And.”

 

Mark started the firm because he wanted to help solve problems with a proactive mindset, as opposed to a reactive mindset. To learn to better solve problems proactively and communicate better with his clients, Mark spent some time studying Improv.

 

“If you can't connect with your client, if they don't understand your value proposition, if you can't speak their language then you're really just a bill to them … What you want to be is that confidant, what you want to be is that professional, that right hand arm – someone they could turn to not just in good times but in bad times to present solutions in ways that they could understand, so they could go implement them in their business.”

 

Mark has his hands in about five different small businesses, helping to do everything from unload shipments from China to bookkeeping to strategic planning to CFO. He is a strong proponent of helping local businesses plan for the future, and he takes his role as a local capitalist seriously. Mark doesn’t stay behind his desk. He gets up, gets his hands dirty and learns every aspect of the businesses he works with. He isn’t their accountant, he’s their confidant.

 

Getting out of behind your desk can be very beneficial, not just to you but for the the whole team.

 

If you want to learn more from Mark, he contributed Chapter 12, Pro-Solution Thinking, for Improv to Improve Your Business. It’s a wonderful book and I highly suggest picking up a copy.

 

I love when I get to talk to Mark and I greatly appreciate him coming on the show. He is a fountain of useful information, wonderful quotes and delightful stories that are sure to help any business person think more proactively and communicate more effectively.

 

Resources:

• Learn more about Mark: Website | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
• Send Mark an email at [email protected]
• Improv to Improve Your Business by Brent Brooks & contributing authors (Mark wrote Chapter 11 - Pro-Solution Thinking)
• “It’s Time to Get Out From Behind Your Desk”

 

Production & Development for The Impact Entrepreneur Show by Podcast Masters

 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I am excited to bring you a great conversation with Dan Swartwout. Dan is a stand-up comedian, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, host of the show cbuzz, a City Council Member, and an all-around great person.

 

Cbuzz is a Columbus’ first business-focused podcast. Dan has been hosting it for a year, and they have formed media partnerships with the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, CD 102.5, Rev One Ventures and the Columbus Dispatch. Every month one episode airs on CD 102.5, and Dan recently recorded a show in front of a live studio audience with Matt Scanlon of CoverMyMeds.

 

“The great speaker and the good speaker are both prepared and ready and on top of what it is they're going to do. The great speaker, however, doesn't appear to be over-prepared.”

 

Dan recently gave a speech at the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, a warmup of sorts before the meeting. It was 8:30 in the morning, he was wearing a suit, and he had to address over 1000 people. Using the skills he has developed from standup comedy, hosting events, and hosting his show, he was able to perform well and create positive word-of-mouth for his brand.

 

“It was exciting. It was different. It was another chance to kind of stretch my skills a little bit and, you know. The more skills you have to your arsenal, the more things you can do.”

 

I also had the opportunity to do something I don’t normally do, or at least haven’t done in a long time, and that was perform standup comedy. I hired Dan to help me prepare, and it helped immensely. When I went to perform I was much more comfortable. I wasn't going to fall on my face because:

1. I had a coach
2. I worked at it
3. I trusted my skills

 

“If you have a skillset you need to develop and there are people around you who have an expertise or a lot of experience in that particular skill set, that's a valuable resource”

 

Dan has an event coming up in November called Kicking Cancer with Dan Swartwout. This will be the 3rd time the event is held, and it is for brain cancer and research for brain cancer at the James Cancer Hospital here at the Ohio State University. If you haven’t seen Dan’s act, he’s sort of known for being able to do a high kick.

 

I can’t thank Dan enough for coming on the show. He is an incredibly talented and funny guy that gives an incredible amount of himself and his time to his community, and I appreciate him for sharing his time and his insights with the Improv audience.

--

 

Resources:

• Find more about Dan: Website | Facebook | Twitter
• Listen to cbuzz

 

Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters

 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m sitting with Kristen Rampe today, an expert in the soft skills of public accounting. Kristen founded Kristen Rampe Consulting, a company that elevates CPA and professional service firm practices through workshops and projects focused on the soft skills that lead to success.

Kristen studied accounting in college, and she joined the Big 4 after graduation. She didn’t like the work-life balance of her public accounting job, so she took an industry position. Soon, Kristen was back into public accounting and tasked with forming a SOX compliance team from the ground up.

 

After working with CPAs for over a decade, Kristen realized that her strengths were the soft skills that many public accountants lacked: communication, client service, building great teams, etc. Kristen embraced her strengths and started Kristen Rampe Consulting to bring these essential skills back to the industry she spent so much time inside.

 

“I started to notice I was really adept at working with the clients and providing great service, and achieving great financial results as a result of that, so I just continued to use those skills more and more, because to me they were more beneficial, not to substitute the technical. They were the things that really differentiated happy clients: good service and great teams.”

 

It’s not always easy to sell CPAs on the value of communication, especially if you are valuing communication above technical skills. While the industry tends to agree that communication is important, what’s challenging is finding the right leadership that doesn’t just say it’s important, but actually understands the value of making a conscious effort to develop communication skills.

 

Some public accounting firms view soft skills training as a cost, but they should look at it as an investment. There is a return on that investment, and there is a distinct lack of return if you don’t make the investment. Accountants are in the people business, and the job is all about building relationships.

 

Good communication within a team can improve work-life balance for everyone by making work a more pleasant place to be. One of the biggest communication challenges is embracing what some might call a “difficult conversation.” If someone does something that makes you mad, or underperforms, there are great ways to see these as opportunities to connect. The end result is less negativity about work, and more positivity.

 

There is a framework that we can use to have these conversations. One of the keys is to separate your observations from your judgments: being able to point to really specific, indisputable facts, instead of making generalizations. It’s the difference between, “You always turn in your work late,” and, “The last four times you were assigned work due Tuesday, you turned it in Wednesday.”

 

Separately, if there is no judgment being passed and everyone agrees about the facts, we can bring in how we are feeling in this situation. The manager in this hypothetical might be frustrated, because the manager needs to meet their deadlines and one of the manager’s needs is finishing work in a timely fashion.

 

“It’s good to get the air clear when it matters.”

 

It’s time for accountants to get out from behind our desks. Talk to your clients, and learn more about their business. Learn all aspects of the business so that you can be their trusted business advisor, not just an accountant. Kristen has a list of questions that you can ask your clients, some are for the partner level and some are at the staff level, that she is happy to share with the Improv is no Joke audience. Send Kristen an email if you’d like a copy of those questions.

 

Kristen also has a wonderful book, Accounting Dreams and Delusions, which is not only helpful, but also really, really funny. I think every CPA should have a copy of it.

 

“When you see something that’s not working, take the time to make the change. It might not be today, today might not be the right day, but don’t let yourself sit in a situation that’s not working for you. Pick up what you need to do and go make that change.”

 

I thank Kristen for sitting down and having this wonderful conversation with me. I greatly appreciate her taking the time to share her wisdom and insight about the soft skills of public accounting.

 

--

 

 

What To Listen For In This Episode:

• Why CPAs need soft skills like communication and client service
• How soft skills training for CPAs is an investment in a firm’s future
• How having the difficult conversations at work can improve the work-life balance for everyone
• Why accountants need to get out from behind their desks

 

Resources:

• Learn more about Kristen: Website | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
• Contact Kristen: [email protected]
• Accounting Dreams and Delusions: Scenes From Professional Paradise, and What Really Happens in the Accounting Industry by Kristen Rampe
• “It’s Time To Get Out From Behind Your Desk”

 

Production & Development for The Impact Entrepreneur Show by Podcast Masters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices