Change Your Mindset: Recent Episodes
Peter Margaritis, CPA & C-Suite Radio
Welcome to Change Your Mindset (formerly known as Improv Is No Joke) where it is all about believing that strong communication skills are the best way in delivering your technical accounting knowledge and growing your business. The way of building stronger communication skills is by embracing the principles of applied improvisation. Your host is Peter Margaritis, CPA a.k.a. The Accidental Accountant, will interview financial professionals and business leaders to find their secret in building stronger relationships with their clients, customers, associates, and peers, all the while, growing their businesses.
“It’s always been about making my audience better, better leaders, better communicators and have fun in their lives” Peter Margaritis As we say goodbye to the old, we are grateful for all the guests who have graced our show from the first episode seven years ago till now, with 207 episodes aired we are grateful for our listeners who have made this possible. We will still be rebranding and coming back better and bigger, especially with the launch of the Bourbon Whisky Podcast “The Kentucky Bourbon Whisky Snob Pod” on YouTube and Ky in Video in September. You can find out more on the new podcast on Peter’s social media handles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermargaritis Listen to this and so much more in the episode; petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Accounting is not just about money, it’s about what I do to make other people’s lives better” Bill Sheridan Bill Sheridan is a knowledge hunter, content curator, and lifelong learner. As chief communications officer for the Maryland Association of CPAs, he created and co-authors the association’s acclaimed blog, CPA Success; produces the MACPA’s “CPA Spotlight” podcast; and manages the association’s member communications and numerous social networks. Bill speaks regularly at national conferences on the future of the accounting and finance profession, the strategic uses of social media, and the evolution of communication, collaboration and education. He delivers frequent presentations on behalf of the Business Learning Institute and is a certified Insights to Action strategic facilitator. He is inspired by and in awe of his wife, Alison, and their daughter, Molly. They live in St. Louis, Mo. As accountants in an ever-changing world, we need to know the facts but the one thing we need in order to remain relevant is learn people skills, go beyond what you now to who you are working for and with. Building better relationships and anticipation of changes that happen with people. Knowing where we are in the technological scene, sooner or later we will be using it to crunch numbers in the accounting scenes and this means as accountants, we will have to develop necessary skills that machines cannot duplicate and do, making us relevant in changing times. You can catch Bill on his socials: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billdsheridan https://twitter.com/BillSheridan
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“Our value as CPA’s goes beyond giving out facts in any situation. They act as the voice of reason and turn ideas into reality” David Peters David R. Peters is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP), with over fifteen years of experience in financial services. He was formerly the Chief Financial Officer of Compare.com and has been a financial advisor since 2015. He holds master’s degrees in accounting, business administration, and financial services and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Financial Planning & Retirement Income at The American College. He is currently a continuing education instructor for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Surgent, and Kaplan Professional, and the President and owner of David Peters Financial Group Inc, Peters Tax Preparation & Consulting PC, and Peters Professional Education LLC. People dealing with complex financial jargons that they don’t understand need someone to simplify the information and give they sound advice and that is what David believes CPA’s are. There is a level of trust that one needs in order to put your life in someone else’s hands. As a person you can learn the words of anything but you need to go beyond the words and actually communicate in a way that makes sense to the people in the room with you and it leads you as an accountant to go beyond your normal facts and learn something new. He brings on board his experiences and what he believes is the future and progression of CPA as a whole. More and more the accounting profession is coming off from just a room of accountants to meetings with different individuals, who have different functions in an organization. The accountant needs to begin to evolve and adapt to be able to cater for the needs of all these people. You can catch David on his socials: https://www.davidpetersfinancial.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-peters-financial/ https://www.facebook.com/davidpetersfinancial https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBLKAMd0JeKpm6Y9rv4_oLQ https://www.buzzsprout.com/1185392 https://open.spotify.com/show/3qaBHGu27HncW2vtv8YpQ0 Listen to this and so much more in the episode; petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“It’s not about how good your culture is, how good it needs to be to move forward.” Joey Havens Joey Havens, CPA, is currently serving HORNE as the managing partner of strategic growth. Joey actively challenges the mainstays of business culture and strategic planning. He advocates for a faster approach to growing leaders using a holistic approach and intentional sponsorship. Joey is an active member of CPA Practice Advisor’s Top 30 Thought Leaders, where he works with other accounting professionals to help lead and shape the industry. Joey is a frequent presenter/teacher/facilitator on creating a culture of belonging, strategic planning, and leadership development and loves to teach young professionals the “ABCs to Outstanding.” He currently serves on the board of The Mustard Seed, a Christian community for adults with developmental disabilities, and Empower Mississippi. He is a past board member of HORNE LLP, Friends of Children’s Hospital, JDRF, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the AICPA Women’s Initiative Executive Committee. Joey believes in working at an organization's culture as the soul and core. Culture is the soul of the organization; it’s the people, their language, it’s the behaviors we allow over time and accept them. He brings to the table more than 30 years as an influencer. He shares his experiences about organizational culture, what he has learned, and how culture influences the growth of an organization, whether positive or negative. How autonomy works in the organization and how to use it to increase the culture. You can catch Joey on his socials: https://joeyhavens.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeyhavens https://twitter.com/joeyhavenscpa https://www.instagram.com/joeydhavens/ Listen to this and so much more in the episode; petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“The whole world is in the mode of we have to control everything, what we do, the money, the people, the situations.” Lee Cockerell Our guest today is Lee Cockerell who is the former Executive Vice President of Operations for the Walt Disney World® Resort. One of Lee’s major and lasting legacies was the creation of Disney Great Leader Strategies which was used to train and develop the 7000 leaders at Walt Disney World. Lee has held various executive positions in the hospitality and entertainment business with Hilton Hotels for 8 years and the Marriott Corporation for 17 years before joining Disney in 1990 to open the Disneyland Paris project. He is now dedicating his time to public speaking, authoring a book on leadership, management and service excellence titled, Creating Magic…10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney. which is now available in 13 languages and his latest book, The Customer Rules…The 39 Essential Rules for Delivering Sensational Service. Leadership is about learning, unlearning and relearning what is out there, taking in what you were taught but also having the capacity and mind set to make up your own mind in any situation. Every situation is different but the way we handle it tells a lot of who you are and what you want to accomplish in this life. When dealing with people, understand that they come from different backgrounds, have different stress levels and knowing how to balance it. Being professional is knowing what you are doing, learning on how to better it and how you carry yourself. You can catch Lee on his socials: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leecockerell/ https://www.facebook.com/createmagic/ https://www.leecockerell.com/ https://twitter.com/leecockerell?lang=en Listen to this and so much more in the episode; petermargaritis.com
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“The beauty of good leadership is having the ability of having a wonderful platform to impact someone that you may never know how so.“ Ruben Minor Our guest today is Ruben Minor, who is the president of RAM Consulting Group, an organization that focuses on speaking training and coaching individuals and groups regarding leadership, team dynamics, relationship building, diversity, equity and inclusion, fundamental business philosophies, and business and personal branding. Reuben is a leader with a rich and resourceful network of professionals across the business spectrum, ranging from influential political figures to educational leaders and entrepreneurs. Ruben leverages his network to make more meaningful connections for his clients and business partners that evolved into lasting mutual beneficial relationships. Ruben also served this country for 15 years in the US Navy as a supply Corp officer, is a John Maxwell certified professional speaker, trainer and coach and intimately engaged in the community, serving as president of the Council for the village of Galena. Reuben enjoys spending time with family, history movies and hiking and as a side note, is a professional speaker. Corporations have learned a lot post COVID, as employees have realized that they do not have to put up with toxic work environments. Unfriendly cultures have been in place for decades, and is therefore not expected to change overnight. It's going to be a constant, intentional effort by those in leadership, and making sure that they're keeping in step with what the culture is in the corporate community. The beauty of good leadership is having the ability of having a wonderful platform to impact someone that you may never know how so. Listen to this and so much more in the episode; petermargaritis.com
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“Emotional resistance to negotiation wastes time and makes working with others hard. Negotiation is a relationship builder and not a war zone.” Peter Margaritis In today’s episode, Peter Margaritis talks about Unscripted Give-and-Take and how to use Business Improv to resolve disputes and negotiate deals. Sometimes during negotiations, we must understand that you can negotiate up instead of down. Be able to negotiate to your best and have a win-win outcome. As a business owner, entrepreneur, consultant, or employee of an organization, even when you feel that you are not a great negotiator, it’s good to learn the skills for your business and yourself and give credit to your skills and experience. Have the confidence to sell your expertise to the best that you can. According to Peter, six key points are great to have during negotiation. Listen to this and so much more in the episode at petermargaritis.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Emotional resistance to negotiation waste time and makes working with others hard. Negotiation is a relationship builder and not a war zone.” Peter Margaritis In today’s episode Peter Margaritis talks about Unscripted Give-and-Take and how to use Business Improv to resolve disputes and negotiate deals. Sometimes during negotiations, we need to understand that you can negotiate up instead of down. Be in a position to negotiate to your best and have a win-win outcome. As a business owner, entrepreneur, consultant or employee of an organization, even when you feel that you are not a great negotiator, it’s good to learn the skills not only for your business but also for yourself and give credit to your skills and experienced. Have the confidence to sell your expertise to the best that you can. According to Peter, there are 6 key points that are great to have during negotiation. Listen to this and so much more in the episode at petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“A successful workplace relation is built by collaboration, then sharing, observing/listening and building on each block with one vision in mind” Peter Margaritis In today’s episode Peter Margaritis continues his conversation on New scripts; communicating and collaboration for better results. One idea at a time; one conversation and one interaction may be what your organization needs in order to go to the next level. When working in an organization, each team mate has an agenda and visions, if they do not have a common goal each will work on their agenda’s and build their own till the “tower” collapses. Emotions and how they affect the work place are a new way to look into how people interact with each other and with clients and customers. Listen to this and so much more in the episode at petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Excellent, innovative and effective communication, invites productivity and adaptability making an organization stand out from its competitors.” Peter Margaritis In today’s episode Peter Margaritis talks about new scripts; communicating and collaboration for better results. We can be given the same space, the same business concept but still have different results from our competitors. How does communication affect your business from beginning to end? The way we articulate our wants and needs in business has a direct effect of which results you achieve and get. Every organization needs to have simple and clear, effective communication strategy that reduces jargons in the work place. Laying a foundation of innovation and improv that inspires communication internally and externally that enables you to stand out against your competitors. Simple processes in an organization can in the long run bring consistent desired results. Listen to this and so much more in the episode at petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Communications is the piece that underlines everything you do. Being able to articulate your idea or the message you want and having it perceived the way you wanted to.” Joe Taylor and Courtney McKay Today’s guests are; Joe Taylor, a founding member of JTaylor in 1999 and currently Chairman of the Board of Managers. Joe delivers a full complement of business advisory and tax planning expertise to their clients with a special emphasis in the areas of business formation and structural planning, business reorganizations, business, buy, sell, structuring, estate, and gift tax planning, business valuation, business planning, development, and more. Courtney McKay is also a founding member of JTaylor 1999 and has over 25 years of public accounting experience primarily focused on consulting and Business Advisory Services. She has extensive knowledge of business enterprise valuations, incentive compensation plans, and damage assessments. In addition, she has assisted clients with strategic planning, including joint venturing, business acquisition, and due diligence services. According to Joe and Courtney, Communications plays an important role in business, especially when accounting language seems so foreign to the test of the other departments in the organization. They agree that practicing and repeating communication as a way to make accounting more approachable is essential to its effects on the rest of the organization. Communication is an essential skill that separates those successful in the accounting industry. It’s not just running numbers but what you do with the numbers that make the difference. The skills you learn will enable you to know how to deal with different situations and people and what response you need to give them. Drawing examples from amongst themselves, they agree that communicating with colleagues is very different from how you will disseminate information to a client or the rest of the departments. Listen to Joe and Courtney as they give tips on what they have learned in their journey and how they can help you navigate the ups and downs of accounting and personal growth and development. Listen to this and so much more in the episode; petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Your ability to be vulnerable is your strength and not your weakness.” Peter Margaritis In today’s episode Peter Margaritis continues discussion on the inner critic. We can learn how to turn off the inner critic but they are not always so bad. The only people who know that you have done a flop; it’s just you and your inner critic and nobody else. As we continue to silence the inner critic, sometimes we are so focused on what went wrong, that we forget that we are human beings and are allowed to make mistakes. Instead of focusing on yourself it’s more important to focus on your audience and to whom you are delivering to. Vulnerability can be a great way to connect to others. Giving examples from an amazing song writer, Peter gives great insight on what opening yourself up to others can make you a better connection and relatable especially in the message you want to deliver. Sometimes you need to reason with your inner critic instead of silencing them. Listen to this and so much more in the episode at petermargaritis.com
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“The inner critic wants to protect you by holding you back.” Peter Margaritis In today’s episode Peter Margaritis talks about turning off the inner critic in yourself. Sometimes it’s hard to quite that voice inside you that makes you not want to take risks. Gives you advice and usually in the negative kind that held you in your comfort zone. Peter gives insight on what the inner critic is and reasons why the critic comes out. Sometimes it’s because of self-preservations but most times the critic has no basis for criticizing. As Peter puts it, the inner critic is a good companion bit you shouldn’t let them control you. Quieting the inner critic may seem like a hurdle but once you do, you will have a better time at work, during meetings, and going on stage. Listen to this and so much more in the episode at petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“The way we learn to collaborate is more important than who is in the team.” Peter Margaritis In today’s episode Peter Margaritis continues to talks about safety and today the main focus is psychological safety in the work space. How a team works and is assembled speaks more volume that just the individual contribution of the members. Peter talks about the meaning of psychological safety, the books he draws from and how to handles conflict. The way we react to stimuli (conflict) speaks volumes on the psychological calmness in the office. As an Impov leader it’s up to you to shift the culture of your organization or team to an open and intentional team, where they can speak their mind and have their ideas and opinions listened to. Listen to this and so much more in the episode; petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“We learn when we make mistakes. Failure is good.” Peter Margaritis In today’s episode, Peter Margaritis talks about scripting your mind and body and letting go of negative energy and dismissal. This is not only from others but also from yourself. As an Improv Leader, it’s easy to be in class but afraid to improvise. Sometimes it’s easier to beat ourselves up and focus on the negative energy and thoughts and term yourself as a failure. Instead, Peter reflects on why we do not bring up the apparent ad. In so doing, you are better off storing the memory for future use and engagements. Going off script may seem unnatural, but this is where courage is most needed, and you learn, in the art of business, improvisation requires you to take time and be intentional. Listen to this and so much more in the episode; petermargaritis.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“The level of active listening and focus needed to make an informed decision is a true measure of Mono tasking success.” Peter Margaritis In today’s episode, Peter Margaritis continues to break down what it means to master authentic leadership, the art of mono-tasking, and being present. The distractions in our daily lives facilitate us being present because we are usually present with half of our consciousness. Other times we think of a different place we should be or something else we need to think about. He gives insights from different scenarios, like his interview in season 3 and from a Japanese leader from Japan. Improv Leadership is not just about being physically there but internalizing and making decisions from the said words. Listen to this and so much more in the episode; petermargaritis.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Internal dialogue derails us from truly listening and understanding what the other person is trying to convey.” Peter Margaritis In today’s episode, Peter Margaritis breaks down what it means to master authentic leadership, the art of mono-tasking, and being present. The more we do things at once, the more poorly we do multiple things. A lack of presence means one is not listening with your ears and eyes. They drew examples from one’s life and the effects of carrying around your past. Work and personal balance of the mind and body are important. Peter gives us a glimpse of how an Improv Leader needs to be. Listen to this and so much more in the episode; petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"Great leaders shine the light and draw the attention to others." Peter Margaritis Improv Leadership sometimes means learning and being vulnerable as a tool that fuels the leaders' thoughts and actions. It leads to turning the spotlight on others. Peter has explored different methods in today's episode on how as a leader, one can motivate others and make them shine. The light shines every day, not just during special events. Examples include Oprah Winfrey, Simon Sinek, and great movies like Remember the Titans and Don't Think Twice. The Improv leader's qualities and responsibilities regarding their teams and how they treat them. Listen to this episode and so much more by visiting: petermargaritis.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Cost structure is a process; it’s about applying managerial cost concepts to the restaurant industry.” Mark Kelnhofer My guest is Mark Kelnhofer, president and CEO of Return on Ingredients LLC. Mark is an international speaker and author on recipe costing and menu Engineering. He has more than 25 years of experience in bottom line, boosting accounting. After graduating from Ohio Dominican University with his undergraduate degree, he immediately went into manufacturing Academy. He spent eight years in various industries including plastic injection molding, lighting equipment, transit buses, and tire repair products. Mark incorporates his extensive background throughout the episode as he discusses his entrepreneurial mindset. Mark takes time to talk about cost structure and what it entails in a restaurant business. Giving practical examples from his own brush with the restaurant industry. His ability to make, the lessons he has gotten from the diverse industries that he has been in and put them all in his company Return on Ingredients LLC. In the restaurant industry different things can lead to the cost implications and lack of instructions on cost controls can have a huge impact in improving efficiency, measuring out waste and profit. The data being gathered everyday helps an organization respond to a situation not only then but also on how to respond to the situation quickly. You may have the mechanism in place but if you do not understand how to make decisions and proper decisions at that, then you are able to make a bad decision very easily. To learn more visit: petermargaritis.com
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“Improv is not about being a solo performer. It’s about relationships.” Peter Margaritis Leaders who lead with an Improv Leadership Style, have a foundation of respect, trust, and support of their organization and their people. These leaders know how to prepare in advance, and, at the same time empower the people who are under them to shine. These leaders understand that it is not only about themselves and what they bring to the table, it’s also about their leadership in delegation and listening to their teams’ suggestions and opinions. Peter gives us amazing insight on the way a leader, is able to make himself valuable to his team and those he leads. He also puts into perspective through his demonstrations of the effects that a leader can have if not taking the chance to listen to their subordinate staff. Individuals require a leader who will act as a unifier, someone who will believe in the individual contributions. Trust is the virtue required to achieve this kind of respect and unity. And when it comes right down to it, it's up to the leader to create that environment of mutual trust and respect. To learn more visit: petermargaritis.com
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"If I can attract people because they feel I'm serving their needs, confirming their dreams, and helping them get there, that actually makes more money for my shareholders." David Savage What does collaboration mean to you? David Savage believes that most people use the term without really fully understanding it and therefore aren’t able to access the full potential of true collaboration. Our guest today, David Savage, is the author of several books, including Breakthrough to Yes. Over a ten-year period, David and his partners collaborated to develop five companies and four not-for-profits. Since 2007, his company, Savage Management, has focused on building capacity, innovation, and accountability in people and in and between organizations and communities. David works with leaders and organizations to advance their success through collaboration, negotiation, conflict resolution, and business development. In this interview, David shares his 10 Essential Steps of Collaboration. Collaboration is possible if one identifies the collaboration's intention and goal. It also means being accountable to your team. Listen to his advice on how to embrace conflict, the importance of not being a sideliner, how ego is the enemy of progress, and much more in today’s episode. To learn more and for the complete show visit: petermargaritis.com as well as David’s website: https://www.davidbsavage.com/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Ego leadership is outdated because it generates behaviors that are no longer tolerated in today's workplace.” Peter Margaritis Vulnerability, empathy, and the willingness to let go of our ego matter when it comes to developing the kind of leadership capacity our employees, peers, and other stakeholders deserve from us. Crucial to the development of dynamic, admirable leadership is learning to communicate in a way that doesn't negate the experiences of others. Listening and presence exercises can kick your leadership into hyperdrive when added to the ‘yes..and’ collaborative approach. The sense of not knowing when someone is looking intently at us for an answer is hard for all of us, but it's especially difficult for leaders with overdeveloped egos. One of the biggest challenges in leadership is, by and large, the perception that not knowing is a sign of weakness. Instead of driving their egos crazy during these moments of ignorance, leaders should lean into the not knowing, stop talking, and listen to their team for direction and vision. Exercise two is talking without ‘I’, an Improv exercise demonstrating how to park your ego. Each player tries not to use the words ‘I’, ‘me’, or ‘my’, and instead responds to the other person using ‘we’ or ‘us’. This exercise aims to help us park our ego, so we can collaborate with our partner using the general philosophy ‘Yes… and.’ The idea is to develop stronger self-awareness about the degree to which your everyday language and decision-making might be, by default, a little bit more self-centered than you realize. Exercise three is ‘thank you’, which demonstrates how to park your ego and show gratitude. This exercise aims to show gratitude to the other person for the information they are providing. The more we offer appreciation, the more the other person appreciates our efforts. Learning to accept praise with a ‘thank you is also valuable and can be a sign of humility. Sometimes good people with decision-making authority just make bad decisions. When difficult situations arise, the ego can take center stage, but doing the work to minimize the role of your ego when we lead will ultimately take us to a place of more effective leadership. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“People who want to help people further their business and solve their problems.” Stacy Rodgers In today’s episode, we welcome Stacy Rogers to the podcast. Stacy is the executive director, people and culture at Cohen & Company CPA firm based in Cleveland, Ohio. Stacy offers a unique perspective when it comes to helping the firm to develop and maintain outstanding client service teams. As a former auditor who built her career within Cohen & Company, she has a dual understanding of what clients need and expect from their accountants and how to help the firm train and develop employees to be successful. Being at the center of the firm's goal of employing the best and the brightest, Stacy oversees the execution of all people and culture initiatives, including performance management, employee engagement, employee development and recruiting. With a focus on attracting, developing and retaining talent, she works to ensure the firm exemplifies its foundational principles. Stacy is also very passionate and very knowledgeable about the accounting profession challenges Over the course of time, there are three things that have remained the same which include; first hiring the right talent, second is training that talent, and third is keeping that talent engaged and excited about their careers. That is the three legged stool that is critically important to any organization. It does boil down to the people, and making sure that you have all of those things working together, despite what's happening around you, within your organization and outside of your organization. The pandemic has helped organizations to learn that they need to be more open to the different working styles of their people, and become much more people centric in their decision making. A lot of the research shows that during this time of the pandemic, people had the opportunity to step back reflect what they want. Similarly, opportunities opened up in a way that they've never been available before because of the changing market in that dynamic. Leaders have stronger and better relationships today, because of the adoption of technology and what it’s capacity to enhance what they do day to day. If leaders find the right way to use it going forward and take all the lessons that they've gained as a result of this pandemic, they can come out in a much stronger position than they did going into it. New hires need to learn how to communicate, both internally and externally. They also have to learn how to manage their time. There is a difference when someone comes in with the ability to navigate a client problem without having someone to teach them how to do that, as compared to doing that through natural instinct. At the end of the day, people who want to help people further their business and solve their problems. People underestimate the power of communication on and building relationships, and how critical that is to everything that we do. Public accounting enables people to acquire these networking skills which translate to success no matter where your career takes you. Once you surround yourself with people who are experts in their fields, you will build a relationship and network that will last you a life time that go beyond the purpose of building business. The most successful people are those who recognize that they can’t do it alone. If you think you can accomplish all your goals on your own, you will only go as far as your ego and head can go. It only when you start to understand who are the right people that you need to surround yourself with, that your business can start to be successful. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“The collective knowledge outside of your office far exceeds the collective knowledge inside your office.” Peter Margaritis We all have an ego. Some egos are underdeveloped, others are well developed, and yet others are over developed. Over developed egos can in some cases, ultimately transform into full blown narcissism. When a person's ego becomes overdeveloped, they can begin to operate from the perspective that the world revolves around them. More often than not, narcissistic leaders stop listening to those around them which end up creating toxic cultures. CEOs who make everything about them and disregard the advice from their teams are doomed for failure. The ability to listen to understand is one of the key components of leadership, yet it's just on the side because of an overdeveloped ego. Leaders who lead with an improv leadership style, have a foundation of respect, trust and support of their organization and their people. These leaders know how to suspend their judgment, be active listeners, be present and adaptable. They also believe, and ultimately understand that leadership is the positive effect that you have on another person. In improv leadership, you praise a teammate in public, and only criticize them when appropriate, and in private. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
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“Accounting is all about how hard one works at it, and it is a skill more than it is something that someone is born with.” Anne Gannon In today’s episode, I welcome Anne Gannon. Anne is a certified public accountant who specializes in providing a monthly accounting and tax service that works for the business owner, not just the accountant. What makes Anne unique is that she is anything but your stereotypical accountant. After all, she spent her earlier years chasing the dream of professional golf. The time spent traveling the country playing golf had an impact on Anne, but she quickly realized that all the entrepreneurs and members of the hospitality industry she had met along the way were being underserved by their accountants. In 2016, she founded the Largo group, a firm specializing in over-delivering for entrepreneurs and business owners. There are a lot of similarities between sports and being an entrepreneur or business owner. You have to keep looking forward, not dwell on the past. The one good thing in business as an owner is that you can control your business and improve it daily. If you can see a path forward, then you can make it happen. When the pandemic happened, things were not very clear for a large number of businesses. The business owners that made it through had to change their mindset because some models just didn't work anymore. Businesses had to listen and pay attention to their customers. They had to be more data-driven and not so bottlenecked into thinking they know what their customers want but realize they had all this data where they could find out what their customers wanted and answer. Everyone in accounting should try to teach accounting as it makes you look at it differently when trying to communicate to people who don't understand it. When you have to teach accounting, you realize that not everybody speaks that same language. It's taught well in school, but there are a lot of things that they leave, and also, it is taught by a lot of people who haven't failed in the public accounting world. Accounting is all about how hard one works at it, and it is a skill more than it is something that someone is born with. If you really work hard and train yourself, you can teach yourself accounting. A lot of times, when people don't get it right away, they get discouraged. Accounting is not an option. If you're going to run a successful business, you have to understand the fundamentals. When training non-accountants, it's good to start slowly and then get people to open up about how much they understand. With technology, providing that extra level of customer service to clients is important. To improve your communication, start with your favorite clients so as to focus on what it is that these clients love about you. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"Great leaders inspire and motivate through empathy, not ego, agenda, and emotion." Peter Margaritis It can be hard to teach leaders to flip the script when it comes to being more empathetic and even vulnerable if those leaders are wearing thick protective armor over their humanity in the workplace. Two-face, empathy-devoid leaders take pride in their distance. But unfortunately, their aloof and impersonal workplace behavior starts degrading relationships, and then projects begin to fail. Self-absorption creates a toxic work environment. Empathetic leadership creates an empowered workplace, and one person's behaviors and attitudes can impact many. A very effective way to increase empathy is by replacing assumptions with a sense of curiosity that opens us up to empathy. You achieve this through conversation and questioning to reveal what lies beneath the surface of the other person's issue or perspective. Curiosity is a good thing. It helps us ask questions and gather more facts and information, which eliminates unfounded assumptions. The more questions we ask, the closer we get to the root of any issue, and once discovered, we can help devise a plan to help solve the problem at hand. The word improv looks a lot like the word improve. It's a powerful reminder that when we master improv, we improve relationships, teams, organizations, products, and careers. Improvisation is all about empathy for business leaders and provides an excellent foundation to empathize with others. First, as a leader, you must be a great listener and fully present during every conversation. When ego, agenda, and emotion are infused too strongly in a conversation, the conversation halts and negativity is nearly always an immediate result. Great leaders inspire and motivate through empathy, not ego, agenda, and emotion. Developing the kind of empathy to improve your leadership in this way can start with an improviser mindset. People still find it difficult to understand that a leader's emotional intelligence, of which empathy is a crucial component, is more critical to the organization than the leader's technical knowledge. The truth is that technical skills are more accessible to learn than soft skills. To get promoted in today's business world, you must master your interpersonal skills, which are hard to master. Mastering the soft skills is easier, thankfully, with an improviser mindset. The better you treat and understand the people you serve, the more empowered and loyal the stakeholders become. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"As a leader, you have to know your people and be aware when their behavior changes." Karl Ahlrichs In today's episode, we are joined by Karl Ahlrichs. Karl specializes in helping professionals make order from chaos. He's a national speaker, author, and consultant presenting on people issues in all industries and is often quoted in the local and national media. Karl's experience is ideally suited for times of organizational change, as he pulls up on risk management and organizational development theories to replace best practices with next practices. He owes much of his communication mastery to working as a writer and editor in daily media, to the on-the-job writing experience, and to the process of becoming a published author. Karl Joined Gregory and Appel insurance in 2010 after serving as the founding partner of Exact Hire, bringing his HR operations diversity and belonging in learning and development skills. Karl's affinity for design, composition, and learning started at a very young age by taking and examining 1000s of boring pictures with the goal of improving his craft. In 2003, he was named the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Human Resource Professional of the Year for the state of Indiana. He is also on boards of several organizations, including the Maryland Society of CPAs. What motivates high performers only comes from a quality relationship with a boss they respect, and that only comes from intentional conversation where the boss appears to listen to them. Money is a very small part of why employees quit. Leadership requires somebody with communication skills. However, there is a heightened hunger for empathy, where the leader shows their team that they're invested in them as people, not just employees. Empathy goes beyond attention and means being willing to say, 'I feel your pain without being judged or called out.' The topic that is never discussed enough is mental health. When a person is in pain, all they can think of is the pain. When the person is not in pain, they can think about anything and everything. As a leader, you have to know your people and be aware of when their behavior changes. When someone has a mental health issue, they exaggerate their core behaviors and become more of what they are. When your people exhibit extreme behavior, pull them into privacy, make good eye contact and ask if there is anything you should know. Leaders should also ensure that they look after their own mental health so that they can be prepared and tuned in to their teams' mental health. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"Every single day in our role as leaders, we encounter situations where empathy would serve us and others well." Peter Margaritis There are dozens of remarkable leaders and scholars singing the praises of empathy in the workplace. For example, in his book, Geoff Colvin, the Fortune Magazine Senior Editor, argues that as workplaces evolve and leadership models change, the most important skill that leaders must possess is empathy. Similarly, an article published in the Harvard Business Review after a survey of 6000 leaders, Jack Singer and Joseph Folkman, revealed that women leaders were more decisive as compared to their male counterparts when it came to empathy. People use the terms sympathy and empathy in overlapping and interchangeable ways, but there's a distinct difference. Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and feel what they feel, not what you think they feel. It involves grief and pain when and because someone else is feeling it. Every single day in our role as leaders, we encounter situations where empathy would serve us and others well. Sympathy, on the other hand, means understanding someone else's suffering. It is more cognitive and keeps a certain distance. Even if it is hard to show empathy, you must be vulnerable and authentic and put your ego aside. It's about making a human connection and not just pushing the conversation to a conclusion so you can get on with your day and get back to work. Being vulnerable is putting yourself out there for others to see. It takes courage, and it takes time. Being vulnerable is a sign of being human, authentic, genuine, and honest, and by being vulnerable, you create a stronger human connection. To learn more and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
‘It's not the people that quit and leave your organization that you have to worry about, it is the people that quit and stay.’ Dr. Hope Zoeller My guests today are Dr. Hope Zoeller and Dr. Joe DeSensei. Dr. Hope is the founder and president of Hope LLC. Hope stands for Helping Other People Excel, and it is a firm that specializes in facilitating leaders’ success at every level of an organization. For 14 years of her professional career. Dr. Zeller worked at UPS in a variety of roles including customer service training and development and employee relations. For16 years she has been consulting with organizations on leadership development. Dr. Joe DeSensi is the president of Educational Directions LLC, an educational consulting firm helping schools around the southeast for over 20 years. He developed custom and enterprise software to help districts track data and target students’ needs. Joe holds patents in school data management software and database integration. Hope and Joe have co-authored two books, Hope for Leaders unabridged, Volume One and Hope for Leaders in the 2020s: New Issues to Face, New Problems to Solve, New Hope for the Future, Volume Two. Leaders question how they can be able to lead post-pandemic, which is now normal. Organizations have to get on board with leading differently than they’ve ever led before. Post-pandemic, people no longer have the tolerance to work for people that they don't feel genuinely care about them. Time and time again, studies have shown that the number one reason why people leave organizations is a bad leader. People want to know that the person that they work for cares. We have so many things that we do, just because we've always done them this way, but people have to actively go back and recapture those inefficient processes today. It is much more difficult for people to do things that they have just been conditioned to do. The workforce now has really rethought their priorities, and so organizations are going to have to take a serious look and have a serious conversation. It's not the people that quit and leave your organization that you have to worry about, it is the people that quit and stay. There are a lot of people that quit and stay and remain working for bad leaders. In a world where we have scarce resources you've got to treat your people to where you're always getting an engagement level out of them, not just a compliance level. Not everything before the pandemic was bad, nor is everything through the virtual world is good. It's really based on your circumstance, and not just your industry, but the talent that you have in your company. We have stopped looking at how many hours people work, and have started looking at the amount of work you can handle and if you're meeting your deadlines or not because that's ultimately the metric of success. There is a real opportunity for collaborative conversations. If you're a leader leading by yourself, you're not a true leader. Working backward from the way people think is really important in terms of how to tactically use your resources, and retain and motivate your best people. The four components to be able to lead with love are having a listening ear, an objective mind, and being curious rather than critical of what is being shared. Having an empathetic heart is also key. Leaders need to focus on their culture and climate since it is one of the few things that is going to retain the best people for businesses. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"To get what you want as a sales professional, you have to connect with the person who has it, and that person is your client." Lon Graham My guest is Lon Graham, who's a speaker coaching advocate. Lon speaks to sales teams, coaches, and sales leaders and is an advocate for sales professionals. He is also an award-winning sales and leadership professional. His message of getting the sales you want comes from over 25 years of experience in healthcare, corporate programs, events, and the airline industry. Lon is an active member of the National Speakers Association. Sales are complex, and two statistics prove that. The first statistic is that sales have the highest turnover; a third of the sales force leaves yearly, which is 10 points higher than any other profession. The second statistic is that the average tenure of a sales professional is a year and a half. There is transformational power in being nice to people. If you start by being nice to people, talking to them, and spending a little bit of time getting to know them, they will be more inclined to want to talk to you, and then they will give you a chance to come back. The four C's is a framework designed to get people to become better at sales. The first C is Choice which addresses how to choose what you want. The following C is Commit, which addresses the steps to take for you to progress towards that goal. The third C is Connect which is about knowing who to connect with. Finally, the fourth C is celebrating, which is about recognizing the progress that you've made and acknowledging wins. To get what you want as a sales professional, you have to connect with the person who has it; that person is your client. What makes sales so hard is how to connect with your client. The starting point is meeting your client in their story and understanding what they're doing and what they're dealing with so that you can provide solutions to their challenges. When you do that, they're going to connect with you, and they're going to help you get what you want. The four Cs framework is shaped like a wheel because it's progressive. The two things that are so important for sales professionals to learn are first, what your client or potential client does best, and their productivity. The second thing is knowing your ideal client. By knowing these two things, you have an insight into how that potential client thinks, and if you can contribute to them doing more of what they want to do with who their ideal client is, you've just made them more productive and more profitable. To learn more and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Any gathering of individuals, no matter how large or small, is an opportunity to meet someone.” Peter Margaritis If the thought of networking makes you sweat, it's time to rethink what networking really is. Anytime you are at an event, or even in a meeting where you don't know someone, you have the opportunity to network. It's about introducing yourself and getting to know someone This involves having the right attitude, believing in yourself, having a plan, and remembering to smile. By taking just a little time to get in the right mindset, you'll have a lot more confidence walking into any event and simply smiling can make anyone more approachable. Any gathering of individuals, no matter how large or small, is an opportunity to meet someone. In order to make meaningful connections, preparation is the key and this means doing your homework. Engage people by being curious about them. It is a great way to break the ice and create a rapport with someone. The key to effective implementation is to be a good listener with your eyes and your ears. Always end a conversation by asking someone to feel free to contact you at any time, if you could do anything for them To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"We have to do a better job of providing kids with the foundation of financial literacy so we can set them up for success in the future." Rory Henry My guest was Rory Henry has 15 plus years of experience working in tax and, most recently, financial advisory professions. He's built a program AFO Wealth Management Forward, that works with accounting firms to implement holistic Wealth Management Services. Rory is a technology enthusiast at heart and adept at finding ways to improve the client experience using technology to streamline tax, accounting, and wealth management services. Rory is the co-host of a leading accounting and financial podcast, AFO Wealth Management forward. His interviews include the Wall Street Journal, Forbes Fortune Magazine, accounting today, Channing Webb and venture-backed FinTech companies, and nationally recognized thought leaders. In addition, Rory has launched Arrowroot Family Office and Goal Setter Financial Literacy Initiative to help 1 million kids gain a pathway to financial freedom. The program is enlisting fortune 1000 companies, athletes, entertainers, and Financial Thought Leaders, to bring resources and awareness in the fight to help kids in underserved communities. Rory has a bachelor's degree from UCLA and passed the series SIE, Series 63, and series 65 Security exams. Rory is an avid sports fan outside of work, plays golf, and enjoys performing improv comedy at theaters throughout Los Angeles. Active listening and dropping the ego is huge because it helps you find out what a person's wants and needs are. Improv is empathy because, in the end, you're trying to put yourself in someone else's shoes. It's finding out where they are in life, where they want to be, and then helping them get there, and that's real influence. People want to be heard and understood. You can provide some feedback or add to a conversation. But coming in and providing unsolicited advice is never the smart thing to do. When an improviser has a good idea or wants to interject, they'll lean forward. I love helping out clients by looking at their situation in a holistic viewpoint and then being able to provide the right advice to set them up for success in the future. For example, we have a program promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion through financial literacy. We believe that providing financial literacy to the next generation is vitally important to our society. We have to do a better job of providing kids with the foundation of financial literacy so we can set them up for success in the future. We have teamed up with technologies to help kids learn about financial literacy exciting and fun. Reaching kids in underserved communities that may not have financially literate role models is especially important. We're sitting in a technological revolution, and these digital devices enable us to reach the masses. Children are inundated with information, so we have to try to set up an environment and make the content engaging. This will enable them to start understanding financial concepts. To learn more and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"By injecting humor and levity into our work lives, we give ourselves an opportunity for human connection." Peter Margaritis According to some recent research, adding more laughter to the workplace helps improve the organization's culture. Humor allows people to cope with stress and build relationships and is associated with intelligence and creativity. Workplace humor is about a positive, light-hearted, open attitude and a playful mindset. One of the best ways to create a competitive advantage is to create a culture that embraces laughter. By injecting humor and levity into our work lives, we give ourselves an opportunity for human connection —something so easily lost in today's pandemic weary and technology-driven world. Humor has not been seen as a top leadership characteristic but rather a secondary leadership behavior. However, there is more research evidence that humor should be one of the top leadership behaviors. Incorporating humor into your company culture isn't that easy, but well worth it. It is essential to understand your own company culture when it comes to humor in the workplace and bring it in a way that fits and enhances the culture and the people. There is a delicate balance between creating a culture that embraces humor and developing leadership that learns how to use humor to strengthen the organization, and it's well worth the effort. To learn more and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“The idea of burning the ladder is a shifting mindset, and building bridges is the action that creates opportunities to build relationships.’ Dr. Alan Patterson My guests today are Dr. Alan Patterson and Jenny Knuth. Alan has more than three decades of international business experience. In 2006, he formed Mentore, a consulting practice specializing in leadership and organizational development. Many global and national businesses and organizations have tapped his expertise, including Anheuser Busch, Biogen, Federal Reserve Bank, Johnson and Johnson, Hewlett Packard, Major League Baseball, and the United States Navy. He's the author of 'Leader evolution: From Technical Expertise to Strategic Leadership.' In addition, Alan has been a college lecturer and frequent presenter at several state and national conferences. He released his new book 'Burn ladders, Build Bridges: Pursuing Work with Meaning and Purpose,' on May 6 of this year, and can be found on Amazon. Jenny, Dr. Alan's marketing person, also joins us in our conversation. While working with my clients, I realized that there is blind faith in career progression and that people were on this treadmill that inherently held that someone else would decide for them the next step. Despite the need for such judgments, it is evident that devastation has taken place because people have become very limited, thus the need for a better concept and a better mindset. Many people feel like the moves they need to make are out of their control, and I beg to differ. There's a lot within your control, but the approach has to be different. If you're looking for meaning and purpose, you're not going to find it on the ladder. That meaning and purpose comes through meeting and working with people. It's not a one-size-fits-all when it comes to who is a ladder burner. However, the people you find on the edge of the organizations have created these multiple relationships across the organization. So people that speak up have this broader view of their job and are looking to make a difference would be characterized as ladder burners. A ladder climber puts themselves in the middle of their universe, but it is about how they can help ladder burners and is never about themselves. The idea of burning the ladder is a shifting mindset, and building bridges is the action that creates opportunities to build relationships. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“People's perceptions of you are their reality, so pay attention to what you want their reality to be.” Peter Margaritis The way we show up does make a big difference, whether in person or virtually. Perception is reality, and the perceptions we create with others, especially with decision-making executives, really matter. People want to interact with humans they can see, hear and experience in person, whether remotely or in person. When we can see and hear each other, we see and feel the energy, engagement, body language, and attitude. According to the Vytopia press release dated April 12, 2022, executives view the lack of employee engagement as a subpar performance. 92% of the executives say employees who turn their cameras off are generally less engaged in the work overall. Having your camera turned off during any virtual event is disengaging, disrespectful, and simply impolite. The world has changed in so many ways since the pandemic began. One of those ways is the increase in hybrid work as a preferred work method. Virtual meetings and learning are becoming part of the lexicon in evolving and growing our businesses. Ask yourself how you will change your unseen presence to one that sends a message and perception to senior leadership that you are engaged and ready. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“The beauty of good leadership is having the ability of having a wonderful platform to impact someone that you may never know how so.“ Ruben Minor Our guest today is Ruben Minor, who is the president of RAM Consulting Group, an organization that focuses on speaking training and coaching individuals and groups regarding leadership, team dynamics, relationship building, diversity, equity and inclusion, fundamental business philosophies, and business and personal branding. Reuben is a leader with a rich and resourceful network of professionals across the business spectrum, ranging from influential political figures to educational leaders and entrepreneurs. Ruben leverages his network to make more meaningful connections for his clients and business partners that evolved into lasting mutual beneficial relationships. Ruben also served this country for 15 years in the US Navy as a supply Corp officer, is a John Maxwell certified professional speaker, trainer and coach and intimately engaged in the community, serving as president of the Council for the village of Galena. Reuben enjoys spending time with family, history movies and hiking and as a side note, is a professional speaker. Emotional intelligence is the ability to process information that has been received. The information goes through a filter system in your mind, which helps you to dissect what's being said, what the intention is behind it, so that your response to what you are processing will be emotionally appropriate. Emotional intelligence, like sales, is either you naturally have it and you're good at it, or you don't have it and therefore becomes a difficult process for you to gain that. It takes a special savvy person to be sensitive and to know how to respond, and not hurt someone. Psychological safety entails asking how one can create an environment where a person feels safe enough to say and express what is on their mind. Naturally, everybody wants to be heard, and when you have the ability to exercise psychological safety, then that's the foundation of building great relationships. Corporations have learned a lot post COVID, as employees have realized that they do not have to put up with toxic work environments. Unfriendly cultures have been in place for decades, and is therefore not expected to change overnight. It's going to be a constant, intentional effort by those in leadership, and making sure that they're keeping in step with what the culture is in the corporate community. The beauty of good leadership is having the ability of having a wonderful platform to impact someone that you may never know how so.
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“Emotional Intelligence helps you connect with your feelings, turning that into action, and making informed decisions about what matters most to you.” Peter Margaritis To succeed in the highly competitive world of financial consulting, accounting professionals must possess the right mix of technical experience and soft skills, or think of them as power skills, or better yet, emotional intelligence — EI. EI plays an increasingly significant role in today's business environment. Therefore, you must optimize your EI to improve your bottom line and increase your organization's job satisfaction, engagement, and retention rates. EI is the ability to understand, use and manage your own emotion in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict. EI helps build stronger relationships, succeed at work, and achieve your career and personal goals. It can also help you connect with your feelings, turn that into action, and make informed decisions about what matters most to you. The four components of EI are defined as self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, and relationship management. Self-awareness entails how you understand your emotions and how they affect your thoughts and behavior. Self-management refers to controlling and managing yourself and your feelings, resources, and abilities. In social awareness, you assess whether or not you recognize the emotions in others. It is about reading the emotional landscape and responding with empathy. Social awareness skills will help us understand professionalism in the workplace and make it easier to share information, communicate, and collaborate with others. Social awareness is a fundamental part of creating relationships with the people we work with and the customers and clients we need to build our businesses. When we understand the top three elements of EI and apply them correctly, CPAs can begin to develop and maintain good relationships, communicate clearly, inspire and influence others, work well on a team and manage conflict. Improving your EI requires that managers first understand how people feel about their jobs and help them to improve morale. Three main elements, empowerment, meaningful work, and recognition, can drive and engage workers to stick around even when they're unhappy with their pay or leadership. However, disengaged employees are three times more likely than engaged ones who quit within six months, resulting in a loss of productivity and cost amounting up to $3 million per year. Improvisation plays a critical role in EI. In business, life, and sports, EI separates high performers from mediocre and average performers. Improvisation is the ability to adapt to change. It is the yes and philosophy of improv and EI leadership. This skill is also crucial for career development. Improvisation allows people who may not have a natural knack for talking themselves out of trouble to get creative by thinking on their feet. Think about how you build an EI culture in your organization from start to finish. The first thing is to hire people skilled at managing their emotions and reading those of others and then develop a culture that promotes the skills, so employees see the value in developing EI. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“In rapidly changing times, dexterity to speed is your key to adaptability.” Rod Collins In today’s episode, we are joined by Rod Collins, a returning guest. Rod’s initial episode was released on February 14th, 2022. The topic of conversation was ‘The Benefits of Flat Organizational Structures.’ Today, our discussion focuses on the strengths of running a collective intelligence workshop when you're trying to solve problems or coming up with new ideas. If you have not listened to the earlier recording, I highly suggest giving it a listen and then following up with this episode. Rod is a leading expert on digital transformation in the future of business. He is the host of The Thinking Differently podcast on the C-suite Radio Network, where he explores how technological innovations continue to transform the rules of how successful businesses. Rod is a regular blog contributor on Substack and the author of Wiki Management, a revolutionary new model for a rapidly changing and collaborative world, highlighting the innovative tools and practices used by a new breed of business leaders to sustain extraordinary performance in a world reshaped by digital disruption. Rod is the former chief operating executive of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee program, one of the nation's largest and most successful business alliances. Under his leadership, the business experienced the most significant five-year growth period in its 60-year history. A collective intelligence workshop gets a microcosm of the business in the room. Everybody who would touch on the business's project, process, and initiative must be in the meeting room. We come up with a way to develop good ideas where we put them into groups to discuss their ideas. At the end of the sessions, each table reports the vision they have settled on. As a decision-maker in a rapidly changing world, you want the best picture, which helps move things along. After identifying the ideas, we open them up to agreements and disagreements because we want creative energy. The members are also allowed to present their grievances to uncover unknowns that always mess up projects. By having the whole system in the room, things get to be handled in real-time and rapidly, and it helps to drive unanimous consensus. In rapidly changing times, dexterity to speed is your key to adaptability. My experience is that collective intelligence is more significant than one person providing answers, and frequently this is the power of a network. To learn more and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Go write those stories, prepare and practice. And then if the occasion calls, go off script.” Peter Margaritis This excerpt from the book “Off Script: Mastering The Art of Business Improv.“ The Silent Killer of business is ultimately a lack of financial acumen. The death knell of a company comes from having leaders who are empowered to make important decisions and who don’t understand the fundamentals of Accounting and Finance. Leaders need this understanding and knowledge to make more informed, smarter, and more profitable decisions. Further, without the key elements of Improv in place, we won’t have the courage or safety to talk about the money. We need to teach accounting and finance to non-financial leaders to remove the complexity of accounting and financial jargon and teach them the fundamentals in plain English. When you switch the accounting and finance light bulb on and include it as part of the Improv leadership development, your leaders will make better business decisions because their business acumen has been fully achieved. In business, problems and solutions are always about money. The improv exercises in this book provide you with tools that can always make you stronger regardless of your title or the amount of work experience, or your confidence. Your ability to generate significant results from these improv activities sometimes hinges on the participants’ essential financial acumen to have these conversations in the first place. The combination of improv, off-script leadership skills, and strong financial acumen can take you and your organization to new heights. It’s been my great honor to introduce you to the world where more yes is possible. A world in which respect, trust, and support underlie our every interaction, a world in which we can focus on what matters and listen to the people who matter. A world in which we can adapt to any contingencies, opportunity, or crisis, like a seasoned, talented improviser, ready to accept the gifts of change and forge forward into a story that’s worth waiting to be written. If you'd like to learn more about off-script mastering the art of business improv, go to www.offscriptimprov.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“There is a real direct application to being human with what you learn in theatre and Improve.” Robert Bendetti Today, our guest is Robert Bendetti, Jr., CPA, who is the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Life Cycle Engineering. As CFO, he is responsible for all financial operations of the company and accounting contracts, purchasing, Process automation, and IT. Before Life Cycle Engineering, Robert served as VP of Finance at Galey and Lord and CFO of the Coastal Logistics Group and a financial management position within Lockheed Martin, Hormel Foods, and Hilton Hotels. Robert is also president and founder of the Global CFO Council. The purpose of the global CFO counselors is to provide an educational and networking forum for senior financial executives to share the best practices, discuss current financial issues, and learn about current topics related to their job performance. There are 1500 members in 32 countries. Robert has a great sense of humor and embraces Improv due to his background in the performing arts. There are four L's that goes into changing your mindset. These include Learning, Leading, Listening, and Leaving. The first L is learning, which comes from podcasts, books, mentors, and networking, and it could be professional certifications, which is a great way to learn in whatever field you're in. The second L is leading, which includes serving and empowering others and volunteering wherever you're. In the current environment, community, civic, and industry associations desperately need folks like us to volunteer at any phase of your career. There's no greater way to learn and change your mindset than by embedding yourself with others and serving and empowering them. The third L is listening, and a great way to grow is by being a mentor and having mentees and listening to them. Another way to do this is to listen to your customer, and the only way you can listen to the customer is if you're out with the customer. It is also essential to listen to your team members and learn from them. I am primarily an internal consultant to the CEO and the business operations leaders. But also, my customers include the end-user of the service and products and solutions that we sell, and then I have all the team members at the company. My job is to keep everybody happy, engaged, excited and equipped to do their job. The last L is Leaving, and sometimes to change your mindset, you got to change some things about your environment. You need to take out some things and leave like negative influences, some bad friends or some habits. To affirm those that are listening and doubt themselves, you can learn enough so that you can have an enjoyable conversation and interact with people, or have the confidence to say something in a meeting or to your boss in the moment, instead of on the way home and have all the regret not doing it. Those are the kind of skills that you can learn by doing maybe a little reading or listening to a podcast or taking an Improv class. To learn more and for the complete show notes, visit petermargaritis.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We are in the people business and we need to treat our people and customers with the respect that they deserve.” Peter Margaritis Saving a few pennies is not worth losing a customer. In this era of social media, bad reviews, pictures of disappointing meals, and word of mouth can significantly impact your business. While we must always watch our costs in order to make a profit, it is important to realize that it is the revenues that drive that profit. If we don't get a return business, we lose revenue, and the business loses sustainability and growth period. As a professional speaker, I customize my presentation to each audience and never do the exact same presentation twice. It takes a lot of work, and has been a key driver in the success is my business for 12 years. I will never serve leftovers to my audience or client. It's simply not a good business plan or practice. We all need to remember that we are in the people business. We have no business when we don't treat our people and customers with the respect that they deserve, and provide them with a constantly reliable and top quality product or service To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Leadership has many attributes associated with it, such as perseverance, vision, inspiration, motivation, and service, to name a few. A leader is there to serve, and my uncle Dean was a great leader who served his country. Retired Colonel Dean Danos passed away on January 27, 2022, after a valiant and brave battle with pancreatic cancer. He served in the Vietnam war, where he flew over 300 combat missions in the AC-47 Gunship, known as Spooky. After serving in Vietnam, he was stationed in the Panama Canal Zone. He flew A-37s to support the Peruvian Earthquake Relief Effort and assumed command of Joint Command Post personnel. After that assignment, he was stationed at Craig Air Force Base in Selma, AL as a T-38 instructor pilot and flight commander. His next assignment was in Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, where he was assigned to the Aggressors, a squadron that flew McDonnell F-15 Eagle fighter jets. His next assignment was in Vicenza, Italy, where he brought Penny and his four children – Stephanie, John, Athena, and Katherine. Uncle Dean led the 5th ATAF’s crisis action support during this tour in support of Desert Shield/Storm. Uncle Dean was pinned a Colonel on December 1, 1989. Uncle Dean and the family returned to the U.S. in August 1991 to Randolph Airforce Base in San Antonio. Dean held several roles at Randolph, including base commander, before retiring in 1997. When I published my first book in 2015, Improv is No Joke: Using Improvisation to Create Positive Results in Leadership and Life, I sent him a copy. He read it and enjoyed it. However, he felt that I left out one chapter in the book that should be there: a chapter on Ethics. His comment got us discussing the ethics issue, particularly the responsibility of educating and training our workforce. Uncle Dean believed that it was the employer’s responsibility to train the employees, no matter how long they stayed, because they needed the knowledge to be better stewards of their communities and country. During his retirement from the Air Force, Uncle Dean did become an executive director for a non-profit association for a few years. While playing golf with him at Randolph Air Force Base, it was the first time that I looked at him without any intimidation and saw him as the person he was – a loving man to his family, country, and God. I would be remiss if I didn’t say that he was an outstanding public speaker who commanded and engaged an audience. We did talk a lot about the speaking business, and I did share some of my speaking videos with him, and he provided excellent feedback. I WAS DEVASTED when I received the news that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was a man that meant a lot to me and my life. Uncle Dean was a great leader, and may his memory be eternal. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“When it comes to cybersecurity, the effort level on the part of the bad guy is not any different, regardless of whether it is a large entity or small entity.” Chris Barber My guest today is Chris Barber. Chris is the Chief Nerd at Cheaper Than A Geek IT service provider. They have demonstrated a history of providing award-winning support in the IT service industry. Cheaper Than A Geek helps small businesses save money with a smart managed IT service. As an industry leader Cheaper Than A Geek has pioneered providing cutting-edge information technology services for even the smallest companies. They have perfected the art of even one-person companies getting enterprise-grade IP support, like next-generation computer and network security, encrypted disaster recovery, and ensuring maximum uptime and efficiency. They are incredibly proud of the many customer service awards earned due to their commitment to client successes. When it comes to cybersecurity, the effort level on the part of the bad guy is not any different, regardless of whether it is a large or small entity. There is a presumption among these bad guys that the smaller entities are less fortified, and therefore these small businesses are constantly under attack. Small companies need IT security, just as good and just as severely as big firms, but they don't have the budget. I have been advocating for over a decade before the pandemic that we should see more work-from-home behavior since the technology is undoubtedly present. Some of this work-from-home shift will be permanent and probably for the betterment of everybody. The security attacks are real, so we're throwing most of our research and development behind it to stay ahead of these bad guys and keep everybody safe. In IT and business, there are many ways to secure your environment, and a lot of it comes down to the IT provider's philosophy. We've always subscribed to a school of thought that you should take security down to the computer level's endpoint level. This turned out to be a good strategy because when everybody started working from home when the pandemic hit, they had their security in place. Owning a business is not for the faint of heart, and I've always been very cautious and conservative. However, I think it was a little too careful, and if I could find a younger Chris, I’d tell him to take chances. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“It's really about understanding what is your way that you uniquely contribute to your business, and most of the time, it's not going to be where you're spending most of your time.” Courtney DeRonde Today, my guest is Courtney DeRonde, a CPA and managing partner of TDT CPAs and Advisors— the boutique advisory and accounting firm for small businesses and nonprofit organizations. The company helps overwhelmed, successful leaders, understand and maximize financial information to achieve better results and move the organizations to the next level. As the owner of a firm and managing partner, she also has first-hand experience running and scaling a small business. Courtney understands the need to help and teach clients the importance of being more financially literate. When TDT takes on clients, they learn more about their business to become a better partner, not just for a transaction. The first question that successful business owners ask is, “how does my business make money?” As businesses grow and scale, you get the increased activity that you're not directly involved with anymore. Therefore, the mindset shift is looking at good information that tells you where your business is making money. The second question is about cash flow, and it is a shift from how much I have to what is flowing in and out of business over the next few weeks. Continuously looking at that helps eliminate surprises because most financial surprises are not usually positive. This mind shift allows you to be prepared and take action if things don't look good shortly and not just look at where you stand today. Our approach with our clients is very much from an educational standpoint, and the goal is to empower them to understand and use the information that we give them to make decisions. The third question is about determining the highest leverage of time and talents. It's really about understanding how you uniquely contribute to your business is. Most of the time, it's not going to be where you're spending most of your time. Your product needs to be profitable, but it doesn’t have to be the best. It would be best to focus on the mix of something that you can do profitably and something that people need. Once you get something out there, you can improve it and make it better. Often, people don't have accurate information in their heads about costs and overheads just because no one's helping them understand how all of this information flows. Pricing is a big part of how we help clients with recognizing and getting information around margins. There’re certain times when it might make sense to lower your margin on a particular bid because of the future opportunities that can come from it. The main thing is knowing your actual margin to avoid paying to do the job instead of getting paid to do it. If the price is a very sensitive issue, you need to give clients a couple of options. This gives them the opportunity and the agency to decide what they want. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Higher education needs to change how accounting is taught and align it with the critical power skills required to succeed in today's business climate.” Peter Margaritis As an accountant, understanding how to sell yourself, both in an educational setting and in the workplace can help you succeed professionally. Technical accounting skills are the foundation of accounting education. However, in today's accounting profession, technical skills are not enough to grow your career by themselves. You need to develop your power skills. Power skills, aka soft skills, are helpful in just about any career and essential to communicate accounting complexities to those non-accounting business leaders. They include aspects like curiosity, self-awareness, empathy, and more. According to the Josh Burson company blog, titled, ‘Let's Stop Talking About Soft Skills, They’re Power Skills’, states that the skills of the future are not technical, they're behavioral. The article goes on to state that IBM's latest research lists the top five power skills that are most critical in the workforce today are; 1. willing to be flexible, agile, and adaptable to change. 2. Time management skills and the ability to prioritize 3. Ability to work effectively in team environments. 4. Ability to communicate effectively in business contexts. 5. Analytical skills and business acumen. Considering how important they are for success both in your professional and personal development, it makes sense to begin the process of learning these power skills in the university classroom. Accountants speak the foreign language of business — accounting, which is no different from speaking Spanish, Greek or Chinese to someone who's not fluent in the language. We need to be cognizant of this fact and become better translators of our technical accounting knowledge. The college classroom allows us to experiment, fail, hone and gain confidence. Failure is a part of the process when we view learning any new skill. How do you eat an elephant‒one bite at a time. Higher education needs to change how accounting is taught and align it with the critical power skills required to succeed in today's business climate. Let us begin to embrace the term financial leadership. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“I truly believe that every person you meet has the power to change your life, and you have the power to change theirs.” Jen Nash My guest today is Jen Nash, The Connector in Chief. Jen helps people add more meaning to their lives through connection. She's a master facilitator, passionate about masterful storytelling, corporate training, and an author and sought-after executive coach. With over 20 years working as an entrepreneur building a multimillion-dollar real estate portfolio, and offering consulting services to Fortune 100 former tech, health, and finance giants, Jen Nash now regularly inspires and supports leaders to deepen their connections of all the good things in life. Born in Canada and raised around the world, Jen is an IFC certified executive coach and a graduate of the coach of the Life program. She studied communication design at Parsons and the New York School of Social Research in New York City. When not traveling the globe learning new ways to say thank you in finding bright souls with whom to foster lifelong friendships, Jen Nash can be seen biking around New York City, Los Angeles, or striding around El Centro, Mexico. People have this innate fear of talking and connecting with strangers, and it is human. In chapter two of my book, I ask the reader to scan the top eight excuses that come up to avoid connecting with people. I then ask them to pick the one that resonates with them, and I jump into it. Networking to some degree sounds hard because there's a net underneath; you're working. I genuinely believe that if you want to stay employed for the rest of your life, you want a net around your work. But connecting is so much more because it is about infusing that little moment with intangible fun. We really get hard on ourselves, and it's like from the outside to the inside, humans second guess themselves. One of the things that I suggest in the book is if you're feeling awkward, be honest, lean into that vulnerability and share that because all of a sudden, it just makes you human. I think that in life, we have this misconception that there is such a thing as good and evil. Sometimes we all need to accept that we don't always get the final say. Unfortunately, I believe that humans only grow when they're in pain. One of the exciting things about the big power of tiny connections is these little sparks with other people that are not always pleasant. When you look into the answer to what more you want out of life, you can understand where you might want to consider leaning in and connecting. I truly believe that every person you meet has the power to change your life, and you have the ability to change theirs. There are a lot of people who are held back by fear. Only a courageous person can realize that they will never get more if they keep living precisely how they have been living. It is hard but sometimes, when you hold a spotlight at something scary, all of a sudden; it's not so frightening because the spotlight is illuminating all the dark crevices, and you're seeing it. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Learning how to listen effectively is a critical part of communication and building stronger connections.” Peter Margaritis Being an active listener creates many advantages in life and work. However, mastering the art of active listening is easier said than done. Active listeners pay attention to what others are saying without thinking about how they will respond or how the conversation might affect them. They listen to a big difference in what the other person is saying – not what they hear. We can all become more active listeners. Here are three essential tips to consider as you work toward becoming a more active listener – and communicator! Listening = Communication Communication is an essential part of any relationship, whether personal or professional, so learning how to listen effectively is a critical part of communication and building stronger connections. Without communication, there would be no relationships. Active listening skills are learned, not innate The keys to becoming a great listener are awareness and practice. A common mistake in conversations is getting caught up in what we want to say – instead of listening to what the other person is saying. So instead of just waiting for your turn to speak, spend more time actively listening. Then respond when you've genuinely heard what's being said. There's no easy shortcut to learning active listening skills. However, what you can do right away is to PAUSE in a conversation and consider what the other person is expressing with thoughts and ideas. Respond by asking questions. Let them talk. Make eye contact. Repeat what you think you heard and get their affirmation that you listened to what they said – not what you wanted to hear. The more you practice these skills professionally and personally during your conversations, the better you'll get at them! When you're in conversation with someone, your natural tendency might be to formulate your response while they're still talking. So instead of making any judgment or addition based on your assumptions, focus solely on listening and learning as much as possible from what they are saying. In other words, don't give advice when someone hasn't asked for it! Instead, show that you want to understand their perspective and feelings before proposing anything. Seek Ways to Practice Every Day Developing active listening skills is easier said than done, but as with most skills, constant practice will pay off greatly. One way to begin your daily routine is to jot down three things you heard that made sense and one thing you listened to that didn't make sense—keep these notes in your phone or on a whiteboard at work. Then, as you go through your day, take note of what you hear that doesn't seem to be making sense; then do some follow-up research. Wash – Rinse - Repeat! Each day, take time out of your schedule to reflect on how you interacted with other people. In addition to building quality communication skills that will become practical tools for handling any situation, active listening can also help develop effective team dynamics at work and help create more meaningful professional relationships outside of work. We all need to become more active listeners! To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“If you are leveraging collective intelligence, respecting diversity, and inviting dissenting ideas, you are going to uncover the unknown unknowns more quickly and likely come up with better results.” Rod Collins My guest today is Rod Collins. Rod is a leading expert on digital transformation and the future of business. He's the host of the Thinking Differently podcast on the C suite Radio Network, where he explores how technological innovations continue to transform the rules of how successful businesses work. Rod is a regular blog contributor on Substack and the author of Wiki Management, a revolutionary new model for a rapidly changing and collaborative world, highlighting the innovative tools and practices used by a new breed of business leaders to sustain extraordinary performance in a world reshaped by digital disruption. Rod is a former Chief Operating Executive of the Blue Cross Blue Shield federal employee program, one of the nation's largest and most successful business alliances. Under his leadership, the business experienced the most significant five-year growth period in a 60-year history. Today, our conversation centers around the concept of self-managed distributed network corporate structures versus the traditional hierarchy of power and control corporate structure. There are two fundamental ways that organizations can be set up. For the last 150 years, most organizations have followed one model: the centralized, top-down Command and Control hierarchy. The self-managed distributed network is the second model practiced by a smaller number of companies that are more adaptive to change. The form of power that works in the hierarchy is coercive power. In networks, their design principle is nobody smarter than everybody, and so they leverage collective intelligence, and the way things get done is through collective power. One difference between a self-managed network and a top-down hierarchy is that the individual unit of work is the particular person in order. In contrast, in networks, the unit of work is the team. The networks are more likely to grow in rapidly changing times because networks can adapt better. In hierarchies, the basis for strategy is central planning, and once those plans are formulated, they tend to be fixed and compliance enforced. They approach the process through iterative discovery in the network, which is very important in rapidly changing times. Regarding leadership, the prototype for the leader in the hierarchy is the individual hero who will come in and save the company. In networks, leadership is a team function. The team can maximize its strengths by pulling in the appropriate optimal talent to take the effort forward, which means everyone gets to experience being a leader. As with all C-Suite leaders, the CEO does not direct the company's activity, but the role of the CEO is to play facilitative training and maintain the unique culture to make sure that this team-based self-management approach is preserved. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Everyone should be involved in developing solutions to customer problems.” Peter Margaritis The traditional hierarchy organizational structure has been around since the 1950s, and so have many of the strategies developed to make it work well. As time goes on though, some of these strategies are becoming less effective, while others are simply out of date. A flat organization is a company that does not operate on strict hierarchies like most traditional businesses. In these companies, decisions are made at the operational level rather than from senior executives who have little contact with employees at work sites. One thing about flat organizations is that not all companies can be flat because not every business model is suited to a flat structure. However, if your company isn't in a tightly structured industry, using a flatter organization can help you become more agile and responsive to reducing hierarchy-related costs. Most companies have tried experimenting with flat organizational structures, but few have mastered it. Yet some organizations are very successful in doing so. They have implemented policies and protocols that allow them to maintain a happy employee base while producing outstanding results The last few years have seen an increase in companies pushing towards flatter organizational structures. The 10 elements of a flat organization include 1. There are no strict hierarchy layers. 2. Everyone is responsible for what everyone does. 3. Each employee's opinion matters, regardless of rank or seniority. 4. Decisions are made as close to customers as possible. 5. One size fits all. (Is it a good approach?) 6. Teams across geographies come together regularly if not daily. 7. Employees can take their leave whenever they want and are encouraged to do so. 8. Employees are encouraged to use their initiative and not to feel micromanaged. 9. Employees wear many hats. 10. Collaboration and teamwork are emphasized within functional areas Ego and office politics kill successful collaboration but in a flat organization, these hierarchy collaboration killers rarely exist, and if they do, they're immediately addressed. Collaboration is one of the underlying principles in improv leadership. To achieve a successful partnership, there must be a foundation of respect for the other party. Each party should be trustworthy and supportive of the team. If any of these three foundations are missing, collaboration ceases to exist. Flat organizational structures are not for every organization, however, your organization can adopt a flattish approach and become nimbler by distributing the power and authority to others to make decisions without your approval. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“The type of person that we had to look for to be a virtual CFO is completely different than the type of person that we looked forward to being an accountant.” Jody Grunden My guest today is Jody Grunden. Jody is the CEO and co-founder of Summit CPA Group, a fully distributed virtual CFO firm. He has authored two books, Digital Dollars, Cents, and Building the Virtual CFO Firm in the Cloud. He won multiple awards, including recognition of Tony's Top Innovative Practitioner by cpa.com. In today’s episode, Jody will discuss what he's done to position his organization in a way to compete in the accounting profession uniquely. Our accounting company was set up to do things differently from other accounting firms. We did the flat fee, which allowed us to get rid of the hourly billing entirely and significantly cut administrative costs. We created a subscription-based billing where our clients got a bill and got the money zapped out of their account every week. We started working remotely in 2013, and the business has evolved with the idea of taking risks and doing things that no other firm has ever done. The type of person we had to look for to be a virtual CFO is entirely different from what we looked for to be an accountant. Accountants think and act entirely differently where they are risk-averse and very to the books. The personalities for virtual CFOs include risk-taking, the ability to communicate well with people, high EQ, and helping people solve their problems. We developed a program internally to help that client or CFO and educate them on how to communicate their messages. It took eight years to figure out how to price my products and know that people would pay for them. The key is pricing it right to pay your employees well, have happy employees, and ensure that the customers are satisfied. To have a solid base to give your customers, it takes a lot of trial and error and listening to feedback from clients. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Leaders need to remember that all eyes are on them at all times. They are being watched for how they manage pressure and conflict. Leadership in action is setting the fear, panic, negative and reactive emotions aside at the moment and responding with calm and confidence. When an organization hires you, you become part of that brand. In and out of the office, your actions, words, behavior, and attitude are seen, experienced, and judged by those who follow you. Also, note that your followers can make or break you. At any gathering, it is an opportunity to network, meet people and create new opportunities and possibilities with other people. But, unfortunately, when we forget this, we send out negative emotions and attitudes, seen from our body language. Body language is a powerful thing both negatively and positively, and it speaks loudly to everyone in the room. As leaders, it is part of our responsibility to recognize negative attitudes and behaviors and coach the person to do better. Our job is to address these issues and provide suggestions and feedback for improvement. According to a report by personal power information, the silent signals you portray may be harming your business without even knowing it. Poor body language can damage your business relationships by sending signals that you're not as trustworthy as you claim to be. Before walking into a meeting in a client's office or the cafeteria at work, thinking about your body language and how you can emote a positive vibe versus igniter one is up to you and the impact you want to make. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Your clients will like you better if you just show that you know them, and you're listening to them more than telling them how much you are an expert.” Tom Wadelton My guest today is Tom Wadelton. He earned his bachelor's degree in computer technology from Purdue University and an MBA was a finance minor from Indiana University. He's a CPA who's licensed in the state of Indiana. Tom is a member of the association of international certified professional accountants AICPA as well as the Indiana CPA society. He was the chair of the Indiana CPA society in 2019 and began to turn on the AICPA Board of Governors in 2021. Tom held accounting roles in a Fortune 500 company prior to coming to summit CPA group as a virtual CFO. At summit CPA group, Tom has been advising clients using the concepts developed by the firm and ton of the virtual CFO playbook course. Tom and his wife Cindy live in Indianapolis, Indiana, they have three grown children and two grandchildren. The biggest continual challenge working as a virtual CFO with clients is not being with the client day to day, and therefore it is hard to know some of the backstories of what things are going on in their businesses. The other challenge has to do with managing time and how to get everything done for the clients. We have a playbook for other CPA firms that would like to offer virtual CFO services. We have a 15-module course that people can go through where we tell every single thing that we do. The aim is to help all the people who want to continue client-advisor service as well as expand. We also have a one-hour meeting once a week with other CPA firms that can come in and ask questions about how we do things. Many firms want to step into being that advisor role but making that step to do it can be challenging, and so we're trying to help them on how they would get to do that. The biggest challenges for CPA firms on taking this new revenue model include staffing and lack of technology pieces that aid a consistent process. A lot of it has to do with the fear of action to move since CPAs are usually careful and want to be perfect. However, often we say just do one, and you'll learn so much by just sitting down with a prospective client. One of the skills missing currently that people could really build is the ability to do forecasting. Clients don't really want to come having you explain the history, rather they want someone to help them go where they want to go. If someone is really good at forecasting, that's where clients find the most value for a service. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sometimes we have a hard time defining what good or great leadership is, but we also know what bad leadership is. I believe in Improv leadership, which is more about the team and less about an individual. No matter what business we are in, people are our most important asset and we need to begin to treat them better. The firing of 900 employees by the CEO of better.com via a zoom call is a tragic example of how not to manage people. How do you inspire when you are leading a large number of people and can't interact with them individually? You can by tone and attitude. Being in a toxic environment where you are ridiculed when you make comments or question will lead to either choosing to keep your job and silencing yourself or choosing to leave and finding another job. Intimidation is not a form of management and this type of leadership needs to go away and be replaced with some type of leadership that has compassion. One that looks at their people who are productive as an ethical part of the organization and show respect for their employees. When you show respect to your employees, that puts you apart from a lot of other leaders out there who look at their employees as just a number and something that is replaceable Ego has a lot to do with good and bad leadership. The leaders who are willing to put it aside will be more successful than those leaders who still want to tell everybody what to do and how to do it, and look at them as a replaceable asset. It goes back to being human and going back to thinking about a fellow person, being tolerant and supportive. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"When we have compassion and empathy for ourselves, we will radiate that to other people." Kathy Klotz Kathy Klotz-Guest is a speaker, author, comedian, and founder of Keeping It Human. Kathy started Keeping It Human after 15 years leading tech marketing and communications. Her mission is to help leaders, teams and companies use Improv and humor principles to be happier, healthier, and more creative all the while having more fun. Cathy has worked for global brands such as Amazon, Dow Jones and Deloitte and has spoken internationally on company and conference stages, including South by Southwest, Inbound and coming soon, TEDx salon. In addition, Kathy studied and performed Improv at Comedy Sports and Sketch at the second city La. Kathy still performs and teaches Improv and stand up. Kathy is a graduate of Stanford University and UC Berkeley with an MBA and a Masters of Arts. She is currently working on her third book and still barely makes her teen kids laugh. The challenges that organizations have today stems from fear and uncertainty and this keeps people from moving forward because they get stuck in old patterns that have to be unlearned. Leaders thought that they had to have all the answers but with a shift of mindset towards improvisational thinking, we reframe leadership and suddenly realize that leaders don't have to have all the answers and that it is okay to let go. Leaders constantly send these conflicting, contradictory messages, which are shut-up signals. Suppose we don't do something about honoring the way people learn and how they check for credibility and honesty in an organization. In that case, we are just shooting ourselves in the foot repeatedly because we're doing the same things and expecting that it's going to be different. Leaders must let people experiment and know that it's safe to fail. Part of growing that muscle is to be okay with failure and see it as learning. The difference between people who succeed and those who don't is that the people who succeed keep trying and keep showing up every day. People have a template mentality about how things are supposed to work, but that's not how humans or life works. The reality is so much of the bravery, boldness, and the art of learning to show up human, making mistakes, learning, and improving. This requires us to use this muscle of trusting the process. Lead with compassion. Give yourself permission to play, be human, and make mistakes. When you do that for yourself, you are more likely to show up that way for other people, which will automatically make it safer for other people to connect with you. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For the first time since I launched Change Your Mindset in 2016, I’ve decided to take the month of December off to pause and reflect. This podcast is very near and dear to me, and I want to put the time and care necessary into making the next evolution of it with intentionality. From podcast length to formatting, I spend this episode rehashing the past and brainstorming what’s to come. This podcast has reached people all over the world in 136 countries and all 50 U.S. states. I am continually blown away by the power of this exciting medium. It has only grown to what it is today through consistency, commitment, and patience. See you all in 2022! To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: Read: Off Script: Mastering the Art of Business Improv
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“When you see a turtle on top of a fence post, chances are he did not get there on his own.” Joey Haven starts off a recent blog post with this old saying to illustrate how leaders only get to where they are because others helped them get there. Joey serves as the managing partner of strategic growth for the CPA firm HORNE, writes the beBetter blog, and is an active member of CPA Practice Advisor’s Top 30 Thought Leaders. He talks about the power of building a firm with a strong foundation of culture.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joeyhavens
Blog: blog.hornellp.com/bebetter
hornellp.com
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Growing up, I worked in a family restaurant – I am Greek American, after all. My father took a different approach and purchased a liquor store. In both cases, providing excellent customer service was the standard because that is the formula to success in business. But if that’s true, what the hell happened to excellent customer service? You want to be the firm that everyone raves about because you offer the kind of excellent customer service that everyone deserves – especially as it becomes harder to come by. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Kon Apostolopoulos is the founder and CEO of Fresh Biz Solutions, a human capital management consulting group that provides performance improvement and training solutions to help organizations develop people, improve business results, and benefit from a comprehensive talent management strategy. He’s also the co-author of the timely book, 7 Keys to Navigating a Crisis, and a regular contributor to Thrive Global and Achievers Engagement Blog. We talk about how the global crisis of the pandemic has affected our views of leadership and personal happiness. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
freshbizsolutions.com
Read: 7 Keys to Navigating a Crisis
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/coachkon
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Today’s guest is… Peter Margaritis! Huh? That’s right, we’re turning the mic around with a special guest host, Kate Colbert, President of Silver Tree Publishing, to celebrate the release of “Off Script: Mastering the Art of Business Improv.” I’ve documented much of the journey of writing this book directly through the podcast, and today we’re going to wrap things up to talk about the whole story: Why I wrote this book, what it means to go off script, and how you can use improv to sharpen your business and leadership skills. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: Read: Off Script: Mastering the Art of Business Improv
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Dr. Gleb Tsipursky is the CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts and the author of several books, including Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams: A Manual on Benchmarking to Best Practices for Competitive Advantage. He joins the show to lay out just why we can’t rely on our guts to tell us how to approach bringing workforces back to the office. Through confirmation bias and the disconnect between higher management and their workforce, it can be very easy to make the wrong decisions when it comes to structuring a company in this new, post-COVID world. Thankfully, Gleb has studied the data extensively and he knows exactly where people are going right and where they’re going wrong. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Read: Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams: A Manual on Benchmarking to Best Practices for Competitive Advantage
gleb@disasteravoidanceexpert.com
Access the “Assessment on Dangerous Judgment Errors in the Workplace” and the “Wise Decision Maker Course” for free
Follow Gleb Tsipursky on
YouTube
RSS feed
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One of the key features of improvisation is the ability to listen. When we listen, we park our ego and our agenda, and strive to understand what the other person is trying to say. It’s about listening with our eyes and our ears – but it’s also about the questions we ask. Even when we think we’ve reached the right answer to our questions, we need to pause and ask ourselves “What else could this be? What are the blind spots I’m not seeing?” We need to think through that and come to realize that maybe this could be something else. That’s a big part of listening. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Brian Comerford is a digital leader and serial entrepreneur – notably co-founding RadioValve.com, one of the first generation of online radio stations. He served as an adjunct professor at The University of Denver – his alma mater – in the digital media studies department. He currently serves as the co-chair of the CIO Working Group for the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers, and is a board member of the Adoption Exchange. On top of all of that (and more), he’s the host of the Lead.exe podcast. He talks about The Great Resignation: what it is, why it’s happening, and what the workforce needs to do to adapt.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
leadexe.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/briancomerford
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I’ll be the first to tell you – improv isn’t all about comedy and making people laugh. However, improv can be a great tool for humor and is how most people are introduced to it. My own introduction to improv involved using it and comedy as coping mechanisms for the challenges life was throwing my way. Do you remember the song, “Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down?” Mary Poppins was onto something. To digest something undesirable, but necessary, combine it with something sweet. You can take this advice literally, but if you’d rather not indulge in a sugar binge, why not give humor a try?
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: 10 Reasons Why Humor Is A Key To Success At Work
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Eric M. Twiggs is the Chief Executive Officer and President of The What Now Movement, a group dedicated to building up high-performing entrepreneurs, authors, and career professionals to be ready for life’s unexpected challenges. He’s also the author of The Discipline of Now: 12 Practical Principles to Overcome Procrastination. As a certified life and business coach, Eric has conducted over 28 thousand coaching sessions, helping executive leaders and entrepreneurs transition from frustration to fulfillment. When the pandemic started, there were a lot of people sitting around waiting for things to get back to normal. Eric heard it again and again in his circle, but he responded, “That’s the last thing you should be doing. You should be asking yourself ‘What now?’” And that simple question became a movement designed to stop people stopping and help them pivot. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
ericmtwiggs.com
thewhatnowmovement.com
Read: The Discipline of Now
Listen: The 30 Minute Hour™
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Has anyone ever asked you the question: “How do you eat an elephant?” This question – and its answer – provides a powerful metaphor for learning and development for all professionals. And that answer is: “One bite at a time.” Learning the new skills vital to your role as a leader is no small task, but if you take it one bite at a time and start investing in those skills you will get there. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
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Don’t be fooled by name, the hair color, or the crazy shoes – Michael Sherlock is serious about business. She’s dedicated to creating positive, productive, and profitable workplaces, and helping individuals and businesses unlock their ultimate potential. She shares ways you can rethink leadership, your relationship to sales, and how to shock the most out of your potential.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
shockyourpotential.com
kukuabiz.com
Read: Tell Me More
Read: Sales Mixology
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It was bizarre not traveling most of 2020 due to the pandemic. Going from an average of 130 days over the past ten years to only traveling five in all of 2020 was a shock to the system. At first I didn’t miss it – the hustle and bustle, crowded airports and planes, and the TSA – but after reflecting on it, I have some travel memories that I’d like to share, along with the lessons I picked up from them. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
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Ron Karr has worked with leaders on six continents to help them eliminate risk, gain buy-in, and achieve more with what he calls “the velocity mindset.” Over the past 30 years, Ron’s presentations and advisory services have generated over a billion dollars in incremental revenue for his clients. He’s the author of five books, including his latest, The Velocity Mindset, and the best-seller Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way. We talk about developing a velocity mindset and the three components to implementing it in your business or life. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
ronkarr.com
Read: The Velocity Mindset
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ronkarr
www.offscriptimprov.com
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At a keynote address welcoming the Masters of Science & Accounting students at Oklahoma State University to the Fall 2021 semester, the dean of the school shared five skills every accounting student will need to master to succeed: agility, creativity, service mindset, communication, and leadership. I’ve added a sixth skill for good measure. Learn how they apply to the accounting profession and how you can use them to become a well-versed and highly impactful leader within your organization. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
offscriptimprov.com
5 Skills to Develop Right Now
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Leaving the corporate world 15 years ago, Bob Dusin started his own business focused on training, coaching, and facilitating leadership workshops for organizations nationwide. In addition to his work in organizational leadership development and coaching, Bob has spoken at numerous expos, seminars, and conventions. He’s also been a professional improviser for over 25 years and is a professional voiceover and video actor. We talk about how he’s married the corporate world with leadership through his love of improv.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
bobdusin.com
Read: Truth in Comedy
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Whether you have the title of Project Manager or not, we all manage projects in our day-to-day lives. Until we recognize that, it’s hard to improve. Project management is not a one-size-fits-all profession. There’s so much diversity of thought and approach that you should learn from the best and apply whatever works for you. Ann Campea, host of The Everyday PM podcast, shares how she stumbled into a project management career and her passion for passing her skills on to a new generation. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Learn more: The Everyday PM
Instagram: @anncampea
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/anncampea
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Since starting work on my new book, I’ve received a number of questions about the writing process. I don’t have a degree in English, literature, or journalism – yet here I am, about to publish my 3rd business book… with book number four already cooking in my head. I’m going to share 13 things I’ve learned during the writing process that I hope will help you, or at least give you some insight into what work goes into book writing. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
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Do you think accounting can be fun? Is there a way to make it less boring and more engaging? Do you believe that learning accounting is easy and something everyone should do? Toby York wants to see if he can change your mindset around those questions. He’s not your typical accounting instructor. He’s the founder of Accounting Cafe, a community for anybody who believes that accounting education can be an engaging and enjoyable experience for teachers and learners alike. He’s a senior lecturer at Middlesex University Business School, teaching Entrepreneurial Finance and Financial Accounting, and is an accredited Color Accounting trainer as well as an advisor to the Color Accounting Foundation.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: accountingcafe.org
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Guess who turned 100 years old in 2021? White Castle, the famous hamburger restaurant. One thing is true: those who love White Castle will always have a story to tell. Jamie Richardson, VP of Marketing and Public Relations, and John Kelley, Chief People Officer, are going to share some of those stories. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jamie-richardson-0b39184
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/john-kelley-798a631
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Steve Morris started his career designing multi-million dollar racing yachts and building and coaching high-performing teams to help his clients win the most demanding races. He ran and grew a small business, then transitioned his career, becoming a certified project management professional in charge of million dollar budgets and even helping the US Navy launch ships. Six years ago, he started his own business, Catylator, with a mission and passion to help business owners build better lives through creating better businesses, getting unstuck, fueling growth, achieving higher profits, and having more fun with their crew. He discusses the concept of psychological safety and its importance in creating a strong work environment.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: catylator.com
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Attention, entrepreneurs: are you working in your business… or on your business? What could you outsource so you can focus just on growth? Do you think you’re the only one that can do your job? Rachel Luther was a virtual assistant before people knew what that was. After growing her business from a one woman show to a team of talented professionals, she began to share her secrets to success – covering topics like work life balance, outsourcing strategies, remote work, and everything in between. If you want to make a more significant impact in your business while working fewer hours, find out how in her podcast, “Checking Off Your List with Rachel Luther.” To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
checkoffyourlist.com
Listen: “Checking Off Your List with Rachel Luther”
Instagram: @rachelluther
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Have you ever challenged yourself to get out of your comfort zone and try something new – like working on your communication skills? If you could pick one thing to work on today, what would that be? Could you maintain the momentum to reach mastery? John Sanchez, the son of a 30-year army veteran, moved a dozen times before graduating high school. Those moves were the beginning of John’s lessons in resilience. A “recovering accountant,” John’s communication skills were in dire need of improvement just a few years ago – and he didn’t even know it. Through self-development he has turned his weakness into a strength and now makes a living teaching others to do the same. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
johnsanchezusa.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fpajohn
Instagram: @fpajohn
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Have you ever challenged yourself to leave your comfort zone and try something new or different? Terri Lechton is a speaker, writer, and educator who believes that everyone can live a life of adventure, no matter what their age, ability, or financial situation. As an asthmatic, non-athletic, and only just artistically proficient individual, she has pushed herself to complete a half-marathon in Antarctica, swing through obstacle courses, learn foreign languages, try stand-up comedy, earn a doctorate degree in management, and discover that impressionism is the only style that she can paint. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: terrilechton.com
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What business are you in? Whether you’re a CPA, CEO, lawyer, banker, entrepreneur, or anything else – the truth is you’re in the people business. Will Hill and Paul Miller are the hosts of the podcast “Pulse of the Practice.” Will has been with Thomson Reuters since 2001 and currently serves as Customer Proposition Strategy Lead. Paul is the owner of Business by Design, an advisory-focused tax and accounting firm. They are going to explore different aspects of building a sustainable relationship business in your organization. We have to stop looking at our job as just being in the tax business, otherwise, as soon as taxes are done automatically, we’re out of a job. We need to know our true value so that we can keep growing and moving. Taxes are a function of our business, but our true value is in helping clients achieve their goals. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Listen: “Pulse of the Practice”
tax.tr.com/practice-forward
mybbd.com
linkedin.com/in/wghill
linkedin.com/in/businessbydesign
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Avish Parashar performed improv all through high school, but he stopped in college so he could focus on his studies – a decision greatly supported by his parents. That decision lasted only a few months, however, as after seeing an improv comedy show, he fell back in love. One week later, he auditioned for the campus improv group and the rest, as they say, is history. After graduating, he started Polywampus Improv Comedy, which performed regularly in and around the Philadelphia area for seven years. He closed up Polywampus to focus on the speaking and training side of the business, using improv comedy as a tool to teach valuable business skills such as creativity, innovation, and adaptability. He’s also the best-selling author of “Improvise to Success!” and “Say ‘Yes, And!’” He talks about how improv can be combined with business to cultivate powerful ideas, get over the stress of things you can’t control, and have fun. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
avishparashar.com
dinghappens.com/podcast
facebook.com/avishparashar
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I love a good challenge. Convincing business leaders that improv is a leadership method has been one of the most difficult. I have to dispel the myth that those who improvise are just "winging it” and “making stuff up." Let's address this myth in the improv process of preparation, practice, and letting go. To learn more and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: How Martin Luther King Improvised “I Have A Dream”
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As a leader, do you help your employees feel satisfied in their work or are you just focused on KPIs? Do your employees feel like they are doing something meaningful? Are you keeping your employees aware of developments in the business — even if it’s not good news? This is David Veech’s second appearance on the podcast and, in it, he answers these questions and more. He first appeared in season 3, episode 13: “Getting LEAN in Leadership,” where we discussed how the principles of LEAN manufacturing could carry over into leadership and team development. At the end of our interview, he asked if he could come back to talk about building satisfaction at work and we were thrilled to make that happen. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Learn more: leadersights.com
Read: “The C-4 Process”
Read: “Leadersights”
Email: david.veech@leadersights.com
S3E13. “Getting LEAN in Leadership with David Veech”
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In Season 4, Episode 4, 'Successful Negotiations in Corporate America,' the conversation centered around how the principles of improv can help you become a better negotiator. Let's take that discussion and expand on it with some unconventional techniques to help you achieve a win-win when you negotiate. This approach to negotiating requires a give-and-take conversation, and each party will have to give something up in order to get something in return. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: To Succeed in a Negotiation, Help Your Counterpart Save Face
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How do you define hospitality concerning your customers or clients? Does your organization offer a "black tie" experience — or is it more business casual? Bob Pacanovsky has been an entrepreneur for 25 years, primarily in the hospitality industry. He and his team have created over 7,000 meetings, events, and receptions that each had just one chance to make a wild experience and a lasting impression on clients and guests alike. Now, as a keynote speaker and strategic trainer, he uses his two decades of experience in the trenches to teach companies how to focus on service excellence and hospitality to cultivate more loyal customers and employees. When you go out to eat, you're expecting more than just good food — you're expecting a wonderful, memorable dining experience. Good customer service and consistent food quality are the expectations. But if you want to go above and beyond that, if you're going to exceed expectations, you need to hone in on creating black tie experiences. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
bobpacanovsky.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bob-pacanovsky-3432619
Facebook: facebook.com/BobPacanovskyBlackTie
Twitter: @BobPacanovsky
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Have you ever given a presentation only to realize, once you’ve finished, that you left out a critical detail? Or that you mispronounced a word, or someone’s name? Maybe you lost your train of thought in the middle of a sentence and blanked out momentarily, losing the focus of your audience. These mistakes come as a result of a lack of practice, confidence, our nerves operating in overdrive, or all of the above. They might be acceptable for a staff meeting, but not for a board meeting, all staff meeting, an analyst call, or a keynote address. Some leaders can articulate and deliver their thoughts and ideas in a way that inspires and motivates their audience. Others can express their thoughts and ideas through the written form but fail with the vocal delivery. Let’s talk about how to have a flawless presentation — and if such a thing even exists.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Michael Bay walks off stage at CES show
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Mj Callaway is a former corporate sales trainer and the only female sales executive to rank number one for a national builder. She knows, firsthand, the disruptions that leaders, managers, and executive teams handle daily and how to remain positive, productive, and profitable through it all. A two-time cancer survivor, she’s known for shifting staff attitudes and converting tactics into results. Her newly released book, “Bounce-Up: Outpower Adversity, Boost Resilience, Rebound Higher,” has been endorsed by the CEO and Founder of The Healthy Workforce Institute, Renee Thompson. When we experience adversity, there are many paths we can choose to go down. We talk so much about “bouncing back,” but wouldn’t that put us right back where we started, before the setbacks? What if we could “bounce up,” and use everything we learned to put ourselves in an even better position than before? To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
mjcallaway.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mjcallaway
Read: “Bounce-Up: Outpower Adversity, Boost Resilience, Rebound Higher”
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Innovation requires the acceptance of all ideas in order to move forward and be effective. Ego-driven leaders who shoot down ideas from their team stop innovation in its tracks. True creative innovation is fueled by the former, not the latter, approach. How can you and your team begin to change how you innovate, creating a more robust and engaging environment that encourages and rewards risk-taking, respect of others, patience, vulnerability, and giving everyone a say in the process? Start immediately and work on the process. Over time, your team's ability to solve problems will flourish.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What is your definition of success? What is your definition of significance? And what’s the difference between the two? Lauren “The Colonel's Daughter” Schieffer is returning to the show to answer these questions and more. In S4E7, she talked about choosing respect over drama. Most people are programmed to chase success. It’s outwardly focused, with the weighty titles, flashy accomplishments, accolades, and parking spaces. Significance is inwardly focused. It’s about being of service, first, and has nothing to do with how much power or money a person has. True leaders, significant leaders, build people up to be the next generation of significant leaders. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
laurenschieffer.com
Lauren’s books: laurenschieffer.com/laurens-book
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laurenannschieffer
Instagram: @laurenschieffer
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What do you think about when you hear the word “empathy?” As a leader do you feel like you are empathetic with your team — or are you sympathetic? And why should you care? The better you treat and understand the people you serve through improv leadership, the more empowered they become. The ability to truly listen to another person and be able to empathize with them is showing gratitude, respect, and support. That costs you nothing but time — and that is time well spent. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: Read: “Humans Are Underrated”
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Do you think of yourself as a salesperson? Do you subscribe to the notion that we are all in sales? Would you like to become a “rainmaker” for your organization or firm? Ed “The Rainmaker” Robinson has been a business growth advisor and sales trainer for over 30 years. His company provides business growth strategies and leadership skills that transform professionals into rainmakers. He refers to himself as a recovering CPA. In this conversation, he outlines the five step system to creating a balanced business practice. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
edspeaks.com
linkedin.com/in/ed-the-rainmaker-robinson-389858
Read: "The Million Dollar Rainmaker"
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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There are only a few things in life that we are confident of — death, taxes, and change. Do you look at change as an opportunity or something you would rather not experience? Do you expect that the new system installation will go smoothly or that there will be several bumps in the road? How many times have you had to change during this pandemic? As a leader, how do you manage change? Let’s look at the different approaches to change within an organization — designed and imposed change — and how one leader at Xerox turned the company around by doing the unexpected: Listening to her employees. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: “Anne Mulcahy: The Keys to Turnaround at Xerox”
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Have you been successful in climbing the corporate ladder? What have you sacrificed during your ascension? Dr. Alan Patterson has more than three decades of international consulting experience in change management, leadership development, and executive coaching. In 2006 he formed Mentoré, a consulting practice that focuses on aligning strategy, organizational structure, job responsibilities, and skillsets to major shifts in the business. His expertise has been tapped by many global and national businesses and organizations including Anheuser-Busch, BioGen, Federal Reserve Bank, Johnson & Johnson, Hewlett-Packard, and the US Navy. He believes that the corporate ladder is an outdated model for measuring success and that we need to burn the ladder and come up with a new model that works for more of us. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
mentore.com
linkedin.com/in/dralanmpatterson
Read: "Leader Evolution"
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Have you ever been in a meeting and your boss asks you a question about your ideas on a particular subject? After you share your thoughts, your boss responds with negativity and dismissal. When your boss responds this way, creativity stops and it suppresses the rest of the group's creative thoughts and ideas. No one wants to be humiliated like this in front of others. The traditional corporate culture does not allow you to speak your mind and ask questions without feeling insecure or embarrassed, but good news is that you can create a culture where all ideas have validity, where ideas are accepted and discussed, and where questions are asked without any judgment or the fear of embarrassment.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
"High Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety. Here's How To Create It"
"The Five Keys to a Successful Google Team"
S4E8. Financial Leadership
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Do you cringe when you hear the word ‘negotiation?’ Russ Riddle is known as the Anomaly at Law because he’s down to earth, clearly communicates, and lavishes others with levity. He has practiced marriage for 37 years, law for 29, fatherhood for 28, and braved adventures as a juvenile probation officer and professional speaker. His love of levity stems in part from an intellectual property law practice that has served such clients as Barney, Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine, and the voices of Jimmy Neutron and Larry the Cucumber. We talk about what it takes to be a successful negotiator, what “success” actually means in that context, and how to make the whole process less intimidating.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
russriddle.com
Read: "Persuasive vs. Abrasive"
Read: "Lawyer Up - The Smart Way"
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Why is it that CFOs so often struggle to be understood? First, CFOs speak in the foreign language of accounting. If they are not able to translate accounting jargon into English, then the people they work for will not understand the significance of what they are saying. Second, accounting has an image problem for non-accountants. It’s an image full of pages of mind-numbing numbers that make no sense, leading to ‘listener shut-down’ and creating a phenomenon that, in turn, leads to lack of accounting acumen within your organization. What is the antidote to this mind-numbing issue? Leadership. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: S3E30. How to Cut the Right Expenses & Make Your Balance Sheet a Fortress with Ken “Mr. Biz” Wentworth
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Do you want to dump the drama, increase production, and lift morale? Do you want to have more engaged employees or members? How well do you handle conflict within your organization? Are you and your team having respectful communication with each other? Lauren Schieffer can address all of those questions and more. She’s the daughter of an Air Force officer, and she grew up being uprooted and relocated every couple of years. This experience imbued her with profound independence and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. The lessons she learned from growing up have helped her make smart decisions and overcome adversity with humility and a sense of humor.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
laurenschieffer.com
Lauren’s books: laurenschieffer.com/laurens-book
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laurenannschieffer
Instagram: @laurenschieffer
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Stress is part of our everyday lives, and it can come from so many sources: the daily frustrations of life, our jobs, our relationships, or just the ubiquitous challenges of living through a global pandemic. But stress isn’t always bad — it can motivate us into action. And even in those situations that might initially seem like the negative kind of stress, you have the power to turn it into something positive. And I have found that having an improvisor’s mindset can help you take on the stress that comes with your job, family, and just the day-to-day responsibilities of life.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: 10 Reasons Why Humor Is A Key To Success At Work
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Heather Ettinger is the author of “Lumination: Shining a Light on A Woman’s Journey to Financial Wellness.” As a champion for women and girls for over 30 years, Heather is widely recognized for her dedication to helping women build their financial acumen and wealth, culminating in the founding of Luma Wealth Advisors in 2017. She specializes in helping clients align their resources around their family values to create impact in their communities — shattering old-school beliefs about women and finances in the process. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
heatherettinger.com
lumawealth.com
Read: “Lumination: Shining a Light on A Woman’s Journey to Financial Wellness”
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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What do you feel when you hear the word, negotiate? Dread, Anxiety, Excitement? Do you believe that negotiation skills can be taught? Do you agree with this statement – “we negotiate all the time?” Have you ever searched Google asking one or more of these questions:
What skill is the most helpful during a negotiation?
How does ego play a role in negotiating?
What role does leverage play during negotiations?
I will address all of these questions, and how the world of IMPROV can help make you a much better negotiator, and more, in this episode.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: Read: “The Art of Negotiation: How to Improvise Agreement in a Chaotic World”
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Have you ever taken an accounting course for non-accountants and left the workshop even more confused? Would you agree that accounting has an image problem? Would you be interested in learning the fundamentals of accounting and finance in a way that does not get bogged down in complexity and focuses on simplicity? Adam Wilkinson is a sales partner and corporate educator at Colour Accounting. He advocates that accounting should be a standard form of literacy—just like reading, writing, and arithmetic. He is a chartered accountant and professional development trainer who leads unique and engaging workshops in accounting and financial literacy, and he loves helping people understand how simple accounting can be.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
coloraccounting.com/wilkinson
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adam-wilkinson-2421843
Read: "The Joy of Accounting"
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Let’s have a conversation about that voice in your head. You know the one. The voice that keeps coming back with the warning, “don’t say that idea out loud because people will think you are stupid or crazy.” Or, another favorite, “you have to be kidding me, you know you can’t speak in front of an audience – you will look like a fool.” You know that voice… and it has a lot more to say on any number of things – and none of it is good. This is the voice of your inner critic. And it can be dealt with using the power of improvisation!
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: Good Therapy: Inner Critic
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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This has been a wild year for all of us. From a leadership perspective, we have to be cognizant of all of the changes that are occuring—as well as how they are affecting our team. We have to be aware of how we are addressing these roadblocks that come up as we continue to navigate the pandemic for the foreseeable future. We may never go back to normal, but we can adapt and create a life that allows us to continue to thrive in whatever environment we are in. That’s why I brought together a superstar team of past guests and leadership experts: Roxanne Kaufman-Elliott, the founder of Roxanne Leadership, and Brian Comerford and Nick Lozano, co-hosts of the highly successful podcast Lead.EXE.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Podcast: leadexe.com
Learn more at: prolaureate.com
Roxanne’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/roxanne-kaufman-elliott-4909571
Brian’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/briancomerford
Nick’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nick-lozano-97356621
OBS Studio: obsproject.com
S3E1. Ego is Getting in the Way of Empathy with Brian Comerford & Nick Lozano
S2E44. Becoming a Better Leader with Roxanne Kaufman-Elliott
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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We all have been on a dysfunctional team. And, when we are, we dread driving to work or zooming in; we dread being part of the team meeting because everyone is talking over each other; we dread dealing with members of the team who are disengaged. There is always one person who thinks they are the smartest person in the room, and they continuously tell everyone. Team members are missing deadlines, making excuses, exhibiting negative body language, and are abundantly clear with their “I don’t care” attitude. No one is being held accountable, and everyone is doing what they think is right, despite what they have been asked or told to do. I’ve previously touched on using powerful improv exercises to build stronger teams, and I want to add on three more exercises you can use with your team: “Beach ball, bouncy ball, frog, and more,” “Emotions,” and “Yes And to solve a problem.”
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: YouTube: Improv Game: Emotions
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Do you have value issues in your professional and personal lives? Do you derive your value from what you do? Do you say yes to everything? Jeff Koziatek is a nationally recognized speaker, certified life coach, author, award-winning entertainer, and mindset catalyst who wants to help people address the above questions in their lives. After 20 years of work in the entertainment industry producing award-winning films, running an event management company, and acting in movies and television, Jeff started Core Authenticity to help people dream big and achieve those dreams. He believes in the inherent value of each person, he’s passionate about helping people find significance in who they are, and he’s here to help us do the same. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
coreauthenticity.com
Instagram: @jugglingjeff
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeffkoziatek
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Over the past two years, I’ve been doing research on the topic of improvisational leadership. In the book “Getting to Yes And” by Bob Kulhan, he discusses that effective leaders can answer four questions about themselves:
Why this?
Why now?
What do I have to do?
What’s in it for me?
Bob discusses these questions as if he was to bring the tenets of improvisation into his firm. So why should you consider bringing improv into your organization? Let’s discuss that now.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: Read “Getting to Yes And”
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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At the age of 27, Rachel Richards quit her job and retired, living off of $15,000 a month in passive income from her 40 residential rental units. She’s the author of “Money Honey” and “Passive Income, Aggressive Retirement,” and she has an online course entitled “Get Your Financial Shit Together.” To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
moneyhoneyrachel.com
Instagram: @moneyhoneyrachel
Read: “Money Honey”
Read: “Passive Income, Aggressive Retirement”
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We were all thrown into this virtual world kicking and screaming—virtual meetings, virtual presentations, and virtual happy hours suddenly becoming the norm. There are a few things to keep in mind when facilitating a virtual meeting or presentation, as well as things to consider when part of the audience. I have eight tips you can use to make sure your virtual meetings and presentations don’t suck. If you follow these tips, you should be well on your way to giving a better and more engaging virtual presentation.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: conferences.io
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Would you describe your balance sheet as a fortress? Are your products and services properly priced at a profit or are they actually the silent killer of your business? Would you consider yourself someone who can see the future?” If you’re not sure about the answers to any of these questions, you really should be — and Ken "Mr. Biz" Wentworth is going to help you get there. Ken developed his business expertise during 20+ years in leadership positions, advising businesses, from Fortune 15 companies to startups, on how to establish a solid financial path. He is also the author of two bestselling business books that have helped thousands upon thousands of businesses: “Pathway to Profits” and "How to Be a Cash Flow Pro." If you aren’t sure about the state of your balance sheet, or if you just need to cut down on expenses, Ken has a process you can go through to evaluate it:
First, if you don’t have a working balance sheet, create one and put the systems in place to keep it updated.
Go through your expenses, line by line, and score each expense from one to three. Three means it has a direct impact on revenue, two means it has an indirect impact on revenue, and one means it has no impact on revenue. The last thing you want to do is reduce expenses that have a direct impact on revenue.
Next, go through each line and score them from one to three again, but this time, score each expense in relationship to its impact on customer service. Three means it has a direct impact on customer service, two means it has an indirect impact, and one means it has no impact.
Tally up the total of each expense. Protect the fives and sixes, those are the main drivers of revenue, and consider how you can cut any twos or threes substantially or entirely.
You might be wondering why Ken prioritizes customer service as much as direct revenue generation, and the answer is pretty simple — 62% of the customers that leave you will leave not due to price but due to customer service issues. “People simply won’t pay a premium for crappy service.”
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
mrbizsolutions.com
Mr. Biz Radio
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrbiztweets
Facebook: facebook.com/MrBizSolutions
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mr-biz-wentworth
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrbizsolutions/
Read: “Pathway to Profits”
Read: "How to Be a Cash Flow Pro"
Listen: “S2E42. Being a Strategic Partner for Businesses with Ken “Mr. Biz” Wentworth”
Yahoo Finance: “Top Entrepreneurs You Can’t Miss During Covid-19”
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What makes a company or corporation great? What makes them truly stand out amongst their competitors? The answer is excellent, innovative, and effective communication. This kind of communication provides productivity, adaptability, stronger relationships, and successful negotiations — and it brings an end to the tired, useless jargon that derails, distracts, and limits every situation. What organizations need is an innovative approach that creates open and effective communication, both internally and externally, during your organization's day-to-day workings. And, believe it or not, that innovative approach is found in the principles of improvisation. It creates a unique, powerful approach that promotes a simpler, more positive, and effective way to communicate, collaborate, and cooperate as a team.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: linkedin.com/in/petermargaritis
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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When was the last time you performed a random act of kindness? Allison Clarke is a certified speaking professional and an expert in leadership and influence. She’s helped thousands around the world break through the barriers to boost profitability, improve productivity, and increase team cohesion. Not your average speaker, Allison consistently challenges both her speakers and herself daily. For over five years, she’s carried out daily acts of kindness with strangers, colleagues, friends, and family. Allison walks her talk.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
allisonclarkeconsulting.com
Read: “The Kindness Habit”
facebook.com/kindnesshabit
linkedin.com/in/allison-clarke-csp-ab53b913
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What challenges do you have in building your team? Is your team focused solely on completing tasks? Is the group cohesive together and work together as a well-oiled machine? The landscape of business as we know it continues to change rapidly. What worked today may not work tomorrow, and almost certainly won’t ten years from now. Having the best team to accomplish the fast-paced demands of marketing, productivity, and customer service requires leaders that attract and embody more than just the technical and operational mindset. What’s needed is inspiration, motivation, and creativity. Enter: The improvisation mindset.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: Braveheart Speech: https://youtu.be/TME0xubdHQc
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Have you ever thought about being an entrepreneur and your business model is documenting your life with your girlfriend and two dogs—and earning a living? Sounds crazy, maybe even impossible… but it’s not! Jordan Kahana has, over the last four years, created content traveling the world with his girlfriend and two pups, Zeus and Sedona (AKA the Adventure Squad), producing photo, video, and interactive digital campaigns with both boutique and major corporations, such as ESPN, NFL, and Pepsi. He shares how consistent work over time was the key to his success, which ultimately allowed him to quit his job and travel for work.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Instagram: @jordankahana
Instagram: @sunnithewestie
YouTube: youtube.com/c/JordanKahana
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Are you looking for a new way to generate ideas to solve your problems? Do you have the culture in place that accepts that all ideas are important ideas? Do you think of yourself as a creative person? What about your team? David Kelly, CEO of the legendary design firm IDEO, tells us about the importance of building creative confidence. In an experience in elementary school where a classmate was ridiculed by a peer during a project, that classmate shut down and quit the project. We often opt out of creativity due to experiences like this. We tell ourselves we aren’t creative. But it’s not true. It is important for us to understand that we are all creative, and David is here to help remind us.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: "Withum's 2013 State of the Firm Music Video - WS+B Jump On It"
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Have you ever decided to take a new job during a chaotic period—like a pandemic? How do you transition a team from working in an office to working from home? How determined are you to meet your goal, even if it takes you an extra 100 days? Don Craig, Chief Financial Officer at the engineering firm of Haley & Aldrich, is going to share his story as it relates to those questions. He made the decision to become the CFO of Haley & Aldrich in the mindset of a pandemic, and he talks about the challenges associated with that, including jumping into a team while being completely remote and what they are doing as an organization to work through those challenges.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
linkedin.com/in/doncraig
haleyaldrich.com/about-us/our-people/don-craig
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Everyone has an ego. Some are underdeveloped, others are well developed—and then there are the overdeveloped egos. An overdeveloped ego can, in some cases, ultimately transform into narcissism. Many CEOs have well-developed egos, and businesses need that in their leader. But what if your CEO is narcissistic? A narcissistic CEO stops listening to those around them and does things to feed their ego at the expense of the company. Let’s discuss how you can practice shelving your ego in order to be more collaborative and respectful.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: peter@petermargaritis.com
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Racism is something you learn over time through your family, your culture, and your environment. The reality of it is that—as hard and shameful as it is to admit—at one point in my life, I was a racist. As I recognized that improv was a leadership philosophy and way of life, my awareness, attitudes, and beliefs changed even more dramatically. The improv concept of “Yes, and” teaches us to suspend our judgment, park our ego, listen to understand, and to be empathetic. It is not about pushing forward a belief just because it’s the way things have always been done. Being silent and not enacting positive change is not the way to create change. We need to hear the conversation for what it is, take the improviser’s mindset to search for a solution instead of creating a divide for our own self-interests.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What can we learn about leadership from someone who grew up in a small town? Natalie Siston is the founder of Small Town Leadership. She takes the lessons she’s learned from small town living and applies them to achieve significant business success. Whether you’re a corporate leader looking for an effective way to motivate today’s workforce, a manager striving to bring out the best in each individual, or someone hoping to make sure your work matters, big success starts by thinking small. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
smalltownleadership.com
linkedin.com/in/nataliesiston
instagram.com/nataliesiston
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We all get distracted when we need to be focused. In improv, being present is critical to the success of the ensemble, and in leadership, being present is critical to the success of the business. It’s impossible to remain focused every minute of the day, but there are exercises you can do to become more focused and a better listener, which will in turn make you a better leader. I outline three of these exercises you can do with your teams to be more present. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Harvard Business Review: "How to Practice Mindfulness Throughout Your Work Day"
Read: "Scale or Fail"
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Eric and Rebecca Scott are a married couple with the perfect combination of math and writing skills. Eric is a licensed CPA in Kentucky and is a Tax Senior Manager at Ernst & Young, focusing on a wide variety of technical topics. Rebecca, who was an autism behavioral intervention specialist before staying home to raise her two children, is now an accomplished author. Her book “Sensational Kids, Sensational Families: Hope For Sensory Processing Differences” chronicles the research, interventions, and mindset shifts that helped their family through their son’s sensory processing disorder diagnoses. She also directs a local homeschool cooperative organization in which she works hard to accommodate all special needs. And when you think about it, choosing to adapt to an unexpected challenge is the embodiment of improv and creating a supportive community for special needs individuals requires great leadership — so there’s a lot to learn from Eric and Rebecca even if you don’t have any children at all. If you have a kid going through the challenges associated with sensory processing differences, you will want to check out her book. It is packed full of tips and strategies for you to support your child in the best way possible, setting them up for a future that makes them truly sensational. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
sensationalkidssensationalfamilies.com
Read: “Sensational Kids, Sensational Families: Hope For Sensory Processing Differences”
linkedin.com/in/rebeccaduvallscott
linkedin.com/in/eric-d-scott-81231643
facebook.com/groups/SensationalKidsSensationalFamilies
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Do you listen to respond… or do you listen to understand? In my introduction to improv, I realized I was not that great of a listener. This was largely due to my inflated ego. To be a good listener, you need to adopt the “Yes, and” philosophy. Instead of pulling a conversation away from somebody else and back onto yourself, you need to add to it. There’s no room for ego. Active listening is hard. It takes intention, time, and effort. Start working on strengthening your listening skills every single day. As each day passes, you will become closer to becoming a better listener, developing better relationships, and having more significant impact on the world.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources: YouTube: It's Not About The Nail
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Brannon Poe, the founder of Poe Group Advisors, has been facilitating advisors’ successful accounting practice transitions throughout the US and Canada since 2003. He’s also the creator of Accounting Practice Academy, an eight-week virtual workshop for accounting practice owners. He’s the author of the Account Practice Insights blog and hosts the Accounting Flight Plan podcast with other top thought leaders in the profession. He is also the author of several books, including “Accountant’s Flight Plan” and “On Your Own.” Poe’s company buys and sells CPA firms, which he’s been doing for 17 years now. We talk about why a partner would want to sell their firm, why there’s so much demand for buying and selling right now, as well as a peek inside his Accounting Practice Academy. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
poegroupadvisors.com
linkedin.com/in/brannon-poe-65984012/
Accounting Practice Academy
Listen: Accounting Flight Plan podcast
Read: “Accountant’s Flight Plan”
Read: “On Your Own”
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Leadership and improv are not opposing forces—in fact, improv is a strategic component of good leadership. It’s been proven by science. The key principle of improv is these two powerful words: “Yes, and.” Leadership in Hyperdrive: Powered by Improv™ and the power of “Yes, and,” is a way of adapting to a changing landscape, becoming more creative and collaborative, and showing that you do appreciate the people that you work with by taking time to listen and show empathy to them. It will produce the most significant results for your business today and moving forward. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
"‘Oh, My God, Where Is This Going?’ When Computer-Science Majors Take Improv"
"Improv Training: The Power Of Funny Business"
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Is your marketing strategy centered around clicks, funnels, artificial intelligence, and driving traffic to your website? Shouldn’t marketing be more human-centric? Instead of funnels, maybe we can lead people on a journey. That’s what Jürgen Strauss, the founder and chief innovator of InnovaBiz, joins us to discuss. InnovaBiz is a marketing firm helping organizations by building visibility, professional authority, and connecting with their ideal clients. They work to turn your business into a client magnet by building and making the most of your marketing—making your marketing human again.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Learn more: http://innovabiz.com.au/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jurgenstrauss
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Do you put the needs of your team before yours? Do you engage with them or just deliver orders? Do you encourage them to do their best in a non-threatening matter? Do you get mad and let it fester or get over it quickly? David Veech joins us to discuss those questions and more. He’s had many different roles in life: infantry officer, husband, father, author, student, farmer, grandfather, and teacher. David now teaches organizations how to obliterate their obstacles, accelerate innovation, and elevate performance by teaching leaders how to love, learn, and let go. Leaders who apply his lessons achieve higher productivity, higher preferability, and higher professionalism as they build great workplaces.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Learn more: leadersights.com
Read: “The C-4 Process”
Read: “Leadersights"
Email: david.veech@leadersights.com
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Are you having trouble finding the time to focus on your most important work in order to move your business forward? Jake Kahana is a designer, entrepreneur, and teacher — and he’s going to address the above issue. He’s the founder of Caveday, a group of people (known as Cavedwellers) working on their most important work for a focused period of time — called a sprint. Cavedwellers start with the hardest things first, they monotask, and eliminate all distractions. It’s a fascinating process and it’s amazing how much important work you can get done during the allotted time frame. Jake shares the tips you need to know to get into a flow state and focus on your most important tasks without distraction. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
caveday.org
jakekahana.com
linkedin.com/in/jakekahana
nstagram.com/jakekahana
facebook.com/jake.kahana
twitter.com/jakekahana
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Do you want to inspire friends, family, and strangers for the greater good? What impact are you making on your community? How do you rise when you fail? How do you deal with change in an uncertain environment? And do you know your personal why? These questions and more will be discussed by Ruben Minor, the president of RAM Enterprises, an organization that focuses on speaking, training, and coaching individuals and groups regarding leadership, team dynamics, relationship building, fundamental business properties, discovering your personal why, and business and personal branding. We discuss the moment Ruben realized how important leaving a legacy was and how your personal story can be used to inspire others. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Learn more: rubenminor.com
Listen: RAM Podcast Series
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/minorr
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Would you believe that improv is used in the medical world? Margot Escott is a clinical social worker, licensed therapist, and professional speaker who has presented workshops and seminars on the therapeutic value of humor and play for over 30 years. She has studied and performed improv and was trained by some very well-known improvisers such as Gary Schwartz and friend-of-the-show Jay Sukow. In her practice, she uses improvisational theater exercises combined with cognitive behavior education to assist people suffering from anxiety disorders, Parkinson’s, and those recovering from addictions. Margot explains how this works, shares the story of how improv was never developed as a form of comedy, and much more.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Learn more: margotescott.com
Listen: margotescott.com/podcast
Facebook: facebook.com/MEscottLCSW
Twitter: twitter.com/escott_margot
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/margot-escott-lcsw-40a733b1
Read: "Improv for Scientists, Accountants, Lawyers, Doctors and You"
Read: "No Joke: The Serious Role of Improv in Medicine"
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Can artificial intelligence enhance your accounting practice? It absolutely can. Jody Padar is the VP of Strategy with Botkeeper, a company that combines artificial intelligence and machine learning technology with high-quality skilled accountants to deliver a full suite of bookkeeping and pre-accounting solutions to accounting firms and their clients. She’s also the author of “The Radical CPA: New Rules for the Future-Ready Firm,” a book that sparked a movement within the accounting profession focused on four tenets: cloud technology, social business, value pricing, and process. We talk about what the future of accounting is going to look like when bots enter the mix, why that’s a good thing, and how you can prepare yourself for the future of the industry.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Learn more: https://theradicalcpa.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jody-padar-18a9711
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theradicalcpa
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theradicalCPA
Read: “The Radical CPA: New Rules for the Future-Ready Firm”
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Brian Walter is the co-founder of Extreme Meetings Inc, and for over 25 years, he has specialized in transforming meetings from boring to exciting. Brian is also the past president of the National Speakers Association Board of Directors from 2017 to 2018. Brian brings his approach, knowledge, and leadership style into this discussion about leadership during a pandemic, and he has some great advice for keeping a positive attitude even in the face of a crisis.
As we hopefully begin the slow process of opening up our economy, anxiety and stress will still be amongst us until proven therapies and a vaccine have been developed. As a leader dealing with a crisis of any form. we can't get locked into today — we need to start looking ahead at how our business will change. What do we look like right now in this environment?
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
https://extrememeetings.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/brianswalter
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Kay Francis is a professional keynote speaker and the author of the book The Funny Thing About Stress: a Seriously Humorous Guide to a Happier Life. Laughter is one of the best coping mechanisms in dealing with stress. According to an article published by the Mayo Clinic in April 2019 titled "Stress relief from laughter? It's no joke" when it comes to relieving stress, more giggles are just what the doctor ordered.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Learn more: kayfrances.com
Read: The Funny Thing About Stress: a Seriously Humorous Guide to a Happier Life
Facebook: facebook.com/FunnyLadyKay
YouTube: Youtube.com/channel/UCXmDtSVVsCV9NdkdJ2wuX6w
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/KayFrances
Twitter: twitter.com/KayFrancesMBA
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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In times of heightened stress, one way of coping is to reach out to the experts that know how to deal with disasters effectively. One such expert is Jennifer Elder, the self-proclaimed “Diva of Disaster” and author of Faster Disaster Recovery: A Business Owner's Guide to Developing a Business Continuity Plan. She talks about what we can do to change our mindset, change our approach, and change our attitude in dealing with this global pandemic.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Learn more: www.jenniferelder.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sustainablecfo
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sustainablecfo
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferhelder
Faster Disaster Recovery: A Business Owner's Guide to Developing a Business Continuity Plan
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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We are all dealing with the stress of the unknown circumstances regarding the coronavirus pandemic. Improv has always been an incredibly impactful way to deal with the daily stressors of life and — in the midst of this global situation — is more useful than ever in helping to cope with overwhelming levels of stress. Jay Sukow joins us today to talk about how we can use the principles of improv to help make a difficult situation more bearable.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Learn more about Today Improv
Listen: ImprovCast with Jay and Landon
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Christopher Jones speaks, coaches and advises leaders to become the type of leader others want to follow — as he calls them, authentic leaders. The very first time Christopher was put into a leadership position he failed miserably. He had thought before getting that position, “How hard can this leadership thing be?” He had worked with great leaders and terrible leaders beforehand, and those that were great made it look so easy. But once he got into that role, he realized it’s just so much more complicated than it looks on the surface. The very best leaders are those leaders who you would do anything for. So how do you become an authentic leader, the kind that people love to follow? That’s what we’re here to discuss.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Learn more: https://christopherrjones.com
Listen: https://christopherrjones.com/podcast
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamchristopherjones
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christopherrjones
Mary’s website: http://www.maryfoley.com
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Peter Frampton has found a way to make accounting come alive. Peter is a financial literacy advocate. He's a Co-Founder of Color Accounting International, which teaches finance to non-financial people using a breakthrough graphical system. What lights Peter up is awakening people to a life of abundance.
A better understanding of accounting will only help you and your employees become better stewards of your organization. The more that you and your employees have a basic understanding of accounting will only help the organization thrive because everyone can see the financial impact that they're having on the organization.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Learn more: https://www.coloraccounting.com
Watch: https://www.coloraccounting.com/offer-haw
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterframpton
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dino Tripodis spent twenty-four years as the morning co-host on WSNY 94.7 FM, nicknamed Sunny 95 in Columbus, Ohio. He is also a headlining comedian, podcaster, actor, producer, writer, published author, professional speaker, and philanthropist. Dino is the co-writer, co-producer, and actor in the 2017 movie, The Street Where We Live. Dino shares how he has stumbled through his various careers in life, how our experiences in life shape us, and how we can use that to find common ground and relate to one another. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Whiskey Business Podcast: soundcloud.com/whiskeybusinessshow
Instagram: instagram.com/whiskeybusinesspodcast
Watch: thestreetwherewelive.com
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Brian Comerford and Nick Lozano are co-hosts of the Lead.exe podcast, which covers topics ranging from leadership, emotional intelligence, design thinking, and many more. Brian is a digital leader and serial entrepreneur, notable as co-founder of Radiovalve.com, an I-radio station among the first generation of web casters. Nick is a technologist and entrepreneur. He has experience in working in technology and leading teams at Accenture, CornerStack, and a major trade association.
They discuss how their show came to be, what they talk about on it, and why they think emotional intelligence and empathy are the keys to a successful culture.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Podcast: leadexe.com
Brian’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/briancomerford
Nick’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nick-lozano-97356621
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Happy New Year! 2019 was a very good year for this podcast.
The show was originally titled Improv is No Joke and on April 30, 2018, the name was changed to Change Your Mindset with Peter Margaritis, CPA. The overarching theme of this podcast is leadership, with a heavy emphasis on improv as a leadership enhancer. We are currently lining up guests for the upcoming season and need your help. What topics would you like to hear more about, and what guests would you like to see interviewed on the show? We would also love to share your good and bad leadership stories on the podcast.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Warren Buffett: This is your 1 greatest measure of success in life (and if you don’t have it, ‘your life is a disaster’)
Share your stories: tina@petermargaritas.com
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How do we keep our best and brightest employees? What is the true cost when an employee leaves the company? Are we at risk of losing some of our most talented, tenured, and loyal employees? Is a quarterly financial reporting model having an effect on our retention strategy? Those questions and more will be answered by Cara Silletto, the Chief Retention Officer in her consulting firm.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Learn more at: wereduceturnover.com
Book: Staying Power: Why Your Employees Leave and How to Keep Them Longer
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/carasilletto
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Roxanne Kaufman-Elliott is the founder of Roxanne Leadership. Roxanne is a warm, down to earth, authentic person who is dedicated to helping others become the best of themselves. She is passionate about unleashing the leader in others. She's dedicated to helping people and organizations create cultures, lives, and legacies of genuine and authentic leadership and success. She talks about what it takes to become a strong leader, what leadership means today, and how to enact the change in your life to become a better leader yourself. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Learn more at: prolaureate.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/roxanne-kaufman-elliott-4909571
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Darren LaCroix is the only speaker in the world who is a Certified Speaking Professional, an Accredited Speaker, and a world champion of public speaking. He's also the co-host of Unforgettable Presentations podcast. Darren always stresses, "Don't go for the designations to get the letters after your name. Do it for the professional you will become in the process."
Darren’s story of failed entrepreneur to budding comedian and eventually world renowned public speaker is an incredible journey, full of lessons to absorb.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Schedule a workshop: stagetimeworkshops.com
Learn more at: darrenlacroix.com
Free webinar: storytellingwebinar.com
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ken "Mr. Biz" Wentworth is the host of a successful radio show, B2B Radio, which focuses on helping business owners. He’s developed expertise during 20 plus years in leadership positions while rising to the top 3% at a Fortune 15 company, and is the bestselling author of two business books.
Ken works with small to medium-sized businesses that are really good at what they provide, but need some help on the financial side to run their business a little more profitably. He’s an on-demand CFO. People hire him to help them run their business more profitably and more efficiently, and that comes in a lot of different forms.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Learn more at: mrbizsolutions.com
B2B Radio: mrbizsolutions.com/mr-biz-radio
Facebook: facebook.com/MrBizSolutions
Instagram: instagram.com/mrbizsolutions
Twitter: twitter.com/mrbiztweets
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ken-mr-biz-wentworth
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
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Dr. Mihaela Jekic is a money coach, author and TedX Speaker. Mihaela helps professionals and entrepreneurs transform their money mindset, help them get unstuck financially, and build a business and life they love.
Her story of how she went from war-torn Bosnia, attending a school where she didn’t speak the language, and discover improv as a way to get her over her fear of public speaking and shatter the negative beliefs she had about herself is truly fascinating.
To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com
Resources:
Learn more at: moneyformeaning.com
TedX Talk: https://youtu.be/7gDUe96hTdI
Money for Meaning: Philosophy for a Life of Extraordinary Freedom: amazon.com/Money-Meaning-Philosophy-Extraordinary-Freedom/dp/0997963905
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tara Clancy is a speaker, author, and sleep expert. Tara is also a member of the National Speakers Association and currently serves as the President of the Connecticut Chapter. Tara has a lot of great tips and advice for us to think about during our day as it relates to our daytime and our nighttime breathing in order to get a good night's sleep. She discusses the long-term ramifications of nighttime breathing issues and the effect it has on our bodies and on our brains. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Resources:
Learn more at: o2tara.org
Resources: o2tara.org/talk
Instagram: instagram.com/o2taraclancy
Facebook: facebook.com/o2Tara
Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Eileen Kahana is the Founder and CEO of a Chicago nonprofit, Room to Improv, a non-profit dedicated to raising the self-esteem of students, veterans, and seniors, and, ultimately, empowering them to enrich their lives. Improv had always been a part of Eileen, but it was only recently that she discovered its name and process. After retiring from an accomplished career as a teacher and mentor from the Chicago Public School System, Eileen challenged herself to take an improv class at the Second City. That one class turned into a two-year, life-changing experience, and inspired her to create Room2Improv. The more she took, the more she realized that everyone needed an improv class. And she realized that this is what Chicago Public School children need. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Resources:Learn more at: room2improv.comFacebook: facebook.com/Room2ImprovYouTube: youtube.com/user/room2improv Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chrissie Powers is the Founder of Powers Forensic Accounting LLC. Chrissie's experience includes investigations involving diversion of corporate assets, fraud examination and investigation, forensic accounting and record reconstruction, damaging claims analysis and documentation, and providing valuation of closely held businesses for purposes of divorce, estate, and purchase, or sale. Chrissie started her career in the traditional public accounting world doing tax and audit work. Early in her career, she was sent on an audit where one of the clients had been involved in a fraud incident, and Chrissie was tasked with determining the dollar amounts. After that, she was hooked on the puzzle of finding out how people were stealing money and how much was taken. She went through the CPA exam, and transferred herself to a firm that specializes in forensic accounting so she could grow in that niche. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Resources:Learn more at https://www.powersforensic.com/E-mail: chrissie.powers@powersforensic.comPhone: 614-745-5192Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chrissie_PowersLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissiepowers/ Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ralph Picano is the CFO and a member of the board of directors for Wade Trim, an almost 100 year old engineering firm. As a CFO, the thoughts that keep Ralph up at night are the ones related to his company’s largest expense: It’s employees. The engineering industry bills hourly. They provide talented people to perform services for clients, and they charge their clients to create value and give them a reason to pay them. The fact that their largest expense in the company itself is payroll means that that expense category is going to be the main focus of any CFO. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Resources:Learn more at https://www.wadetrim.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralph-picano-8a65b410/Twitter: https://twitter.com/PicanoRalph Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
My guest today is Kevin McCarthy, author of the bestselling book, Blind Spots: Why Good People Make Bad Choices. Kevin works globally with industry leaders to reveal blind spots to unleash the potential in organizations and teams. Kevin spent 33 months in a federal prison for a crime he didn't knowingly commit. His boss at the time was committing stock fraud, and when Kevin discovered this, he realized he had these severe blind spots. How did he wind up working for this boss, and how could he have possibly believed he was a good man doing good things? He became passionate about discovering that for himself. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Resources:Learn more at https://www.blindspots.comOrder an autographed copy of Blind Spots: https://ww3.blindspots.com/offers/cuGr2LVH/checkoutFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevinmccarthycspLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmccarthycspTwitter: https://twitter.com/kevinmccarthy01 Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
My guest today is Dave Caperton. Dave is an author, speaker and thought leader on ways that joy drives success. Dave uses humor to teach corporations, associations, individuals, and groups how living and working with intentional joy is an act of leadership and a disciplined will. He has 20 years of real-world experience speaking, coaching, and writing about the benefits of a joyful mindset in a business context, including how to unleash creativity, improve health, increase engagement, supercharge learning, and provide legendary service and care while reducing stress and conflict. As a veteran educator, performance consultant, comedian, and comedy writer, Dave fuses entertaining stories, in-depth research, and proven learning strategies to provide conversations about joy to celebrate success, solve people's problems, and build a bridge between where you are now and where you want to be. Dave came out of education. He was a teacher, and grew up with a family of teachers, teaching high school English. He did that for 11 years, and then he got into stand-up comedy. That led me to an opportunity to be a weekly radio guest in Columbus on a local FM station. And from there, he met a motivational speaker, Phil Sorrentino, who got him started down the path of combining humor and development. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Resources:Learn more at: davecaperton.comRead: Happiness is a Funny Thing by Dave CapertonFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/dave.capertonTwitter: http://twitter.com/speakofjoyLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/davecaperton Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
My guests today are Bill and Don Tomoff, who are both CPAs who like to say they aren’t your typical accountants. Bill Tomoff is currently a CFO for InstallNET International and a consultant with Invenio Advisors, focusing on training and professional development. Bill volunteers with and is on the board of directors of Special Love, an organization serving children and families fighting childhood cancer. Don is the founder of Invenio Advisors LLC, a consulting firm specializing in information management, process improvement, reporting, and data analysis, as well as education and training. Since 2010, Don is focused on the identification of process improvement opportunities and leveraging readily available technology tools to drive that change. In addition to consulting, Don is an active instructor for the Maryland Association of CPA's Business Learning Institute. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Resources:Bill’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billtomoffBill’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btomoffcpaBill’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/btomoffcpaDon’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dontomoffDon’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dtomoffcpaDon’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/DTomoffCPA Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jay Sukow believes that the world will be a better place if everyone takes just one improv class - and I agree! Jay is trying to make that world a reality as the founder of Today Improv, where he teaches improv to actors, businesses, and everyone else around the world. He is currently on faculty at The Second City Hollywood and former faculty member at The Second City Chicago. Some of those he has trained with include Stephen Colbert, Stephen Carell, Dave Razowsky, Keith Johnstone, and Del Close. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Resources:Learn more about Today ImprovListen: ImprovCast with Jay and LandonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/todayimprov/Twitter: https://twitter.com/todayimprovFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/todayimprov Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dr. Gleb Tsipursky is a disaster avoidance expert with over 20 years of experience dramatically empowering leaders and organizations to avoid business disasters by addressing potential threats, maximizing unexpected opportunities, and resolving persistent personnel problems. Gleb serves as the CEO of a boutique consulting and training firm, Disaster Avoidance Experts, whose clients range from Fortune 500 companies to mid-sized businesses and nonprofits. He's also the author of a national bestseller on avoiding disasters in business, The Truth-Seeker's Handbook: A Science-Based Guide, and an upcoming book, Never Go With Your Gut: How Pioneering Leaders Make the Best Decisions and Avoid Business Disasters, which is coming out November 2019. What’s Wrong With Going With Your Gut? Our emotions are short-term oriented because they evolved from the ancestral Savannah. And it really helped us survive in the wild because we didn't really have an opportunity to invest into the long term. We couldn't build a bank account. We couldn't build a house. We needed to get away from predators as quickly as possible while hunting our food as effectively as possible. But as a result, “these gut reactions, they really misfire very often in the modern world and bring down high-flying careers and big companies.” So, how can we avoid succumbing to human nature? Well, it’s right in the title of Dr. Tsipursky’s book: don’t go with your gut. Our gut tends to make really bad choices in our modern business environment (and in modern life in general, really). So, it's important to see what your gut is telling you, but then always check that with your head. And in the book, you will find specific, structured decision-making processes that you can use to check with your head. Resources:Learn more at disasteravoidanceexperts.comPreorder: Never Go With Your Gut: How Pioneering Leaders Make the Best Decisions and Avoid Business Disasters (November 1, 2019)LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dr-gleb-tsipursky-89ab4b23Facebook: facebook.com/DrGlebTsipurskyTwitter: twitter.com/gleb_tsipurskyInstagram: instagram.com/dr_gleb_tsipursky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
My guest today is Brian Wagner, Founder and CEO of A Radical Vision, an organization with a powerful mission statement: "It took a crippling disease for us to understand that we have no vision. Losing our sight allowed us to gain vision. That was the greatest gift that's ever been given. We can't hide from our adversity. Our goal is to help others recognize their adversity, go blind, and gain vision. This happened to us. And now, we want to help others have that same focus.” A Radical Vision When Brian was 10, he started to develop some health problems due to a cavernous malformation, which is a malformed blood vessel that can form anywhere in your body. Brian’s just happened to have formed in his brain stem. So, as a result, Brian dealt with a variety of different issues throughout his life. Then, at the age of 43, it started to bleed, and bleed, and bleed. And when it bled, it put pressure on the nerves that control his vision, and he started to go blind. So Brian had to undergo a brain surgery in order to remove the cavernous malformation from his brain stem. Brian still can’t see out of both eyes, but in other ways, he has more perspective and vision than ever before in his life. Resources:Learn more at https://www.aradicalvision.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/aradicalvision/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aradicalvision/Twitter: https://twitter.com/aradicalvisionRead: INSIGHT by Dr. Tasha Eurich Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
My guest today is Robin Thieme, the Founder of KBS CFO, which is an outsourced CFO and accounting department solution for growing sustainable and profitable businesses. She has over 30 years of financial and accounting experience, a passion for the efficiencies that new technologies enable, and a dedication to small businesses. One of the things that really impresses me about Robin and KBS is that she was creating a virtual organization long before cloud computing was a mainstream term – and she takes the same innovative and thoughtful approach to establishing efficiencies and solutions that fit the current business environment for her clients. The old mindset – although many still use it – is that having a CFO is too much money for a small- to medium-sized business. As it turns out, Robin says, small businesses have some pretty big problems or big decisions, too! And they may not need a full-time CFO, but they do still need someone to help guide them financially. “We're really meeting a need of businesses that are struggling to run their businesses; they love what they do, and are really good at it, but just need some help on the back end.” An Anticipatory CPA & OrganizationYou know Robin is a member of the Maryland Association of CPAs because she describes herself as an “anticipatory CPA” – something we’ve talked about in past episodes with Bill Sheridan, as well as other guests. Robin defines an anticipatory CPA as “one who is looking out towards the future, anticipating trends, and is really focused on what's going to happen next, instead of being a historian for our clients... And, ultimately, when you think about it, from its most basic elements, a successful business should always be thinking about where they're going and not where they've been. So, I live in that world,” and we should all be living in this world. Everywhere in the accounting and finance profession, and really almost any profession, people are having conversations about change; changing demographics, changing technologies, changing societal expectations, etc. And, especially when it comes to technology, our profession tends to see this change as a threat – but that’s just our fear of the unknown talking. Robin compares this to autonomous vehicles, something that still feels futuristic and foreign to many of us, although there are already autonomous vehicles driving on our roads. Robin envisions a future where not only do autonomous vehicles become popular, but it might even become illegal for humans to drive because it will be a safety risk. And you know what? That change doesn’t hurt our ability to commute or get places – it gives us more time! The same thing is true for the technologies that are going to transform the way we do work in our profession, although the transition might be difficult to wrap our heads around. So, what will you do to become more future-ready? What steps will you take to change your mindset and get out of your comfort zone? What risks are you willing to accept in order to be prepared for tomorrow – all the while knowing that, in order to enact change, it takes baby steps? Resources:Learn more at https://www.kbscfo.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kensingtonbusinesssolutionsTwitter: https://twitter.com/kbscfoLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbscfo/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
My guest today is Phillip Lovegrove, who's a partner in the personal financial planning firm of Vorisek Financial Corporation. Now, many of the financial planners that I've interacted with in the past could not or would not adapt their conversation to meet the needs of their clients. Instead, many only seem to be serving their own needs and, at times, come across condescending. Phil is just the opposite. Phil believes in taking a needs-based approach and providing hands-on personal service for his clients – and I believe this is something that all professional service providers need to start doing, and soon. It helps your clients in the long term, and it’ll help your business, too. I've been a client of his for just over a year and, during this time, I've had more conversations about my financial position and pending retirement than ever before. Albeit, I'm a lot closer to retirement than I was five years ago, but this is the kind of service that really adds value and increases trust. He is doing a great job, and it's something we all can learn from. So, do you provide a needs-based approach in your work life? If so, how can you help others become better in this approach? If not, will you develop the skills necessary to become a needs-based and hands-on personal service to your clients, customers, and employees? Either way, sit down, devise a strategy, and work on it every single day. Resources:Learn more at https://www.vorisekfinancialcorp.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-lovegrove/Twitter: https://twitter.com/phillovegroveFinancial Advisor Success Podcast: https://www.kitces.com/blog/category/21-financial-advisor-success-podcast/Between Now and Success: https://stevesanduski.com/podcast-blog/Planet Money: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-moneyWall Street Journal podcasts: https://www.wsj.com/podcasts -- Change Your Mindset is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
My guest today is Amy Franko, who is a strategic sales expert, author, and keynote speaker. Amy had a successful business-to-business sales career with global technology companies like IBM and Lenovo before, in 2007, she pivoted into entrepreneurship and launched the training firm Impact Instruction Group. Now, Amy works with professional service firms, helping them grow business development results and build firm leaders. Amy also recently released a book, The Modern Seller, which is not a book about prospecting or negotiating skills. It's a book that explores the five skill sets that individuals and organizations need in order to become successful. In this episode, Amy explains each one of these skill sets in great detail, focusing on how they apply to the financial service industry. However, no matter what industry you're in, the ability for you to develop these five skill sets is crucial in the disruptive business environment that we are operating in today. So, let’s dig into the five skill sets of The Modern Seller.... A modern seller is agile. Until the last decade or so, “agility” was something that you heard about in sports and athletic training, not a business concept. According to the Center for Creative Leadership, which does research on the top skills that organizations are looking to hire for and build, agility really popped onto the radar about 10 years ago. And they think that, by 2022, things like adaptability and versatility are going to be in the top five skills that organizations are looking to hire for. Amy says that they are also skills that we need to be thinking about when it comes to business development and growth – because our clients are expecting that of us! They're expecting us to show agility as professional organizations, and in order to do that, we have to be developing agility in ourselves. A modern seller is entrepreneurial. Whether you're a manager, a senior manager, or someone at the highest level in your organization, look at yourself and look at the people in your firm. Do they see themselves as employees, or do they see themselves as the founder and the CEO, maybe the chief bootstrapper, in their own book of business? Because there’s a big difference there. When an employee thinks of their book of business or their team's book of business as a business itself, they make different decisions. They look at the top line and the bottom line, and they look for the best opportunities. So, we want to have people in our organization that are thinking entrepreneurially because that's what's going to help us grow. Now that you know what a modern seller is, are you ready to become one? Then you’re going to need to take some action. So, what’s the next step in the pursuit of becoming a modern seller for you? Which of these five skill sets have you best developed? Which of the five skill sets is your weakest? Will you build on a strategy of strengthening your weakest and leveraging your strongest? Devise a strategy and work on it every single day, even if it’s just for 30 to 60 minutes. It takes baby steps in order to change a habit. “You can go to a training, you can read a book, but the switch has to be in the application; applying things, trying them, failing at them, and moving forward. That's the only way that we learn.” Resources:Learn more at amyfranko.comRead: The Modern Seller: Sell More And Increase Your Impact In The New Sales EconomyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyfranko/Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmyFranko Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
My guest today is Samantha Bowling, who's an Audit Partner at the accounting firm of Garbelman Winslow in Maryland and the current Chair of the Executive Board of the Maryland Association of CPAs. This episode is focused on public accounting, but it also has great implications to business and industry accounting professionals. So, I encourage anyone in accounting – or just interested in how AI is going to change the nature of work – to listen to the interview and decide how these technologies might affect your organization. Now, in March of 2016, artificial intelligence was introduced to the accounting profession when IBM and KPMG signed an agreement to bring Watson into KPMG's audit practice. At the time (and still, really), many of the small- to middle-sized firms speculated that this technology was too expensive for their practices. Samantha, however, saw an opportunity. She felt that if the larger firms had this advantage, how long would it be until they started taking clients? She turned that question into action, and 18 months after IBM and KPMG's announcement, Samantha was able to bring artificial intelligence into her audit practice at an affordable price. In fact, Samantha was awarded the Innovative Practitioner Award 2018 from CPA.com for her efforts – and it was well deserved! Now, if you're still a little skeptical or just curious, then start listening or keep reading and you'll learn how she did it. Small Firm, Big Technology For context, Samantha’s firm only has about 15 employees, depending on the time of year. They do mostly everything that small firms do, except for government contracting, and she happens to be the audit partner at this firm. So when Samantha heard about KPMG introducing AI into their audit practice three years ago, she thought she was probably going to lose a lot of revenue if the large firms have Watson and her firm doesn’t have anything. “I'm not going to be able to do auditing anymore,” Samantha though. “[But] I really don't like tax. So, I have to find a solution." Samantha started by talking to her software providers, asking how they were implementing AI into her platform... and they said they weren't. They were only going to look into AI for the large firm platforms. She was a little discouraged, but she didn’t stop searching. Instead, she did what most of us do when we have a question: she Googled it. She just happened to come across a company called MindBridge, a Canadian startup company that was willing to work with her and let her try it out. Still, she was skeptical. She thought she can't afford the software, it’s probably not going to do what it says it's going to do; was she setting herself up for disappointment? Resources:Learn more at gwcpas.comCheck out MindBridge.aiTwitter: https://twitter.com/sbowlingcpaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-bowling-cpa-cgma-25531420 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Kimberly Ellison-Taylor, a powerhouse in the accounting profession whose drive, energy, and passion is unparallelled. Kimberly is currently a Global Strategy Leader at Oracle, and she has held positions at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Motorola, KPMG, as well as having a role in government in Prince George's County, Maryland. On top of that, from 2016 to 2018, Kimberly served as 104th Chairman of the American Institute of CPAs, where she received numerous awards and recognition. Notably, she was the youngest person, the fifth woman, and first person of color to serve as chairman in the AICPA's 130-year history. Kimberly was also the second Chairman for the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, an organization founded in 2017 that has 667,000 members in 184 countries. Kimberly has been able to walk the fine line between technology and accounting throughout her career, but she’s been able to leverage her accounting and finance acumen in every role she’s had. Even working at NASA Goddard, Motorola, and now Oracle, she’s always recognized that there were both technology and finance implications of every business decision (as well as people and process implications). “And I've been able to leverage both of those on top of the foundation that my parents set for me when they said very early, ‘don't be afraid, and you need to pay your dues, and work hard to get ahead.’” Kimberly also learned from her parents and the church that she needs to give back – and she really took it to heart! She’s held executive roles, chair roles, and leadership, and she’s a passionate advocate for state CPA societies. So why does she do it? It all comes back to servant leadership, and recognizing that other people inspired and helped her when she was younger. Some people may just need a little bit of help. Other people may need role models. Other people may need to hear that you made it through some tough times to get where you are. It's about helping people who might just need a small helping hand or inspiration, especially other people from socioeconomic backgrounds that are less common in the accounting and technology fields. “It's important to lift as we climb,” Kimberly says. “And I think it is important because the more of us that can give visibility to the options that are available, the more of us that will be attracted to the profession, that will stay in the profession, will be advanced and promoted to the highest levels of the profession. And I think that if not me, who? If not now when? And we all have individual accountability and responsibility to do our part and to pay forward.” Resources:Check out AICPA-CIMA.comConnect with Kimberly on LinkedIn-- Change Your Mindset is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Cara North is a learning experience designer at THE Ohio State University and the President of the Central Ohio Chapter of the Association for Talent Development. However, I did not invite her to be a guest on this podcast because of her day job. I invited her to be a guest because, as she says, "I love connecting others to people and opportunities." She loves networking, making connections, and creating opportunities – and I know that is a big fear for a lot of people, but it’s also a necessary part of being a lifelong learning and, increasingly, growing your career. As Cara says, “If you work with me, you don't just get me – you get my network.” That's an extremely valuable thing you can offer employers and clients, and it’s a resource that will only get more valuable over time. “We're all in this together, we all want to do better, everybody wants to feel valued, everybody wants to be respected, and I feel like collaboration is the best way to do that.” So, why do so many people hate the word networking? I blame it on most people’s mothers, and then most people laugh at me. But what did your mother always tell you? Never talk to strangers! And when most of us think about networking, we think of talking to a group of strangers. But a stranger is somebody with a bottle of Mogen David at the Ohio Stadium looking at a lamp post going, "Oh, you're awfully tall." That's a stranger. But in a business environment, people that we don't know are opportunities. You don’t even have to get face-to-face with real people to get started! One of Cara’s mentors, Mike Taylor, once said during a presentation that Twitter is the number one professional development tool. She signed up for Twitter during his presentation and, fast forward to 2019, she uses Twitter daily to talk to people all across the world that do the work and have the same challenges that she does. “And I feel like, especially since I've been more networked, that my depth of knowledge has expanded more than somebody that has been doing the same old thing for five years or ten years because it's so important to me, and so important for your growth, to constantly be getting feedback.” People that embrace that growth mindset won’t just have a better network – they’ll be better positioned over the next 10 to 15 years, as our workplaces evolve. “You're going to have to have a growth mindset to stay malleable and employable,” and that’s true in pretty much every industry, but it is especially true for CPAs. As we’ve mentioned before, CPAs will need more than just technical skills to thrive in the coming years. So what are your next steps in becoming a better networker? Is it changing your mindset? Is it not sitting or standing with your office friends and meeting new people? Is it breaking through your shyness and comfort zone to explore possibilities? What do you need to do? And where could you get out of your comfort zone? I challenge you to start by just taking 10 minutes, writing down some ideas – But the key here is follow through. Whatever you come up with, just do it! Resources:Twitter: https://twitter.com/caranorth11LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caranorth11/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
I've been out of public accounting for a number of years, but one thing I remember vividly was the busy season 10: the additional 10 pounds I gained because of all the pizza, the fast food, and the lack of exercise. So today, I asked licensed and registered dietitian and nutritionist Lucy Hayhurst to be our guest and provide us with some strategic tips on how to avoid the busy season 10. Lucy is co-founder of Well Balanced Nutrition, where their goal is to help people worry less, love what they eat, and live their best life. Now, you don't have to be a CPA or an accountant to learn from this episode because all professionals, at some time during their work year, will have to put in the extra hours over an extended period of time. When this happens, most of us revert to fast food and no exercise to get through this high-stress timeframe. Often, when we talk about nutrition and wellness, people fall into the trap of thinking that they’re doing everything wrong, or that there’s too much they need to change to even bother – but thinking like that is the fastest way to fail. So, instead, Lucy encourages people to raise their awareness, then decide on just ONE thing that they can do better. You know that old adage, “Everything's good in moderation?” Lucy tells us it’s total crap. You have to know thyself and recognize what your trigger foods are. She mentions the book Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin, which talks about the differences between moderation and abstinence. Some people can have just a few cookies or chips and be fine, but some people can’t have the package in the house without devouring it all – so it just takes a little awareness about what will hurt and help your wellness journey. After you remove any obstacles to your health, pick just ONE thing to work on during this busy season; one bad habit you can make a good habit, which will in turn change your mindset around your health. Baby steps – that is the answer. Then maybe you can add on another healthy habit when you’re less stressed this Summer, or during the next busy season. Resources:Learn more at https://www.wellbalancednutrition.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/wellbalancednutritionncRead: Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin -- Change Your Mindset is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jennifer Elder works with financial leaders to become more strategic, stay ahead of the competition, and be more successful. As a consultant and keynote speaker, Jennifer is known for being energetic and enthusiastic, and she has the natural talent for taking complicated topics and making them simple, practical, and immediately implementable. CPA Practice Advisor named Jennifer one of the Top 25 Women in Accounting in 2018. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants named her a Woman to Watch in 2015. She has been awarded Outstanding Educator by the American Institute of CPAs five times. And in 2018, Jennifer earned the designation of Certified Speaking Professional, making her one of only 10 people worldwide who hold both the CPA and CSP designations (but maybe I can push that number from 10 to 11 in 2019). Becoming a Future-Ready CFO & Accountant In the past, the role of the CFO was primarily looking in the rear-view mirror at the historical financial statements and reporting it to the other people in the car. This tells you where you have been, but it doesn't necessarily tell you where you’re going. “And there's too much change, too much risk out there. The CFO now has to shift that perspective and look forward. They have to start to be able to look into the crystal ball, see what's coming down the pike.” Future-ready CFOs, and future-ready accountants in general, have to think about what's going on in the world and how it might affect your organization, which means you want to be looking at trends. What are the trends in the world at large? What are the trends in your industry? In the accounting and finance world right now, the trend everybody's looking at and talking about is technology. How are things like artificial intelligence going to change everything? When Jennifer teaches classes on the skills of the future and presentation skills, she breaks it down into five words you need to focus on to really add value to your organization: what, so what, and now what. The what is data. The so what is why should they care? If we're talking about the what, we're just presenting the data that we think somebody needs to get, but we have to think about it from our client’s perspective. “Step out of your own head, get into the head of your audience, and think about what's important to them.” Now what, then, is the action that’s going to help your client move forward. Change Your Mindset is now being distributed on C-Suite Radio. You can find Change Your Mindset and many other outstanding business podcasts on C-Suite Radio by going to www.c-suiteradio.com. Resources:Learn more at http://sustainablecfo.com/Check out jenniferelder.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferhelderTwitter: https://twitter.com/sustainablecfo -- Change Your Mindset is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bill Sheridan is the Chief Communications Officer at the Maryland Association of CPAs and the host of Future-Proof, a podcast in which Bill has interviewed a wide variety of leading thought leaders in the accounting profession and in corporate America. We discuss whether the profession is moving in the direction of becoming more future-proof, or future-ready, through the lens of the conversations he’s been having with his guests for nearly a year. So, let’s get right to it: is the profession future-proof? The short answer is no, we're not future-proof or future-ready yet – but we're getting there. However, we might be getting there a little slower than Bill and the other folks over at the MACPA hoped. “It seems like they're starting to realize that this stuff is real. It's not going away. In fact, it's starting to impact them right now, and they need to pay attention to it. So, that's encouraging that they are starting to pay attention,” Bill says. And in a way, this seeming reluctant to look forward makes sense for the accounting and finance profession. “When you think about the profession itself, accounting and finance will spend their entire careers looking behind them. By definition, they're accounting for things that have happened in the past. “So, turning around, and looking through the windshield, and noticing what's coming at you, isn't a muscle that they've spent a lot of time building. And so, they're just starting to do that now. And the more they do it, the better they'll get at it.” Becoming future-ready starts with being aware of what's going on. It comes back to the idea of the anticipatory organization, an idea championed by MACPA President and CEO Tom Hood. In this sense, anticipation a three-step process: aware, predict, and adapt. So, first step, being aware of change. That involves asking questions and start to understanding it. Next is predicting what will happen. So, now that I'm aware of it, what kind of impact is this going to have on me and the people that I work with? And then, finally, adapting. What can we actually do about it? For example, here's a question for accounting and finance pros out there: how can you take advantage of 5G in a way that will benefit the people that you work with? “That's the muscle that we have to start building. We know this is coming, and in very short order. So, what are the opportunities embedded in something like that? And we need to start thinking about that now before it hits mainstream and evolves into something else.” So becoming anticipatory is the practice of building that muscle – because change is going to happen over and over. “We need to be able to help walk our clients and customers into the future. In order to do that, we need to be there before them,” Bill says. Change Your Mindset is now being distributed on C-Suite Radio. You can find Change Your Mindset and many other outstanding business podcasts on C-Suite Radio by going to www.c-suiteradio.com. Resources: Listen to Future-Proof: https://blionline.org/blog/ | Apple Podcasts LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billdsheridan/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillSheridan Take Sally Hogshead’s assessment: howtofascinate.com/you (use code “FutureProof” to take it for free) Read: The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle Read: When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink Read: The Excellence Dividend: Meeting the Tech Tide with Work That Wows and Jobs That Last by Tom Peters Read: The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey by Hal Burrows, Kenneth H. Blanchard, and William Oncken Read: The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We would like your feedback on today's podcast by answering this quick two-minute survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MS2T6P6. Thank you so much for your support. My guest today is a gentleman who knows more about fraud than just about anyone else in the accounting and finance profession: Gary Zeune, CPA, Managing Director of The Pros & The Cons. The Pros & The Cons is the only speaker bureau in the country specializing in white-collar criminals. His 40 plus ex-con speakers tell the stories of how and why they embezzled, took kickbacks, and cooked the books to the tune of up to $2.7 billion. His speakers include Mark Morse, a former CFO at ZZZZ Best; Paul Allen, an ex-bank CEO; and Dunlap Cannon, the largest real estate closing attorney in Memphis. But regardless of what kind of entity they worked at, regardless of the dollar amount, there are several really common elements between everyone who commits fraud – the biggest one being that they don't think they're going to get caught. To put it simply, ego gets in the way. So, why would someone be so stupid to think they aren't going to get caught? Well, consider this: have you ever broken the speed limit while driving? Everybody, including me and Gary, have done. It's illegal, so why do we do it? We do it because we think we're going to get away with it – just the same as somebody cheating on their expense report or cooking the books at the bank for $2.7 billion. People say, "Well, I'd never let that happen to me." Well, when you get in your car and you go on the freeway, most of us start going the speed limit. Then, you go two miles over. Then, you're three miles over. Then, five. After you're driving for an hour, you might be going 10, 15 miles over the speed limit. What happens is when your brain is bombarded by constant stimuli, the same stimuli, your brain becomes desensitized. That's why frauds always start little and get bigger, and bigger, and bigger. Most people think that there is a bright line on ethical behavior, but that's not the way it works. Ethics is not absolute. Ethics is situational. So you might think going just five or 10 miles over the speed limit isn’t so bad, but would you break the law by driving 30 or 40 miles over the speed limit? Most of us the answer is no, most of the time, but what about when you have a medical emergency and you're taking your child to the hospital? Your child's health and well-being is more important than you staying five miles over the speed limit, so you change your behavior and break the law even more because there's something more important to you in this situation than the speed limit. So, if you don't do something about fraud, it’s just going to grow – which also means you need to know how fraud works so that you can identify it. You may get an expense report for $1000, including a $12 fake cab. If you don't bust someone over it, assuming you catch it, and then make the punishment worse than the crime, they're going to do it again. “And it will get bigger, and bigger, and bigger. That's where it always starts.” Gary shares a number of great fraud stories in the episode, and you can learn even more by reading some of the following articles he wrote or contributed to: Scott London, Ex-Auditor From Insider-Trading Scheme, Is Out of Prison, Has a Job What do Fraud, Ethics and Strategy have in common? Fraudsters in Demand as Speakers Amid White-Collar Crackdown - Risk & Compliance - WSJ Prison-Bound KPMG Ex-Partner Remorseful for Insider Tips - WSJ Former KPMG Partner Scott London Speaks out Before Starting Prison Term - Accounting Today WSJ Special Report - White Collar Criminals for Hire - From the Penitentiary to the Podium Confessions of an insider trader on the eve of his prison sentence - WSJ MarketWatch Forbes Former KPMG Partner Scott London Shares Cautionary Tale Before Prison Former KPMG Partner Scott London to Hold CPE-Eligible Webcast on Ethics Before He Goes to Prison for Insider Trading Ever Thought, 'How Did He Get Promoted?' Here's How - WSJ How to Tell If Your Coworkers Are Using Their Manipulative Powers for Good or Evil - At Work - WSJ What Corporate Climbers Can Teach Us - WSJ Resources: Learn more at http://www.theprosandthecons.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gzfraud/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gzfraud -- Change Your Mindset is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jennifer Briggs is the CEO of the Indiana CPA Society, and we talked about a year ago about the State of Indiana’s House Bill 1467, which allows competency-based learning through professional development opportunities to qualify accountants for accountant certificate renewal. Today, we follow up on that conversation to check in on the progress that they have made, learn about any unforeseen challenges that they may have faced, and how they handle these challenges. To recap, in 2010, the Indiana Society created a board-level task force on knowledge management. Jennifer worked with the task force on competency to examine how things have changed in education and everything snowballed from there. Then, on July 1, 2017, the State of Indiana signed House Bill 1467 into law. Following that, the Indiana CPA society created an all-online ethics course. It's interactive, and you have to actively participate in it by including comments or replying to other people's comments. Initially, it did count for a waiver of four hours, but if you take that course now, the certificate says you meet the ethics requirement in Indiana. There’s no test, but, “the part of it that makes it more interactive and kind of tests, if you will, the competency gained is the questions and commentary that the learners have to include.” For example, there might be a case study that you read, and then it would ask what the learner would have done in this particular part of the situation. So, how’s it going so far? “We find that it tends to be people just get it right away and really liked the idea, or really people struggle with anything that's different, which I find so interesting because it has been around a long time,” Jennifer says. “We're 104 years old, almost, as an organization, but CPE, the credit hours system, is only 40 something years old... Sometimes, I don't understand that challenge to change.” I'm so happy the folks in Indiana are working on this because we live in, to some degree, an la carte world. People learn in different ways, and being able to provide the opportunity to learn in the way that fits them best will only make them more successful. Appropriately, the competency rule in Indiana is an option. It's not mandatory. Jennifer also shares a story about her son and his friend that really hits home with me, and explains why this approach will only be more important as our profession moves forward: Jennifer’s friend visited, and both of their kids were running around the house like maniacs playing hide and seek. At one point, they sat down and Jennifer’s friend said, "Oh, I can count this for her PE class." Over the break, there was some incentive for students to be active for four hours per week. It didn't have to involve going to the gym or working out, it just had to involve being active. “And I just thought, gosh, if we can do that for sixth grade PE, we should be able to figure it out." Resources: Learn more at http://incpas.org Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferbbriggs/ -- Change Your Mindset is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Happy New Year, everyone! As I thought about 2019, I wanted to get off on the right foot – and I wanted to try something a little different. So today, I interview three wonderful guests at the same time. And you know what? It was a blast! Our guests are Allen Lloyd, CEO of the Montana Society of CPAs; Boyd Search, CEO of the Georgia Society of CPAs; and Chris Jenkins, CEO of the South Carolina Association of CPAs. All three are CEOs who used to work for the Ohio Society and are now running other state societies, so naturally, our discussion centers around the state of the CPA associations and the issues that members are facing in the accounting profession, both current and in the future. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, which is why this isn’t a one-on-one conversation. These three highlight that each association needs the ability to recognize the idiosyncrasies or uniqueness of their membership and try to tailor their offerings to meet the membership’s needs. For example, Chris Jenkins and the South Carolina Association of CPAs recently overhauled their membership model to create something completely new: an all-inclusive membership. And this was a pretty radical move! “It's about bringing the association back to what it originally was, and the association was a community,” Chris says. “We spend a lot of time talking about CPE, and we spend a lot of time marketing CPE, but there are a lot of CPE vendors out there. What we were trying to do is deliver the maximum value for the minimum price. So, we wanted to roll CPE in as a member benefit.” That’s right – SCACPA isn’t trying to upsell their members to purchase additional CPE credits anymore! The conversation around CPE is so often competence versus compliance, and when you take the price point out of the CPE, it becomes more of a competency-based system. The world is changing rapidly, and as the world changes, associations need to change too. Allen Lloyd and the Montana Association face a very different problem than our other two guests: they’re a state with just a million people that's three-and-a-half times the size of Ohio. CPE is difficult for them because it's difficult to get everyone together – then, even when you accomplish that, none of the cities in Montana are that big, and they're spread out so far from one another, making it difficult to get teaching talent to come. So the MSCPA got rid of their eight-hour seminars and switched to cluster events. Instead of getting people together for an afternoon, everyone gets together for two or three days. None of the classes are longer than four hours and members can pick and choose what they want to do. Georgia, on the other hand, is a much more populated state. There are over 21,000 CPAs licensed in the state, and 85% of their members are actually in Metro Atlanta. This creates both opportunity and challenges because, while they are compressed in this space, traffic is terrible and it's not going to get any better. So Boyd and the GSCPA have made significant investments in their live stream technology, and they’re doing it all themselves. “We have our own equipment, our own staff, and we do it for ourselves,” Boyd says. “And in an age when a lot of people are partnering with outside companies, or with other states, or whatever, we have moved in the opposite direction where we are entirely reliant on ourselves.” So the society owns the process, owns the technology, and hires the people beginning to end – and that has paid huge dividends for them financially. Although they have not experienced tremendous growth in their margins, they have offset losses that you can see in other states and other providers. Change is scary. Change is necessary. People in associations have a fear, and not an entirely irrational fear, that if they create too much change, the people who have supported the associations for the last 30+ years won't like them anymore.“But we also have to recognize that if we don't change, if we don't do something different, the people who are going to support us for the next 30 years are not going to find us relevant. They're not going to find value in us,” Chris says. So, each association, and really each firm, has to have a method of controlled change, in which you try to balance the needs of both without making either one 100% happy... and no matter what you do, you’re never going to make everyone happy. But if people can find the value, they will want to be part of your association or work with your firm. Resources: Montana Society of CPAs: https://www.mscpa.org/ Connect with Allen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mscpaexecdir Georgia Society of CPAs: https://www.gscpa.org Connect with Boyd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boyd-search-2099356/ South Carolina Association of CPA: https://www.scacpa.org/ Connect with Chris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj52973 -- Change Your Mindset is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We, as humans, are not wired to multitask – but we’re also addicted to it! So today, we’re going to learn about why multitasking doesn’t work and then some strategies we can use to be more productive. I thought this would be a perfect episode to end the year, as the accounting community’s busy season is lingering on the horizon. We’re joined by third-time guest Karl Ahlrichs, a human capitalist consultant who knows a thing or two about how individuals and teams really get things done. Why can’t we multitask? You can think of multitasking as either the ability to perform multiple tasks at one time or switching back and forth from one thing to another – but neither is an effective way to do... well, just about anything. If you think you can effectively perform multiple tasks at once, I’d like to present exhibit A: “If you've eaten at a quick service restaurant like Kentucky Fried Chicken, they will hand you a multitasking eating implement that is with a spoon and a fork – the spork. It fails at both tasks! It's basically a spoon that can hurt you.” And if you’re switching between tasks, that has its own costs. There is up to a 40% reduction in productivity from this, when compared to focusing on a task and completing it then turning to another task and completing it. Decision fatigue also sets in, as Karl calls it, and you become less effective as you think. For example, imagine you’re balancing a spreadsheet and writing a document. If you were to split your brain power between those two, it is not a simple 50/50 split. There is a loss of time to task switching, and every flip takes about 20% of the brain's total processing power, leaving 80% for the task at hand, not 100%. So, instead of a 50/50 split, it's a 40/40 split with 20% wasted. But this isn’t just lowering your productivity. It basically lowers your IQ by about 15 points – the equivalent of staying up all night – and it lowers brain density in areas of the cortex that are responsible for empathy, cognitive, and emotional control. “So, over time, if you do a bunch of multitasking that is paying off in these short-term ding ding dings, it makes you less cognitive and have poorer emotional control.” Still don’t believe us? Try it for yourself! Karl walks us through a simple exercise to demonstrate the impact of multitasking and task switching: Take out a sheet of paper, a writing implement, and something to time yourself with. Write “A B C D E F G H I” on one line and then, underneath it, write “1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9.” Time yourself. Now do it again, but don’t write the two lines sequentially. Instead, alternate between letters and numbers (A, 1, B, 2, and so on). Time yourself. How long did it take you? The first time it took me 11 seconds, but the second time it took me 15 (and I might have messed up once). How to Put an End to Multitasking The overall process is pretty simple: identify the tasks at hand, identify and focus on the workflow process that you want to use, decide what needs your full attention, triage, prioritize, reduce distractions, and then just pay attention to one thing at a time. To make this easier on yourself, do less! Delegate, hand things off to colleagues, or hand things off to technology. Remove the stuff that someone else can do from your plate “so that your precious brain power can be used for the good stuff, for the creative moments.” If you need some help creating a more effective workflow, Karl suggests trying out the Kanban method. It’s pretty simple: create a to-do list, a doing list, and a complete list on a whiteboard (or something similar), then write all of your tasks onto sticky notes. There shouldn’t be more than a couple things in your “doing” list at any given time, and writing them all out will both help you prioritize and figure out what can be delegated. If you want to learn more about Kanban, head over to www.personalkanban.com. Another thing that makes a big difference is aerobic exercise. “Overall physical fitness appears to improve the outcome of all tasks, and it improves cognition.” I hope that gives you some ideas for taking on tax season. If you are looking for some more ideas, feel free to reach out to Karl or myself. Resources: Learn more about Karl at http://www.expertspeaks.com/ Connect with Karl: Twitter | LinkedIn Learn about Kanban: www.personalkanban.com -- Change Your Mindset is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Stephanie Feger is a passionate communicator who believes that a shift in perspective can help people live truly fulfilling lives. After working in the public relations and marketing industry for over 15 years, she realized that happiness isn't found in what society deems important and felt a calling to help others reach their fullest potential while embracing all that life has to offer. Now an author, professional speaker, motivational blogger, book publicist, and home decor business owner, Stephanie connects her passion for embracing creativity with her dedication to helping others live life in perspective. In her recently published book, Color Today Pretty: An Inspirational Guide to Living a Life in Perspective, Stephanie invites others to change their lives by finding perspective from within. She has a wonderful message to share with all of us as we begin to move into 2019, and for those in the accounting profession, as we move into that busy season (although I prefer to call it the opportunity season). What Does it Mean to Color Today Pretty? The idea of “Color Today Pretty” came to Stephanie in a dream, and it’s since become her life purpose and, really, a movement. In the dream, Stephanie played the role of a female Simon Cowell on America’s Got Talent – essentially, the person that stands between someone's dreams and their reality. A contestant walked up and started painting, and it was just awful. She told the young boy to give up and get a job, but he didn’t react by getting sad or angry like most people on the show. “Instead, he took his canvas, he brought it over to me, and he gifted me with a smile, and he said, ‘That's okay. I just want you to go color something pretty today.’” “I realized that he had a choice. You know, there's a lot of ways to get from point A to point B in life. And I was sitting here thinking that I stood in between his ability to have this dream make it a reality, but this young kid taught me something different,” Stephanie says. “What I realized at that moment is he couldn't control my reaction. He couldn't control if I was going to help him reach his dream, but he could control his reactions and his responses to what happened in life to him. He decided to color that day pretty, to take that moment and make it purposeful and meaningful. And he wasn't going to let me stop him.” From that moment, Stephanie shifted her lens on life and learned to find beauty in the mundane – and she believes that if you can embrace this mentality, too, you can do anything. One of the things I enjoy about the book is that it’s not coming from the perspective of "You know, I've got life figured out and here’s how you do it." Instead, it's more of a journey through what Stephanie has experienced, showing how shifting her perspective has allowed her to take some of the most difficult moments in her life and use them to grow instead of hinder her growth. “There is a way for people to focus on the things that matter. But, sometimes, we have to go through an acceptance process to get there, to be able to see through the right lens, to be able to focus our spectacles, per se, and really see that, at the end of the day, the only thing we can control in life is ourselves.” Resources: Learn more at http://colortodaypretty.com Color Today Pretty: An Inspirational Guide to Living a Life in Perspective Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colortodaypretty Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colortodaypretty/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-feger/ -- Change Your Mindset is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Carrie Sechel is an entrepreneurial business consultant, speaker, and the bestselling author of BASE Jump: Finding Yourself in an Unfulfilling Professional World. Before creating her business, Carrie spent 18 years in public accounting, including seven years as a partner with Deloitte. Carrie always knew she wanted to start a business at some point, but she struggled, and her fear of leaving Deloitte was so great that she nearly broke down before finally deciding to move on. It was hard work to break away from the vision of success that she had been raised to believe. How did Carrie redefine success for herself, build a thriving entrepreneurial consulting business, and write a bestselling book within two years of leaving Deloitte? She connected her knowledge and experiences to her passion to create the life that she wanted to live and aligned her business vision with her life vision. Now, she is driven to help others to do the same. From Corporate America to Entrepreneur Carrie fell into public accounting because she liked working with a variety of clients, learning about many different business issues, understanding how tax impacted those businesses, coaching her clients, and coaching her people. But after being in public accounting for 18 years, she needed to look at really where things were going. She asked herself, “What am I creating here at Deloitte? What does that look like? And is that what I'm here to create?” She came to the conclusion that she wasn't going to find that thing in the various potential partner paths in public accounting. “I knew that I wanted to create a business of my own.” I know many of you have had that same thought, but a lot of people don't really realize the barriers that one goes through when going from employee to entrepreneur. “I had been modeling a version of success that I had seen throughout my life and I was living this version of success that I had been raised to believe,” Carrie says. “I needed to redefine what success meant to me and find success in a way that meant I would have to humble myself for a while. I would have to take a pay cut for a while. I would have to create something of my own that, at that point, I didn't know what it was. And those were huge mental barriers to break through.” “Your business is always a reflection of you. Your business is you and you're selling you, and you're defining what you're creating yourself – and all those things are infinitely exciting, and infinitely terrifying, and humbling.” As an entrepreneur, Carrie is able to guide people and help them make this transition a little more easily. There are still big barriers, but with a little help and a plan, they’re a little less daunting. This takes the form of Power to Pivot, Carrie’s system to take people through those initial steps to go from this chaotic not knowing feeling to just knowing. “I see so many people going out and buying a franchise, or buying a shop, or a business that already exists. And several years later, they're just as miserable. And, actually, sometimes, more because they never honored what it is that they are truly meant to create. It's finding that, creating that big vision, and then planning for it. You can learn more about Carrie’s system in her free on-demand training session called Authentic Ambition: How to Create a Post-Corporate Life You Love Full of Abundance, Creativity, and Joy. She goes through the system in detail and offers some very specific items to think about, so you can start exploring your options right now. Resources: Learn more at CarrieSechel.com Free training session: Authentic Ambition: How to Create a Post-Corporate Life You Love Full of Abundance, Creativity, and Joy Read: BASE Jump: Finding Yourself in an Unfulfilling Professional World -- Change Your Mindset is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sean Kenny is the Co-Founder of PrepLink, a platform that allows accounting firms to work with freelance CPAs remotely, flexibly, and on demand. He is on a mission to transform the landscape of public accounting, and as you’ll hear in this episode, he is extremely passionate about this mission (and, personally, I think PrepLink is going to evolve into something very special). Before founding PrepLink, Sean worked as a CPA for several firms in their tax departments, and the idea was born out his frustration with the lifestyle of public accounting – a frustration many of us understand all too well. Sean realized that by providing a tool that allows accountants the option of finding remote, flexible work, he could tap into the abundance of talented and experienced CPAs willing to take on freelance assignments and open that up to firms who can benefit from a large pool of reliable on-demand experts. “I want to offer a small firm all the resources of a large national accounting firm.” So when a small firm needs help with a specific subject matter they don’t know much about or a big project that needs more hands, they know they can find someone perfect for the job and bring them on. PrepLink isn’t just outsourcing, though. It’s a new network for public accounting, allowing firms and professionals to establish and build relationships within the CPA community. Sean shares an example of how he plans to use PrepLink to help him navigate the complexities of Nexus for an online business operating in multiple states: “Right now, I have a business. I have clients all over the country. I'm actually going to have to use PrepLink to bring on people to help me understand my requirements as an internet business with all these accounting firms that I'm dealing with across the country. I need help there.” But it's just not the accounting entrepreneurs like Sean who will benefit from this. It's tax managers or auto managers have this nagging feeling that there's to be a better way of doing things. “I'm screaming from the mountaintops,” Sean says, “if you offer flexibility, the amount of people willing to work with you will outstrip the amount of work that you have.” Sean also stresses that you don't have to use PrepLink. “You can do it yourself. I hope this message gets across. Just offer flexibility and offer optionality, and you'll get people. You'll get amazing people.” Resources:
Learn more at preplink.ioConnect with Sean: LinkedIn | TwitterConnect with PrepLink: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
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Have you ever laughed out loud at a tax seminar? Do you wish that you could understand complex tax law in simple terms? Would you like to make more money with great tax planning strategies? You may not believe it’s possible – mostly the laughing part – but today’s guest, David Krebs, is here to prove you wrong. David is an author, speaker, Thomson Reuters Gear Up Tax Class teacher, silver-certified bowling instructor, and Olympic Calculator Edition champion, and he is unique in the tax space for two reasons: One, his unparallelled passion for helping his clients save money and grow their businesses. Two, when he's teaching or working with his clients, he makes taxes fun. That's right – taxes and fun, in the same sentence, on purpose! David even says that his spiritual gift is making tax law fun. Because “if you have to sit through a seminar for eight hours on taxes, and you enjoy it, that is a gift!” And I really couldn’t agree more. In this interview, you'll hear the passion that Dave exudes, and it's completely contagious. He got me so jazzed that I think I want to attend one of his tax seminars. And I've never – I mean never – willingly wanted to attend a tax seminar. If you also find yourself wanting to attend one of David’s seminars, look at the full list of upcoming events at gearup.com and send David a message asking if he’ll be speaking at the sessions near you (dave [at] cpaagi.com). Resources:
Learn more at cpaagi.comAttend one of David’s talks: gearup.comRead: "How an improv class can help develop essential business skills"
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I recently started facilitating an experimental new professional development program called Slide Deck Improv, and today I am excited to introduce you to two of partners in crime in this venture, Kristen Rampe and Jason Lieu. Kristen is the creator of Slide Deck Improv, a 10-year veteran of public accounting, and the owner of Kristen Rampe Consulting. Jason actually worked for Kristen during his short tenure as an accountant, but he left the profession to pursue improv and acting. Now he’s back in the professional services field as a fellow facilitator for Slide Deck Improv. So what is Slide Deck Improv?
It’s the most fun way to improve your presentation skills and gain confidence in your abilities, all while practicing the life skill that is improvisation. Slide Deck Improv combines the basic concepts of business communication and improvisation with practical – and fun – hands-on exercises. The groups take part in improv games, culminating in the titular event: people take turns coming onstage, the audience chooses a topic, and then the presenter has to prepare a presentation on that topic using a slide deck they’ve never seen before. In the process, presenters get an opportunity to take a risk in a safe environment, while practicing new communication and storytelling skills. “I think one of the beautiful things about improv is that it shows you what you actually do know and what you actually have internalized; to have a little bit more faith in your abilities and to not feel so insecure in a public realm,” Jason says. “I think a lot of us feel like we can't do it, we don't know how to do it, we don't trust our instincts. [But Slide Deck Improv] opens up a whole new realm for people.” I fell in love with this program the very first time I saw it, and I couldn’t be more excited to be part of it. Because we’re not just teaching business communications skills, we’re teaching everyday life skills. Improv is all about connecting with your audience, no matter who the audience is. It could be your customers, clients, a sales team, family, strangers, whatever – at the end of the day, it comes to people talking to people. And if you can connect with and engage people, you're going to have this newfound confidence in your abilities. If you want to see Slide Deck Improv firsthand, check out these videos of their past presentations on YouTube. Resources:
Learn more at slidedeckimprov.comFollow Slide Deck Improv: LinkedIn | Facebook | TwitterWant to do this yourself? Learn more about the upcoming Small Group DIY Kit
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My guest today is Courtney Kirschbaum, who I had the pleasure of speaking with after her keynote address at the Georgia Society of CPAs’ Southeastern Accounting Show in Atlanta. Courtney’s keynote address was titled “The Beginning of the End or the End of the Beginning?” and it focuses on the idea that everything old is new again, especially when it comes to panicking about the younger generation. This talk was first inspired by a quote from Socrates: “The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.” Sound familiar? Because 2000 years later, some older folks are still singing this tune – and yet, things are still getting done. “Everybody thinks that their beginning and their end are like the ultimate beginning and the end... [but] anybody who had been in business for even a short while knows that so much of what we see is just something old with a new name.” Burnout & Karoshi Part of Courtney’s presentation covered the idea of karoshi, which can be translated literally as “overwork death.” Both Courtney and I have seen how this affects the Japanese people first hand, and you can learn even more about it in The Washington Post’s article “Do Japanese really work themselves to death? In some cases, yes.” The sad truth is that the work culture in Japan has led to thousands of deaths, to the point where the government is now involved – and our culture here in the U.S. isn’t so different. “It's going to come here, I think. It might come more slowly, it might take a different form, but we are turning into a culture that is work-obsessed. Well, we've been there for a while.” The average workweek is 47 hours now. Not only that, from 2000 to 2014, the productivity at work increased by 21.6% – but, at the same time, the remuneration only increased by 1.8%. And that is simply unsustainable. “We abandon our humanity, and we're working people to the point where they can't take it anymore, and they leave. And I think when we make millennial a pejorative term, we're kind of doing the same thing.” So let's all cut each other some slack, let’s learn what we can about self-care from the younger generation, and let's add a little humanity to the equation; Let’s just bring some humanity into the boardroom, into the conference room, into our meetings, into how we manage our people, and how we interact with our people. Don't just ask, “Will it work? Is it profitable? Is it right?” – Ask, “Is it humane?” The evidence that treating people like people isn’t just nice, but a financially viable strategy, is abundant. So do you have the guts to do it? Resources: Learn more at courtneykirschbaum.com Connect with Courtney: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Watch Courtney on YouTube Read: "“Yes, and” Take a Negotiation Lesson from Improv Theatre" -- Change Your Mindset is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
My guest today is Kate Colbert, the Founder & President of Silver Tree Communications and Silver Tree Publishing and the author of the newly released book Think Like a Marketer: How a Shift in Mindset Can Change Everything for Your Business. Kate provides great marketing advice for people in any kind of business, and she tailored this conversation for the financial professional. Now, this isn’t about converting accounting and finance professionals into marketers – It's about helping people like accountants make better decisions about their accounting practice by thinking like a marketer. In Think Like a Marketer, Kate discusses the five principles that will help you make this mindset shift and change everything for your business: Communicate for connection and meaning, not just to transact sales. (For a little bonus reading on this subject, check out this article in the Journal of Accountancy: “Networking Tips for Quiet People: A Little Preparation Can Take the Fear Out of Networking”)You live and die by your customers' insights. You may think accounting professionals are a group of subject matter experts who are all about the data and numbers, right? But thinking like a marketer requires looking at numbers that most professionals just aren't. For example, when is the last time you did a client satisfaction survey?Market yourself in a way that's strategy religious and tactic agnostic. This is not about where you go to church – If that you have a marketing strategy that you’re confident in, you need to be sticking religiously to that strategy. But in terms of the tactics you apply and the activities you do in marketing, you need to be really open-minded and agnostic.Create cultures and processes that align with your brand. What are you willing to do differently in your day-to-day processes, up to and including the way the building is laid out, in order to really deliver on the story that you’re telling to the marketplace about what makes you a better accounting firm than the accounting firm down the street?Do everything in service of maintaining a virtuous cycle of creating value for the customer while capturing value for you. I am confident if you execute to these five principles, you'll begin to see signs that your marketing is resonating with your audience and having an impact. “It doesn't matter where you are in your journey. Whether we're talking about a book that you just wrote, or if we're talking about a business that you founded, or a business that you work in, the perfect time to start thinking like a marketer is now.” Resources:
Learn more at thinklikeamarketerthebook.comJoin the Think Like a Marketer Community: facebook.com/groups/1757442721002369Connect with Kate on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/katecolbertThink Like a Marketer: How a Shift in Mindset Can Change Everything for Your Business
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Rebekah Brown is the Director of Development for the Maryland Association of CPAs and the Business Learning Institute. Rebekah frequently presents to groups both locally and nationally on the future of the accounting profession and, as a certified Insight to Action facilitator, she has guided firms, nonprofits, and accounting professionals in the United States and Canada in their strategic planning process. On top of all the work that Rebekah does, she’s just downright passionate about the profession, taking a “rising tide raises all ships” philosophy to everything she does to train and educate her fellow and future accountants. Rebekah focuses on what she calls the three P’s: People – “I develop people! I am passionate ... about helping people find their strengths and find their place in the accounting profession. So, on an individual basis, with each of our members, I want to help develop them and develop their careers.” Pipeline – MACPA is over 100 years old, and in that time they’ve learned that we have to be constantly thinking about and developing future CPAs. So a lot of Rebekah’s work involves talking to college students, high school students, and even elementary school students about the accounting profession. “So, I’m always thinking about who is our next generation CPA, who's our next generation member, and preparing them for the profession.” Profession – The MACPA isn’t solely focused preparing accounting and finance professionals in Maryland. “We really believe that the rising tide raises all boats. So, we want the profession to grow to be successful, to be anticipatory, to be future-ready. And so, as we do that all over the world, we believe we are benefiting Maryland, and we believe that Maryland CPAs are even better positioned to be future-ready because of that.” Speaking of the future of the profession, there was an article in Accounting Today titled “Melancon: It’s time to reimagine accounting” covering a presentation that Barry Melancon, the President and CEO of the AICPA, made this year at the AICPA ENGAGE Conference. My favorite quote from this article is when Barry says, "We've changed significantly just in the past year, and we're never going to see the pace of change that's slower than what we're seeing now. And, you know, we won't be obsolete, particularly, if we embrace these changes." Just let that sink in. How does that affect you and your business, and how does that affect you as an accounting financial professional as we move forward? I highly recommend reading the article and listening to Barry's podcast interview with Bill Sheridan on Future-Proof, a podcast for accounting and financial pros. After doing so myself, I have decided to invest my CPE time and dollars into learning more about blockchain and artificial intelligence. I've been somewhat reluctant to do this, but I want to have this better understanding of this technology. Resources: Learn more: MACPA.org | BLIonline.org Connect with Rebekah: Twitter | LinkedIn Listen to Peter on Episode 19 of Future-Proof & subscribe on Apple Podcasts -- Change Your Mindset is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Overwhelmed by trying to stay current with the rapid change in technology? Have sleepless nights because you fear that someone will #hack into your company? Just need IT help? Then this episode is for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Owen Wyss is the Financial Controller at Thompson Concrete Construction, and he can best be described by a quote he gave in a recent AICPA article titled “Tired of Getting After-Hours Work Email?” Owen said, "Given the fact that my company does pay for me to have the ability to access my email on my smartphone, I believe they expect me to be available in an emergency or in order not to delay a project or task, especially since we operate globally." Now, most CPAs don't feel that way – and that is what makes Owen a great leader! Owen embraces the essence of leadership. He is currently Vice Chair of Finance for the Ohio Society of CPAs, is also on the board of the Construction Financial Management Association, and has been on the board of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (an organization close to my heart). “I encourage, first, for everybody to find something they're passionate about; and second, to find an organization that aligns with them and realize that what will come of that are some great friendships, some great networking opportunities, and business connections.”
That’s a lot for one person, in addition to having a job and a family, so our conversation covers a wide variety of topics: his role as a financial controller, why the construction industry needs to embrace more lean practices to become more efficient, and his volunteer time. As you’ll hear, Owen is passionate about everything he does and is a great role model for both young and old. I am very proud of him, and I'm envious of his drive. I also have an exciting announcement: my new book, Taking the Numb Out of Numbers: Explaining and Presenting Financial Information with Confidence and Clarity, is available for purchase on Amazon.com! If you'd like to learn more about the book, head on over to TakingTheNumbOutOfNumbersBook.com.
Resources:
Learn more about the Ohio Society: ohiocpa.comConnect with Owen on LinkedIn
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Cara Silletto is a retention guru who works with companies all around the country, in all different industries, to help them reduce employee turnover. To accomplish that, she bridges the generational gaps and helps managers be more effective in their roles. This is an issue that comes up a lot in firms today and it’s only going to be a bigger issue with each passing year. So if you’re clinging to the old ways – well, consider this a wake-up call. Because the firms who are set in their ways, who have decades-old policies they haven't revisited, are the ones who contact Cara saying things like, "We can't recruit anybody... And when we do recruit somebody, they're only staying one or two years, or they don't want to be on the partner track anymore. What's the problem?" The Millennial Mindset Cara is the author of a short book titled The Millennial Mindset (which you can get for free here). It contains some stories about Cara’s childhood, as she happens to be one of the oldest millennials, talking about things like technology, respect for authority, and entitlement (everybody's favorite topic when it comes to millennials). “And what that little booklet talks about is the backstory of why am I, as a millennial, so entitled, and why do I have no loyalty to anyone or anything,” Caray says. “[It] tells a lot of those stories of how I grew up differently than the previous generations, which is a pretty good aha moment for a lot of managers and older colleagues, even, that really do not understand how millennials see the world so differently.” Why Your Employees Leave & How to Keep Them Longer Cara also co-authored a new book called Staying Power: Why Your Employees Leave and How to Keep Them Longer. This book focuses on specific strategies for reducing employee turnover today, covering the evolution of our employees over the last 20 to 30 years in the workplace. “Today, we are in an employee's market. It's absolutely the employees' choice, the candidates' choice, of where they're going to work.” The power has shifted – and it's time for your mindset to shift as well. Survey after survey says that the new generation of workers don't leave because of pay. They leave because of things like antiquated software and mandatory Saturdays. What the new generations want is flexibility and to be heard; they would like more transparency across the entire organization. It can be frustrating for staff when they feel like the partners are the only ones who know what's going on. People are only going to stay as long as they feel that it's a good place for them to work and you're only going to keep them so long as they're providing what you need as an employer – so it has to be mutually beneficial. “I want to challenge each and every one of you to turn up your appreciation dial and start to thank people for doing a great job, even if it is their job.” Some of you are probably cringing right now at the idea – "That's why they get a paycheck," after all. But we know that there are people who come to work and don't do their job, or they don't do a great job, or they're not as dependable as some of the other staff on our team. You will gain so much more loyalty and people will want to work for you longer if you show the appreciation that is deep down inside of you. Because if you dig down, you probably are thankful for the people who show up, show up on time, do great work, and take great care of your clients or any of the projects that they're on. GIVEAWAY: Want a free copy of Staying Power? Cara is offering one free autographed copy of Staying Power: Why Your Employees Leave and How to Keep Them Longer to Change Your Mindset listeners. If you want a chance to win, all you have to do is tag Peter on social media and mention the book. You can find Peter... On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theaccidentalaccountant Twitter: @pmargaritis Or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermargaritis/ After a week, we will pick one lucky winner to receive a signed copy of the book. Resources: Learn more at crescendostrategies.com Connect with Cara: Facebook | LinkedIn Staying Power: Why Your Employees Leave and How to Keep Them Longer Get a copy FREE: The Millennial Mindset -- Change Your Mindset is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
My guest today is Jennie Scheel, CFO of Five Nines Technology Group and a previous attendee of my Financial Storytelling seminar. After the seminar, she sent me an email with a nice compliment about the class and asked if I knew of any great summaries that I could share with her for taking accounting data and turning it into a powerful story… but at that time, and even still, I didn’t know of any. Instead, I helped Jennie develop her story for the organization in exchange for using this exercise as a case study for my upcoming book, Taking the Number Out of Numbers: Explaining and Presenting Financial Information with Confidence and Clarity. The big problem with presenting accounting information to non-accountants is the language barrier – not everybody speaks the foreign language of Accounting. But on top of that, most of Jennie’s co-workers speak a different foreign language: engineering. So she has to learn a second foreign language and translate that into accounting, then translate all of the relevant information into plain English for executives and clients. So the big question: How do I communicate complex financial information to those who do not speak Accounting?
The information is often complex – accounting is difficult! – so our goal should be to make it as simple as possible. Your audience probably doesn’t need to know anything about accrual, debits, or credits. They just need to understand enough about the organization to make the best possible decisions for their business. As John Medina, the author of Brain Rules, says: numbers are boring. Luckily, there's always a story behind the numbers! And the more you can evoke emotion with that story, the more you can keep people awake and attentive, the more impact your presentation will have. After my class, Jennie was able to take a presentation about the balance sheet for her organization and tell a story using a dollar bill to help them understand what the costs were and how the organization became profitable. It might seem like an extremely simplified way to present a balance sheet – and to a degree, it is – but it was a huge success. Jennie received a compliment from one of the employees in the room after that presentation: “She said usually when you used to get up in the meetings, you would smile and act like you were happy about the numbers. So I thought they must be great. I had no idea what you were saying, but then you were smiling so I thought great… But she said this time, when you put the dollar up there, I actually understood what you were talking about – I could understand the business.” You see, when you take the NUMB out of numbers, it leaves you with ERS: effective, relatable stories, which leads to confidence and clarity. So I challenge you to look at your financial presentation and ask yourself: Is it time for a change? If so, give me a call or send me an email: petermargaritis.com/contact.
Resources:
Learn more about Jennie & Five Nines: gonines.com/project/jennie-scheel-cfo/
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My guests today are Rich Stang and Brad Hoffman, who are partners in the Maryland accounting firm DeLeon & Stang – and it is not your average firm. I have included a case study on DeLeon & Stang in my upcoming book, Taking the Numb out of Numbers, and I brought Rich and Brad on the podcast so they can talk more about their fascinating firm. DeLeon & Stang is very much an anticipatory organization. They have created an exceptionally positive culture and go beyond traditional services by providing clients with a future-forward look at the financial situation. In this episode, we’ll examine how their future-forward approach applies to creating a mission statement, deciding to open a new location, rolling out new benefits in 2018, and more. Why is DeLeon & Stang different?
When Brad and Allen DeLeon started the firm, neither of them had worked in public accounting. So as they started the firm, they didn't quite know how a CPA firm typically ran. “In some respects, that maybe hurt us a little bit. But in a lot of respects, I think it helped in that we didn't have some of the idiosyncrasies that you hear about in traditional CPA firms.” So they put employees first, they said yes before no, and they had fun – because they didn’t know any better. Just recently, this has led to two key decisions that a lot of CPA firms would not make:They opened a new firm in Frederick, MD, without an existing book of business or acquiring a new firm. Frederick is definitely a good market to be in, it’s a growing market, but that wasn’t the main reason they opened the office: it was a huge commuting benefit for employees! Traffic in the D.C. area can be bad, to put it mildly, and this office can save some people hours in their daily commute. On top of that, it’s the kind of modern office that you probably don’t associate with CPAs, and it’s likely to appeal to a younger generation.DeLeon & Stang recently introduced an unlimited PTO policy. It’s still a work in progress, they knew it wasn’t going to be perfect. “We still have strides to make, but we thought it was the best thing to do. We just want people to do their jobs… It doesn't really matter when they go home, as long as the clients are happy and as long as things are getting done.” I think DeLeon & Stang is one of the most interesting firms in the country – and hopefully, we’ll see a lot more firms that look like this in the future. Resources:
Learn more at deleonandstang.comConnect with Rich on LinkedInConnect with Brad on LinkedIn
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My guest today is Dr. John Molidor, a Professor of Psychiatry and Community Assistant Dean at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine as well as a past president of the National Speakers Association Board of Directors. John shares his extensive knowledge about how to prepare a presentation that takes your audience's brain into consideration and provides a richer learning experience, or a “brain-friendly” presentation. John came to the NSA Ohio chapter in February 2017 and delivered a presentation on this topic and it was absolutely life changing for me – this knowledge has been the biggest game changer in my professional speaking career. John emphasizes that the job of any speaker is sharing what you know, creating a safe environment to learn, and inviting your audience into that safe environment, and we need to understand how the brain works, consumes information, and processes it to achieve those goals. What Presenters Should Know About the Brain & Learning:Your cells will eavesdrop on what you're sending your brain. So if you're sending your brain negative information or positive information, your cells tend to pay attention to that, which then can cause a chemical reaction resulting in a cascade of chemicals, either for good or for bad. So try to keep pessimistic thoughts out of your head! Dr. Molidor says we don't refer to people as left or right brain anymore. Brains are hemisphere. They have both right hemisphere and left hemisphere. There are also a lot of redundancies, meaning when one side is working the other side is also active. So if you’re speaking to just one side of the brain, “you’re wasting opportunities.” Talk to both hemispheres: Tell the story, show the emotion, give the data, give the numbers. Contextual cueing teaches the audience to associate a symbol with an action. Everything from your header size to image choice to font color creates a contextual cue, and you should make sure those cues are consistent and conducive for learning. When you do that, the brain can focus on what the presenter is saying because you have cued it to do so The brain loves stories. “The oral tradition has been part of how the brain structure, if you will, has evolved over time.” Not only that, but different parts of the story are stored in different parts of the brain. So to access that information, you’re actually going to access different parts of the brain, and in doing that, the brain actually is more activated. And when we active more of the brain, we have a higher probability of things being remembered. Give your audience “commercial breaks.” If you’re putting out a lot of info, you have to give the brain a break so they can process it. We’ve also taught a generation of learners that they will receive these breaks, through the way both schools and entertainment like television are structured. Brains love oxygen, so you need to get the audience moving or inhaling oxygen occasionally. Asking them to stand up and do jumping jacks may not make sense, but even just getting the audience to yell or shout forces them to inhale more oxygen. The brain looks for patterns… and it looks for patterns even when they don’t really exist, so you have to be wary of that. Similar to contextual cueing, you should consider how the patterns in your presentation can help the audience actually figure out what you’re presenting to them. Resources:
Connect with Dr. Molidor on LinkedIn
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Collaboration is a buzzword in business today. Everyone talks about it. But how do you do it? Well, today’s guest, Eddie Turner, thinks he has the secret sauce to collaboration: “It should be facilitated – facilitated collaboration is what accelerates performance and drives impact.” Eddie is known as “the leadership accelerator” because he works with leaders to accelerate performance and drive impact. He is a C-Suite network adviser, international certified coach, certified trainer, and professional speaker. Staying Ready (So You Don’t Have to Get Ready) As professionals, we need to ask ourselves, when is the last time our industry innovated? That question needs to be asked because if we aren't ready, we have to get ready – only then can we stay ready – because the change is coming! Look at the taxicab market (Uber), the hotel market (Airbnb), and now even grocery stores (Amazon & Whole Foods). Disruption is happening and the old guard can’t keep up. Are we next? Because Watson is already here. Watson is working, right now, with the big four and the audit practice. We saw the H+R Block commercials last year – Watson IS the machine learning that is going to disrupt our industry. Things have changed, and accountants and finance professionals don't have to crunch the numbers – we have to communicate information to the end user, listen to what they are saying, and learn to have a dialog again. We have to be continuous learners and continue to develop ourselves. Because if we're not continuing to educate ourselves, we're leaving ourselves vulnerable to the disruption that technology will introduce. And the easiest way for us to learn is through facilitated collaboration, particularly with facilitators as talented as Eddie. “What speakers are finding is no longer do audiences show up to listen to the sage on the stage. They show up to have a conversation, to have a dialogue, even with a keynote speaker.”
Resources:
Learn more at eddieturnerllc.comConnect with Eddie: LinkedIn | Facebook | TwitterCheck out Adobe Connect -- Change Your Mindset is produced by Podcast Masters
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Today I sit down with four incredible guests – Michelle Sopp, Jennifer Oleksa, Chris Fleck, and Bret Johnson – to discuss our major takeaways from the 2018 National CPE Educators conference held earlier this year. If you are in the learning and development business, in any industry, pay close attention because all industries and professions need to adapt and change in response to new technologies and changing behavior. The conference objectives were: Creating a fun and dynamic learning environmentTrying to avoid fluffOffering strategic sessions that spur creativityCreating sessions that challenge attendees to think differentlyCreating multiple learning opportunities that foster collaboration, not only with other educators but also with our vendors More about our guests: Michelle Sopp is the Vice President of Learning for the Oklahoma Society of CPAs and the chair for the 2018 National CPE Educators Conference. One of her biggest takeaways from the conference is that today’s learners just learn differently, so the learning experience needs to be more engaging and broken up into smaller increments. Jennifer Oleska is the Director of Education and Training for the Georgia Society of CPAs. One of her biggest takeaways is that associations need to create a better content ramp for bringing in new members, so that we can create a valuable and even beautiful friendship between the members and the organization. “Give them what they need and then they want to be invested and involved with us in the future because they know we're invested and involved in them as well.” Chris Fleck is Senior Manager of State Society Learning at the AICPA. Chris and Bret were both part of the “FOOD Group” pre-conference meeting, which means “For Our Own Development.” His biggest takeaway is that we’re currently in the process of re-skilling the profession, with associations like the AICPA on the forefront in figuring out what skills professionals need going forward. Bret Johnson is Director of Channel Management and Development for the AICPA. One of his biggest takeaways is that the AICPA and state associations need to embrace more collaboration so that we can stop re-doing work that other organizations have already done. In this way, we can innovate more effectively, together. Resources:
Michelle: LinkedIn | TwitterJennifer: LinkedInChris: LinkedIn | TwitterBret: LinkedIn-- Change Your Mindset is produced by Podcast Masters
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This is an exciting time to be in the accounting profession – we are at a turning point, and the profession is recognizing that just counting beans is not going to get us into the next century (or even the next decade). We need to change our role and relationships with our clients, and we need to be proactive about investing in developing technologies that will allow us to do so. That’s why I sat down to talk with Amy Vetter, a key influencer in the accounting industry and an accomplished tech executive, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker. Amy is the author of Integrative Advisory Services: Expanding Your Accounting Services Beyond the Cloud, the CPA and accounting professions' guide to the future of delivering advisory services to their clients. I've been dying to interview Amy since I saw her speak at the 2018 National CPE Educators Conference in New Orleans. She was the kick-off keynote speaker of this conference, and let me just sum her presentation up: She knocked us over! Amy just understands what the profession needs going forward, and on top of that, she has a knack for explaining what the profession needs going forward – and that’s why her book is so valuable. Integrative Advisory Services is a toolbox that any firm can pick up (and should) if they want to begin thinking differently. It’s an effective (and surprisingly interesting) accounting book because there are a lot of stories; real life experiences that relate to how we can help clients, the challenges that the profession is facing with technology, and what we can do about it. One of the key ideas in the book is that we need to evolve our relationship with our clients. We need to become CHERISHED Business Advisors – not trusted. We've been talking about being the ‘trusted business advisor’ in the profession for a long time, but if you look up the definition of trusted, it means you’re being honest and sincere. “And to me that doesn't describe that relationship because that's what we should be. We take ethics courses. We have a CPA exam and say we're going to be ethical… I don't feel like that's something that you should be striving for. You just should be that.” What you want to strive for is being cherished – when clients can't imagine not having you as part of their business because you are providing so much value. Money isn’t an issue because you're an integral part of their business. “As an advisor, you’re helping to save businesses. You're helping them stay in business. You're helping their families, their employees’ families. It's the most rewarding job as an accountant, I believe, when you can get in that role.” -- Resources: Learn more at AmyVetter.com Connect with Amy: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram Integrative Advisory Services: Expanding Your Accounting Services Beyond the Cloud Business, Balance, and Bliss: How the B3 Method Can Transform Your Career and Life Watch Amy’s TEDxTalk: "Disconnect to Connect: The path to work-life harmony" -- Change Your Mindset is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today I’m celebrating my 100th episode (because I technically started this show with episode 0) – and I have a special announcement for all of you. First, I’d like to thank all of the guests who have given their time and shared their knowledge with my audience – without you, we never would have reached this milestone. I’d also like to thank my audience, especially those of you who listen every week. I hope you’ve been able to gather some nuggets of wisdom and applied them in your everyday life! Now for my special announcement: I’m re-branding the podcast and changing its name to “Change Your Mindset | with Peter Margaritis, CPA, CGMA, AKA The Accidental Accountant.” I will also be changing from a weekly schedule to a bi-weekly schedule for a period of time. Note: If you are already subscribed to the podcast, you do not have to change anything. The title of the show will simply be updated in your podcast app of choice. Why the change? I want to serve the accounting profession better than I have over the last 100 episodes. I firmly believe that, in the next five to 10 years, the accounting profession will move from a compliance role to more of an advisory role – we have to quit thinking about the way it used to be and listen to the younger generation on where they feel it’s going to go. The essential skills CPAs will need by the year 2025 are communication skills; leadership skills; critical thinking & problem solving skills; anticipating & serving evolving needs; and synthesizing intelligence through insight, integration, and collaboration: otherwise known as interpersonal skills, people skills, or soft skills. Building strong communication skills does begin with embracing the principles of improvisation – or, more accurately: Building strong communication skills begins with embracing the APPLIED principles of improvisation. And applied improvisation is not about making jokes, becoming a comedian, or just being silly, which is what a lot of people think when they hear the term improv. Instead, applied improvisation takes these techniques and applies them to business, relationships, and life. The style, dialogue, and conversation about applied improvisation will not change – that is the essence of the message in Changing Your Mindset because applied improvisation builds relationships, develops people, strengthens corporate cultures, and increases an organization’s bottom line – but with an increased focus on why (and how) we need to change our mindsets, if we want our businesses to survive the next 10 years. And while our conversations will focus on the accounting profession, what we will talk about applies to every profession and the challenges we all face on a daily basis. So even if you are not a CPA, this may be the platform that will allow you to move away from group think by hearing the thoughts and ideas of people who are different form you, but striving for the same result: happiness and prosperity. Resources: Connect with Peter at PeterMargaritis.com -- Improv Is No Joke is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Scott Palmer is the Executive Director of Adult Education at Butler Technology and Career Development Schools, and he joins me to discuss how the principles of improvisation have helped him create a collaborative environment with his team, his students, and the institution. Scott has been in adult education for more than two decades, and he loves this work because he is able to help others realize lifelong goals, whether that be pursuing a degree, completing a certificate, or getting a job. Scott has always utilized improvisation, subconsciously, but over the last couple years, he’s been making a point of using the principles of improvisation to consciously improve his communication. Improv & Angry Customers Scott gets ample opportunity to practice because, like many of us, he deals with angry customers on a regular basis. The practice seems to be paying off, because he’s learned a lot! When a customer comes in angry, they usually just want to be heard. However, a natural reaction to an angry person is getting defensive – but that’s the worst thing you can do with an angry customer. Scott’s goal is to disarm the angry person, without them knowing they’re being disarmed. He does this by listening, expressing empathy, and asking questions that give the other person an opportunity to be part of a solution (e.g. What would you like to see happen?). This conversation is about them, not you. “Being grateful, the simple act of saying thank you and saying please, and showing respect through communication goes a very long way, especially when working with students and customers.” You don’t have to like them to effectively communicate or improvise with someone – but you do have to respect them. “People have forgotten how to communicate. The technology has allowed us to become lazy and insincere in the ways that we communicate, and I would suggest that we, as people, are suffering as a result.” Resources: Check out Butler Technology and Career Development Schools at ButlerTech.org -- Improv Is No Joke is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Kay Frances is a motivational humorist who has shared her message to “lighten up, stress less and take care of ourselves” for over 30 years. Kay is “America’s Funniest Stressbuster” – and she even wrote the book on stress, The Funny Thing about Stress; A Seriously Humorous Guide to a Happier Life! When it comes to humor, Kay is the real deal. She performed as a professional stand up comedian for many years and appeared on a number of national television and radio programs. Plus, as you’ll hear in this episode, I was laughing throughout the entire interview! But Kay isn’t just funny; she uses humor to put her examples in a context that is relatable to everyone in the audience. However, when she is discussing ways to reduce stress, she is very serious and to the point – and this ability to make you laugh, while remaining serious about the message, is what elevates her to the level of a great humorist (and stressbuster). For the accountants out there, this is an especially stressful time of year – but Kay has some advice: Knowing how stressful this period of the year will be, it is even more important to let go of stress about things that don’t matter. Self-care is more important than ever. We all know that we operate better on a good night’s sleep than three hours of sleep. Eating a bag of Cheetos may sound better than a salad, but you will feel and function better after the salad. You have to make time for relaxing (without compromising your self-care). Even though it may not feel like you have time to wind down, making time for it will actually give you more energy throughout the rest of your day. Learn to say NO. You’ll have more time in the other 8 months of the year, but you have to protect your time during the busy season; you have to make yourself a priority. Be optimistic! The American Heart Association found that, all things being equal, people with an optimistic spirit have better heart health, a stronger immune system, and a decreased risk of stroke. Resources: Learn more at kayfrances.com Connect with Kay: YouTube | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook Read: The Funny Thing about Stress; A Seriously Humorous Guide to a Happier Life! -- Improv Is No Joke is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bob Pacanovsky is what you might call a “Wow!” expert – with 20 years of entrepreneurial experience, primarily in the hospitality space, he has learned how create engagement, retention, and loyalty with customers, employees, and clients. Bob took that expertise and founded The Black Tie Experience, which helps companies and leaders create that Black Tie Experience for their customers and employees. The black tie is much more than a uniform – it’s a mindset. You don’t actually have to have a black tie on to deliver a Black Tie Mindset, you just have to create an impression that LASTS: Look Act Speak Tact (or how you behave) Serve We tend to rush to the service part because we want to create an unbelieve customer or employee experience, but “we have to know how to look the part and act the part before we can actually serve the part.” One of the most important things to keep in mind – and this can be difficult – when working with other people, whether they’re your customers or employees, is that it’s not about you as a host or leader, it’s about them. “If you have a mindset of making people feel differently about your product, your service, and themselves than they ever have before, then you’re really living the Black Tie Mindset.” The 4 Principles to Create a Black Tie Experience: A Culture of Welcome - Create a welcoming culture (not only for your employees, but also for your customers or guests). What is the culture, or the atmosphere, like in your company? The Way of Doings Things - What is your company’s way of doings things? Disney, Apple, and Starbucks all have their own unique way of doings things, and it affects how you experience their brands. However, most companies aren’t spending enough time training their employees to wow people. Impact Points - These are the subconscious impressions that people make about your business before, during, or after they purchase something. For example, what impression does your website make, or what does your restroom look like? Put Yourself in your Customer’s Shoes - What does your customer see, hear, touch, or smell when they come into your business, or interact with you online? You’ve probably heard me say in the past that we’re all in the people business, even if we’re accountants – Bob takes it a step farther, arguing that we’re all in the hospitality business… and it makes a lot of sense! The definition of hospitality is, “The art of making that personal connection with someone,” and based on that definition, aren’t we all in the hospitality business, first and foremost? So yes, we are in the people business, and we do need to focus on customer and employee experiences and retention, but we can’t excel at those things if we forget about the power of hospitality. Resources: Learn more at bobpacanovsky.com Connect with Bob: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter -- Improv Is No Joke is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Kristen Rampe, Founder of Kristen Rampe Consulting, returns to the show to discuss how CPE educators can get the best out of their presenters and subject matter experts and a new training tool for those who want to build confidence when speaking in front of a crowd: PowerPoint Improv! If you want to get better at speaking, this episode is for you. Kristen conducted an excellent breakout session during the 2018 CPE Educators Conference, in which a group of us discussed how we can get more engagement from our audiences. One of the things she talked about was giving the different personas in the room what they need – but what does it really mean to know your audience? You need an understanding of... Who’s in the room What their background is Why they’re there What they want to learn If you don’t know who they are and what they want, it’s going to be a lot harder to provide value or engage them. Remember: in any speaking engagement, it’s not about you, it’s about the audience. PowerPoint Improv Kristen recently discovered this new kind of improv, and I’m fascinated by the concept. It sounds like excellent training for any professional speakers, or just anyone who wants more confidence in front of crowds. Plus, it sounds like fun! The premise is simple: After some basic improv education and warm ups, participants get on a stage with a slide deck that they’ve never seen before. In proper improv fashion, they get a topic from the audience. The participant gives a presentation on that topic! Kristen says most people go into this a little bit nervous, naturally, but then they realize just how much they can do, how much they know, and how many stories they can tell. Check out kristenrampe.com/powerpoint-improv to learn more, and to see a video of PowerPoint Improv in action. Resources: Learn more at kristenrampe.com Connect with Kristen: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn Accounting Dreams and Delusions: Scenes From Professional Paradise, and What Really Happens in the Accounting Industry by Kristen Rampe -- Improv Is No Joke is produced by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chris Loehrer is a right-brain person living in left-brain world, meaning he is extremely creative, has a BFA in animation and film, but currently operates in a leadership role within The Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA)… not exactly what you might expect from a creative type. In this episode, Chris offers a unique perspective on the topic of leadership, and shares the challenges he faces with getting some of his ideas across and accepted in a numbers-driven, linear thinking business environment. Chris is the Studio Operations Manager at OSBA. He was hired to create innovative products and services for membership across all departments, as well as communication plans that tell the story of membership benefits and the value of membership. However, the bulk of his work in recent months has been implementing new and innovative delivery methods for getting those products to members. In the process, he works with many different teams. When working with different teams, Chris takes a “Minnesota nice” approach. He believes that we don’t have to be anything but friendly in our teams; it won’t serve you to act upon knee jerk emotional responses, or for leaders to approach the team with a “this is the way it is” attitude. A team doesn’t operate effectively, in the long run, that way. The best teams are full of learners, Chris says, especially creative learners – people who can see beyond an obstacle and find previously unseen avenues for success are critical. And while lawyers and accountants may not immediately consider themselves creative right now, Chris says, “People don’t consider themselves creative until they are given the opportunity to be creative.” Like in improv, there are no wrong answers when trying to collaborative solve a problem; bad ideas are just bridges to good ideas. So fostering an environment where new ideas are not only accepted but encouraged creates more opportunities to solve problems. “I’ve learned through fantastic leaders that active listening and thoughtful acceptance of what you’re hearing from other team members is a big deal, and you don’t have to be the person in the room who has the answer all the time.” Resources: I want to get to know you better! Please click here to fill out a 5-question survey so that I can better tailor the show to meet your needs. Connect with Chris on LinkedIn -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ted Janusz is a speaker and marketing guru, and he’s here to help you get the most out of your online presence. We discuss how you can set your organization apart from the competition, how to get your clients and prospects spending more time on your website, and what you can do to raise your level of authority to be perceived as an expert in your field. Marketing isn’t the same as it was even just 10 years ago – or, at least, your marketing shouldn’t look the same as it did 10 years ago. For starters, everyone has to have a website. “It’s like the modern business card.” However, just having a website isn’t enough. You also need the right website. There are two big marketing trends that emerged in 2017: influencer marketing & video. 79% of people who come to your website scan it, rather than read it – so you need to prioritize visual information, especially videos. Your site needs to grab someone in just a few seconds. Otherwise, they’ll move on. The people visiting your site only care about one thing: What can you do for me, or how are you able to help me? Dan Kennedy says that the #1 marketing mistake that most small businesses make is not using testimonials. So get some testimonials, and cut back on those bios! When trying to market yourself through video, consider video testimonials, showing members of your staff as real people, and creating how-to videos. Whatever you do, present it from the client’s perspective – not your own. Consider why most firms lose customers: 1% die, 3% move away, 5% switch to another firm based on advice from friends or family, 9% switch to another firm based on advice from a competitor, 14% get angry and leave, and then the vast majority leave because they feel ignored or unappreciated. Pay attention to the customers that you already have, and make them feel valued! Satisfied customers are your most effective, and cheapest, form of marketing. In Made to Stick, Chip & Dan Heath lay out the six common factors of “sticky” marketing campaigns, or the six principles of S.U.C.C.E.S. Simple Unexpected Concrete Credible Emotional Stories Something else to consider as you’re planning your marketing over the next few years: Millennials and Gen Z are getting older, and soon they will be the majority of your clients (if they aren’t already). They are at home online, and spend a lot of time online, so that’s where you will need to be if you want to attract a new generation of clients. Resources: I want to get to know you better! Please click here to fill out a 5-question survey so that I can better tailor the show to meet your needs. Learn more at januspresentations.com Connect with Ted: Facebook | LinkedIn -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mary Foley energizes female entrepreneurs with the clarity, confidence, and tools to attract, engage, and win more clients. She is an author, energizing keynote speaker, business mentor, host of the P.O.W.E.R. Plug Podcast, and a lover of red capes. On today’s episode, we discuss her book Bodacious! Woman: Outrageously in Charge of Your Life and Lovin’ It! Her sense of humor and positivity comes through on every page of – as it does every minute of this podcast! This book isn’t just for women, either. Her stories encapsulate the principles of improvisation and the philosophy of Yes, And (which is especially evident when she shares the story of showing up to work without a pair of pants). If you look at Mary Foley’s website, you’ll see that being “bodacious” is more than something she uses to brand her content – it’s a personal rallying cry. “I realize that if I want to create the career I want, let alone the life I want, I need to get more bold and more guts – and that’s why the word ‘Bodacious’ became a personal rallying cry.” When you read the book, or hear Mary describe her journey towards bodaciousness, you’ll see that she is willing to do something that is very scary for a lot of people: take risks. And if you are, like many of us, wary of taking a risk because you don’t know what’s going to happen, because you might fail, Mary has two words for you – So what? If you try and something doesn’t work out, so what? You might be working off of a bad definition for failure, anyway. Mary’s definition of failure is “simply not trying,” and making that internal mindset shift can dramatically change your relationship with risk. “Your ability to take risks more easily and often, bounce back, and have a ‘Yes, And’ perspective isn’t just a nice thing – it’s more and more a critical strategy for not just surviving, but thriving.” Resources: Learn more at MaryFoley.com Read: Bodacious! Woman: Outrageously in Charge of Your Life and Lovin’ It! Download Mary’s FREE eBook: “How to Thrive on Change for Your Career…Now More Than Ever!” Listen: P.O.W.E.R. Plug Podcast -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jim Canterucci is a catalyst for growth leadership change. He is the Founder of Transition Management Advisors and Constituent Hub, the author of Personal Brilliance: Mastering the Everyday Habits That Create a Lifetime of Success, and creator of a comprehensive system for for leading change called Change Management Project - The Next Step. For years, Jim and his team at Transition Management Advisors have been helping their clients develop leadership capabilities to create a championship culture, generate innovation, and successfully lead the resulting changes. More recently, Jim has focused on automating the process of leading large organizational change. Using Constituent Hub, an enterprise SaaS platform, “organizations can facilitate sound change leadership principles, view and influence change leadership across the enterprise, make evidence-based change decisions, and realize the ROI of change.” So how does Constituent Hub facilitate organizational change? Most organizations have change initiatives going on all the time, both big and small, and they’re usually tracking those initiatives through spreadsheets or sharepoint. Constituent Hub pulls all of that information together, in a cohesive way, so that change leaders can focus on getting the job done. For the first time, Constituent Hub will give leaders the ability to look at all of the ongoing change initiatives and how many changes each individual in the organization is involved with. Analyzing the users (or constituents), identifying who’s resistant to change, helping them prepare, and measuring whether they’re ready for change are, historically, very difficult to do – to the extent that we’ve actually institutionalized not doing them. By lowering the barrier to entry through automation, implementing change becomes much more viable and strategic. “You’ve heard the term ‘stakeholder’ for project management? I changed the word to constituent because it implies they actually care about the people, are taking care of them, and own their results!” In addition to working with clients directly, Jim is a former president of NSA Ohio and an incredible speaker. Jim even developed The Purpose Formula, which helps speakers develop a Purpose Statement and then get buy-in from their audiences. Jim is generous enough to offer this Purpose Formula handout, which offers an overview of the concept and guides you in creating the right formula for your business. The formula is simple, but it allows you to position your purpose in such a way that you can create a sustainable business. This involves “unveiling that purpose, explaining that purpose, and then finding the customer’s connection linked to that formula so that it’s there’s too.” “Everything that we do should be inspirational.” You should also check out Jim’s script for his presentation, Why? The Purpose Story. In this document, Jim provides a detailed, moment-by-moment breakdown of his speech, including stage directions and energy flow. It offers incredible insight into an effective, purposeful story. Resources: Learn more at JimCanterucci.com Connect with Jim on LinkedIn Check out ConstituentHub.com Personal Brilliance: Mastering the Everyday Habits That Create a Lifetime of Success Change Management Project - The Next Step -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Laura Stoll is the Talent Development Consultant at Ernst & Young, and she has a fascinating perspective on how you can develop top talent within your organization that is influenced by her background in improv. Laura studied at Second City, iO, and ComedySportz Chicago. She even has the distinction of being the only student ever thrown out of previous guest (and current husband) Jay Sukow’s classroom! At EY, Laura strategizes, designs, and consults on large-scale programs designed to improve the value of the internal talent organization, which includes over 8,000 people. Their big focus right now is on the Career Journey. In every organization, people tend to resist change, especially the kind of large-scale change that Laura aims to create. So change management becomes critical, and that’s where the fundamentals of improv can really come into play. Improv isn’t about making things up––it’s about planning like mad, and then being prepared to throw your script away to meet the needs of the person you are talking to or working with. Learning improvisational skills inspires a more adaptable mindset, and you can’t approach change without that. Possibly the most exciting thing about Laura’s work at EY is that other people see the value of these skills, and the top leaders in the organization are getting excited about improv. There’s simply no way to effectively inspire a change in culture without buy-in from the top, so this is a huge step for a huge organization. And taking that step isn’t optional any more, for any organization. Global markets and whole industries are shifting rapidly – the organizations and individuals who resist change will be left behind. “If you’re not actively moving to shift your skill set so that you can be more in the moment, react, and respond – and ultimately be a trusted business advisor – you’re going to be left behind because that’s just the way things are evolving.” If you want to take your first step today, just practice awareness: When you feel yourself putting up a wall, saying no, or reacting negatively, pause and ask yourself, “How could it work?” It’s basic, but that little tweak will start you on the path to change. Resources: Connect with Laura on LinkedIn Read: “Will Health-Care Law Beget Entrepreneurs?”
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Jon Petz is born to be on stage – so much so that he left his highly successful career as a corporate vice president to fulfill his purpose and passion by helping others laugh louder, perform better, and achieve more. We discuss how he evolved from a corporate executive to a business magician to an opening keynoter and MC, and how you can better engage your audience in any situation (plus, we laugh a lot along the way). As a speaker and MC, Jon engages and energizes his audience using his amazing art of performance, inspiring stories, and the unique “It’s Showtime” performance philosophy to bring home the belief and genuine desire to create greater impact in what we do and with the people we do it for. According to Jon, it’s at this point we begin to demonstrate and achieve the sense of significance and making a difference. Jon doesn’t just talk about the importance of significance – he walks the walk. Moved by a moment in his own life, Jon and his wife created the Miracles & Magic Program with one simple goal: to provide children with a life threatening illness and their families a chance to feel “normal” again, experiencing the comedy and wonderment of magic and laughter. Jon also wrote a book on the subject, Significance… In Simple Moments, the proceeds of which are donated to charities like Miracles & Magic that help children in life-threatening situations. Resources: Learn more at JonPetz.com Connect with Jon: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube Support Miracles & Magic Get a ticket to Jon’s upcoming show - Saturday, Feb. 17th, 2018, at The Lincoln Theater in Columbus, OH -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jody Padar, AKA The Radical CPA, is a leader driven by a passion to foster real change in the accounting profession. She represent the next generation of accounting professionals, leading the vanguard for both digital CPAs and future-ready firms. Jody returns to the show to discuss her new book, From Success to Significance: The Radical CPA Guide, which is a practice-proven roadmap to a new business model for CPA firms. If you’re looking to change and you’re not sure how to begin, this lays out the steps of creating change through practical strategies, tools, tips, insights, guest experts, and case studies. So what does the New Firm look like? Technology is part of the core of the firm, and is used to facilitate closer client relationships. The business model transforms: instead of doing every kind of work for every kind of customer, they’ve niched down. They productize everything offered, so they don’t track or bill by time and, instead, offer everything they do at a fixed or value price. There’s no question: technology is having a significant impact on CPA firms. So how are our firms going to evolve and transform their business model to react to them, and to innovate with them? “We can’t change fast enough. We really have to transform our accounting firms so that we can be relevant. Change doesn't work anymore. We really need transformation.” And this transformation isn’t just at the firm or technology level – it’s a total mindset shift that everyone needs to buy into. Everyone in The New Firm needs to be adaptable, forward-thinking, and more than just an accountant. The computers are going to do most of the accounting work, so we need to be better consultants and trusted business advisors. We need to be Radical CPAs. Resources: Get your copy: From Success to Significance: The Radical CPA Guide Learn more at NewVisionGroup.com Connect with Jody: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Sign up for Jody’s newsletter -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Marilyn Sherman is a speaker and author who has spent years motivating and inspiring audiences to get out of their comfort zone and get a front-row seat in life, and this is the perfect time of the year to check in with her because she has tips and techniques anyone can use to stay focused on their goals (and New Year’s resolutions). It’s the end of January, so some of you may have broken your resolutions already – and that’s okay! Listen to the entire episode, apply Marilyn’s tips, and then you’ll be able to resurrect those resolutions for the remainder of the year. If you want to do a little extra homework and really blow your goals away, you should check out Marilyn’s new book: Is There a Hole in Your Bucket List? How to Overcome Obstacles That Keep You from Achieving Your Goals. (Plus, if you order it through her website and mention the podcast, you will get a free book on wine from Marilyn’s husband!) Marilyn wrote this book because even successful people tend to sabotage their own success, in some area of their life. However, we can patch up those holes in our bucket list (or our resolutions) with Marilyn’s tips and techniques. (Some of) Marilyn’s Tips & Techniques for Achieving Your Goals: Marilyn suggests creating a bucket list, if you don’t have one already, because it represents your hope for the future; it’s a glorified list of goals. Then, if there is one recurring thing that you can’t cross off of your list, you have identified a hole to fill. Be more vulnerable. When you admit that you are struggling (possibly with shame or fear), you will find that you are not alone. “When you expose light to whatever it is that has been holding you back, that’s taking your power back – and that’s the first step to patching up these holes that are preventing you from success.” Everyone needs an “Anger Buddy” and an “Anger Sack.” Everyone has a bad day sometimes, but unfortunately we can end up blowing up or snapping at someone who doesn’t deserve it due to the accumulation of many smaller things over time (which is unproductive). You can avoid this ever happening again if you envision an anger sack that fills up when negative things happen. When you feel that it is full, have a chat with your anger buddy, often a significant other, who you have trained to let you vent; you don’t need to add solutions to an overflowing anger sack. Resources: Learn more at MarilynSherman.com Connect with Marilyn: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn Read: Is There a Hole in Your Bucket List? How to Overcome Obstacles That Keep You from Achieving Your Goals -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Keith Harmeyer is all about ideas! He is an expert in innovative thinking, creative problem solving, and idea generation who spent over two decades coming up with great ideas for some of the world’s best known and most successful companies (such as JPMorgan Chase, Disney, Conde Nast, and McDonald’s). Now, as a Founding Partner of SmartStorming and co-author of SmartStorming: The Game Changing Process for Generating Bigger, Better Ideas, Keith is providing other organizations with the expertise, structure, skills, and proven idea generation techniques they need to develop their own ground-breaking ideas and innovate. What exactly is innovation? Keith defines innovation as “the introduction of something new or different that provides greater value or benefit.” If it’s different just for the sake of being different, that’s novelty. We tend to think of innovation in big terms, on an organizational level, but it all starts with the individual people within an organization. When the people within an organization learn how to be more creative in their thinking and more innovative in how they approach their work, then you see innovation surface on an organizational level. Why do we need to innovate? We are now under continuous, constant pressure to reinvent ourselves and the value we deliver to our customers, clients, and the organizations we work for – and, once again, it’s not just at the organizational level. Each one of us is under that same pressure. If you don’t disrupt your industry and your business… well, then somebody else is going to disrupt it for you, and you may not be able to keep up. Resources: Learn more at SmartStorming.com Connect with Keith on LinkedIn Read: SmartStorming: The Game Changing Process for Generating Bigger, Better Ideas -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today’s guest, Merle Heckman, truly understands the power of storytelling – and why it is needed in all aspects of business today. You see, Merle works with engineers, but he’s not an engineer (he’s the Manager of Organizational Development at Regal Beloit). And when engineers give presentations, they can be dense with jargon and hard to understand... not unlike when accountants give presentations. Merle wanted to know how individuals within his organization could give better presentations, so that the people listening could better retain and use the information being presented. So, for his doctoral degree in Educational Leadership, he performed a study and wrote a dissertation titled, "Intentional Storytelling: A Potential Tool for Retention and Application in Business." The research was fairly simple: There’s a monthly divisional meeting at Regal Beloit. Every other month, Merle coached the speakers on incorporating storytelling into their presentations, and they did this for four months. So the first month was normal, second coached, third normal, fourth coached. After every meeting, Merle sent two surveys: one two days after, and one two weeks after. The first survey asked questions related to retention, and the second survey asked if they had applied the information, or put it into practice. And the results are astonishing: When the presenters incorporated storytelling techniques, participants put the information into practice 2.5x more often than when the presenters didn’t. When comparing the first presentation (no storytelling) with the second presentation (with storytelling), participants retained twice as much knowledge when there were stories. When comparing the third presentation to the fourth presentation, participants retained 81% more knowledge. “In the business context, the story teaches. We learn how to do things … The story resonates with us in such a way that it really reaches in and it really appeals to us.” Stories give presenters the opportunity to put specialized knowledge into a context that everybody can understand. And if the term story seems daunting, Merle sometimes uses the term “homespun illustration.” The important thing is that we're not talking about making things up; We're talking about taking real-life events and real-life situations so that you can draw similarities (or create analogies) to the truth that you're trying to give, and reinforce it. So what type of stories should a presenter tell? “The best stories are the ones that come from our lives; The best stories are the ones that we have lived.” There are so many stories out of our own personal lives that can affect, inspire, educate, guide, and teach people. The second best stories are the ones we have observed in other people around us. You don't have to say the person's name, but explain how they solved a problem. Those make great, relatable examples. The third best stories are the ones that we read about in books, or from history, that are true to life. These are often stories about how the Lincolns and Jobs of the worlds solved problems. Don’t make any mistake: Teaching with storytelling isn’t easy – but it is incredibly effective. In a world with so much information, in a world where everybody has a screen captivating their attention, the story will distinguish you as being different. So put in the work to craft a good story – and, more importantly, practice so that you can effectively deliver that story; “Greatness is not in the performance. Greatness is in the preparation.” Resources: Connect with Merle on LinkedIn Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath & Dan Heath -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
I’m really excited to introduce you all to Antonio Ocampo-Guzman, an actor, director, author, and theater teacher originally from Bogotá, Colombia. He is an Associate Professor at Northeastern University, where he teaches all levels of acting, voice, and improvisation – but not just to theater students. Antonio has developed a number of courses for non-theater students to help people develop their “soft skills,” or interpersonal communication skills – but, as listeners to this podcast know, those skills can be very hard to comprehend and practice. “When you bring people back to playfulness in theater, they rediscover a childlike sense of innocence, playfulness, winningest, and generosity – which makes life much easier.” Antonio designed the first one of these courses about five years ago, for the business school. Shortly thereafter, Dean Carla Brodley asked him to design a similar course for the computer science program. After a short pilot period, it became a required class for every single undergraduate student majoring in Computer and Information Science at Northeastern. “You’re only alive and compelling when there’s a disruption. The status quo only perpetuates injustices and inequalities… and Improv is all a disruption.” Resources: Learn more about Antonio: camd.northeastern.edu/theatre/people/antonio-ocampo-guzman Connect with Antonio on LinkedIn Read: The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Happy New Year! To celebrate the beginning of what is sure to be another interesting year, I’ve gone through every episode from 2017 and pulled out a quote that I found impactful. Inspired by one of these quotes? You can find an image to download and share for each one by clicking this link. Resources: Connect with Pete and listen to previous episodes of the podcast at improvisnojoke.com -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tim Sinclair is the Industry Consulting Director at the accounting firm WebsterRogers, and he has worked with more than 350 companies across the U.S. and in a variety of industries. He is passionate about helping business leaders advance and grow their companies so they can, in turn, improve the lives of their employees and their local economy. We discuss the skills you need to develop a business, how he helps the team at WebsterRogers sharpen their business development skills, and the role improvisation plays in this process. Business Development 101 You need to know what makes you unique and different, and why someone should do business with you – and you need to be able to succinctly articulate that to a prospect or client. Active listening is a critical skill; be engaged in a conversation and curious so that you can understand what another person struggles with, what their needs are, and how you can help. Consider the whole experience of each meeting, and make it a unique and memorable experience. Bring an item related to their business, a gift, or something else that makes it stand out. Change your mindset around networking. “You’re not out selling – you’re out helping.” You need to have enough confidence in your service and what you provide so that, when you network, you see a bunch of people who need help, and you know you’re able to help them. Your relationships will differentiate you from technology, which will be increasingly important every year. Plus, when you develop business relationships, the likelihood of losing business diminishes dramatically. You should also build relationships with other people in your industry! More often than not, you’re helping each other succeed more instead of competing with each other for the same money. Resources: Connect with Tim on LinkedIn Learn more about WebsterRogers -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jerry L. Esselstein specializes in strategic planning, implementation strategies, personnel development, and performance measurement for private company owners, executives, and other senior management groups. Jerry has an extensive leadership background, and our conversation focuses on the critical leadership skills needed in the modern business landscape. Although we are discussing the future of the accounting profession, you don’t need to be an accountant to enjoy this episode because this information applies to many professions and businesses. How can professionals prepare for (and adapt to) the new and changing business environment? Many professions, including CPAs, will have a much more limited scope. (i.e. CPAs will likely still be giving assurance based on historic performance, but who will be involved in forecasting, advising, growth?). Technology such as machine learning and blockchain will do a lot of grunt work faster and better than any human will ever be able to – so a professional’s ability to do that grunt work will be less important than their ability to interpret information, apply standards, and think creatively; the skills of a trusted business advisor. While there will always be a need for the “pure CPA,” our clients will require more than just a CPA and an attorney – they will need trusted specialists in many areas, and all of those specialists will need a holistic understanding of the client’s business. Coaching, mentoring, and training need to be reintegrated into the professional education system. Competency-based education may not cut it. “Self-interest is killing us right now, from the president all the way down to the staff at a CPA firm.” What’s in it for me? What do I get out of it? That’s cultural, and that didn’t happen overnight. Resources: Connect with Jerry on LinkedIn Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward by Henry Cloud -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Boyd Search is the President & CEO of the Georgia Society of CPAs. Our conversation centers around how he approached changing the organization’s corporate culture, and the impact that the George Society is making on its members, associates, and the profession. On Boyd’s first day as CEO of the Georgia Society almost seven years ago, I was actually his first new paying member – and I am still a member because his changes haven’t ticked me off yet! So how (and why) is Boyd transforming the culture in the Georgia Society of CPAs? Boyd’s first action as CEO wasn’t actually a big change or initiative – he took time to learn about the stakeholders in the association so that he could better make a plan for the future. “As the world has changed, and as time becomes a more precious commodity, associations have, by and large, become more staff-driven.” The association hasn’t increased their staff, but existing staff positions now have new responsibilities, which means they’ve had to hire new staff or learn new skills. “When you get to change in an environment where your hair isn’t on fire, it’s a lot more fun.” The change isn’t necessarily easier when it’s not an emergency, but it can be more fun. Changing the culture has been a gradual process, and it’s only been possible because the leadership within the organization wanted change – that buy in from the leadership is extremely significant, whenever you’re approaching a big change within an organization. There are a lot of things impacting the profession. We tend to undervalue or underestimate the amount of change that needs to happen, particularly from the curriculum perspective. The George Society has taken some time to have “conversations with smart people,” in which they spend time talking to their stakeholders over dinner (That’s right, more listening!). They found a theme: things are changing so often and so fast that no one is sure where the dust is going to settle, so they should continue with an incremental approach to change. “There’s no question that the profession is going to face significant changes… but the reality is that there’s going to be tremendous opportunity for those who are in the business of providing validation, verification, and trust.” We need to figure out how to leverage those things, both for the good of the profession and the interest of public trust. Resources: Learn more about the Georgia Society: GSCPA.org Connect with Boyd on LinkedIn -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ryan Parker is the President & CEO of Endicott Clay Products and the newly installed chair of the Nebraska Society of CPA’s executive board. Our conversation focuses on the process of adding value to your organization as you grow your career, what you should be thinking about if you aspire to be a leader within your organization, and the challenges of replacing a seasoned CEO. How can you add value to an organization & grow as a leader? Some work is necessary, but doesn’t add value. “When you’re in a public accounting role, the trick is to really become an advisor. A consultant pays the pills, but it doesn’t generate revenue.” When you turn that corner and become an advisor, in any industry, you start to create work for your organization. Many people in technical professions understand their job, but they don’t necessarily have a comprehensive understanding of the business or industry: sales, marketing, human resources, regulations, and daily operations all matter. You need a complete understanding of a business if you want to be a trusted business advisor. “A lot of times, being a trusted business advisor really boils down to having conversations about people, pricing, or customers that nobody wants to have.” You have to be willing to ask questions that are difficult but, in the long term, matter a great deal. “You have to be willing to go out on a limb and embrace change and the unknown, and it doesn’t come easy. But if you’re not willing to embrace it, you’re going to fail… The easiest thing ever is just to react to a situation. The second easiest is when you just respond. The absolute hardest is to initiate it.” Once you can initiate change, for your own personal self-development or for the company, you can start to become what you want to become, as a professional. Find a mentor that you hold in high regard, whether they are in your organization or outside of it. Find out how they climbed the ladder, the values they embraced, what level of work they’ve taken on, and be honest with yourself: is that what you really want? “If you really want to become an executive or a partner within your firm, do whatever is needed when it comes to understanding all of the issues – don’t leave a stone unturned… You’ll be surprised at how many times you pick up the stone and look underneath of it and there’s an opportunity.” Accept failure as a learning opportunity – not as a punishment. If you want to grow, you have to constantly push yourself past your comfort zone, and sometimes you will fail in the process. That’s okay. So, what have you failed at today? Resources: Connect with Ryan: LinkedIn | rparker@endicott.com -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jay Sukow believes that the world would be a better place if everyone took just one improv class – and I agree! Jay is trying to make that world a reality as the Founder of Today Improv, where he teaches improv to actors, businesses, and everyone else all over the world. Jay is also on faculty at M.i.’s Westside Comedy Theater and The Second City Hollywood, and co-host of the ImprovCast with Jay and Landon. In the 80’s and 90’s, there wasn’t a lot of understanding about what improv was. However, after years of people like Jay working with the public and businesses, people are starting to accept and understand why improv is so beneficial in both business and life. “Be the improviser that you want to play with; be the person in your business who you want to work with.” When Jay and his ensemble go to work with a business, they don’t claim to be business experts – but they are experts in communication, working together, being part of an ensemble, focusing on the team first, and using information. His goal is to get others to implement those skills within their business, or their lives, and make it a habit. And one of the most valuable skills and habits that you might learn in one of these Improv classes is Yes, And. Because in your professional world and your personal world, you will have to say Yes, and you will have to say yes to things that you don’t want to do or else you will lose something – so learning how to say yes, in a constructive manner, is a very valuable skill. Often times, we are struggling because we aren’t accepting something or making excuses. When we use Yes, And, we aren’t trying to find a quick way out of a problem or an acceptable way to make an excuse. We are saying before I shoot this idea down, how could it work? “You have to accept failure. Your failure is going to help us succeed in the long run, but we’re so focused on immediate results that we don’t allow ourselves that space.” Resources: Learn more about Today Improv Listen: ImprovCast with Jay and Landon -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Colin Blalock, a shareholder with Jones and Kolb, is a CPA with a very unique set of skills: Colin has developed a talent for understanding the nonverbal messages that people are saying. That's right – He has developed the ability to read body language, and he has delivered a number of conference presentations on this topic. The importance of reading body language is underscored when you understand how people are interpreting your message: 7 percent is what you say, 38 percent is how you say it (the tone of your voice), and 55 percent is silent body language. But a lot of us don't take the time to think about our own body language, and that limits how effectively we can communicate with others – or understand what they’re really communicating to us. Colin’s Challenge & Body Language Cheat Sheet For the next 30 days, when you get up in the morning, read this cheat sheet – the 13 keys of body language – and try to identify these things during your day. What you see, and learn, will absolutely blow you away. Key #1 - Initial Meeting Plan Flash/return flash Eye contact Smile Key #2 - Spacing Personal space Correct distance Key #3 - Conflicts Unknown male/female (standing and sitting) Standing vs. sitting Avoid deep armchairs Key #4 - The Handshake Pressure/length Limp wrist Dominate (counter) Get together Submissive Glove Double touch Shoulder grip Key #5 - Appearance Glasses Best face forward Key #6 - Cooperation/Acceptance Head tilt Eye contact Smile Speaking to a group – contact Key #7 - Power Plays Control time/space The stare – counter Where you sit Key #8 - Reading Others Watch for leakage Read my lips Furrowed forehead Buy signs Watch the feet True smile Copying stance/gestures Key #9 - Common Lying Gestures No single sign The nose knows Gravity defying gestures and happy feet Key #10 - Watch the Hands Touching objects Palms up/down Key #11 - What about the Eyes? Audio (side to side) Calculating (down and left) Emotional (down and right) Deception (up and right) Recalling (up and left) Key #12 - Common Barriers Arm fold One arm fold How to break the barrier Key #13 - Practice! Colin’s Favorite Body Language Books: Telling Lies, Paul Ekman Extremely hard to read, but many books use his research. Unless you really like Calculus I would pass.
The Secret Language of Success, David Lewis First book I read, 31 rules provides a good foundation;
The book cost $0.01 and shipping is $4.24. Accountants love rules and there are 31 Rules to follow. Note: three books below cover many of the same points. The Definitive Book of Body Language, Allan and Barbara Pease Excellent book and discusses issues up through former President Clinton; Entertaining and useful.
What Every BODY is Saying, Joe Navarro Real life experiences working with soldiers captured in the Gulf Wars and how the same techniques are applied to interactions today; Works with Fortune 500 companies now; Addresses benchmarking.
Let Me See Your Body Talk, Jan Hargrave Very good book for singles; Explains social interactions.
The Silent Language of Leaders, Carol Kinsey Goman Excellent book if preside over meetings or need to get a consensus from a group on issues; Explains why some people “lead” and no one follows.
-- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dr. David Brobeck (AKA The Problem-Solving Professor) is a professional speaker and a professor of graduate education at Walsh University. His current academic focus is researching various means to enhancing teaching and learning based on neuroscience. Regardless of the endeavor, David believes learning should be fun – and I agree! In this interview, Dr. Brobeck shares tips and techniques we can use to make learning fun in order to increase the audience member retention rate, whether we’re presenting, teaching, at work, or at home. Dr. Brobeck starts every presentation with a slide saying, “If you're not a fun person, you may hate the session.” He then goes on to explain that, even if you’re not fun, you might want to fake it because the brain can't tell the difference – and we know people learn more and retain more when there is humor involved. If you look at the traditional lecture style of speaking, there’s no engagement. It's just boring data. It's just not connecting with them, and it creates boredom. This positive or negative reaction to stimuli, whether genuine or faked, is controlled by our body’s limbic system. Amy Cuddy, a professor at Harvard and TEDTalk presenter, talks about how this system releases endorphins and cortisol into our brain, and how that affects retention. Laughter releases endorphins, and we learn more when we have endorphins being released in our brain. Conversely, cortisol is released when we need to protect ourselves. So a stressful or boring classroom can actually cause the brain to start to protect itself, and then you don't learn as much. You also need to let the brain shift tasks occasionally, if you want it to process and retain information. Dr. Brobeck implements a simple tool called the QRST method: Question - The presenter / teacher / boss poses a question related to the information they are presenting. Reflect - The audience is asked to reflect on this question for 10-30 seconds. Share - They are then asked to pair up and share their thoughts on the question with another person. After 30 seconds, the presenter gets everyone’s attention and tells everyone to switch so the second person can also share their thoughts for 30 seconds. Team - After everyone shares their thoughts with someone else, the presenter asks people to share what their partner told them. Another powerful and fun presentation tool is storytelling. When people hear a good story, they equate it to their own life – and they climb inside that story with the storyteller, and they start to live with that person. So we remember experiences better when we feel like we’ve had them, and some stories are so powerful that we never forget them. Resources: Learn more about Dr. Brobeck: nsaohio.com/members/name/david-brobeck/ Watch Amy Cuddy’s TEDTalk: Your body language may shape who you are -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What do a cow, a snapping turtle, and a goat have in common? Ohio State Football (really, we’re not kidding)! This is just one of the fascinating anecdotes you’ll find in the new book Buckeye Reflections: Legendary Moments from Ohio State Football. We’ve talked to both Jack Park and Maureen Zappala on previous episodes of the podcast (episode 13 and episode 39, respectively), but today they’re joining us together to discuss their two-and-a-half year journey co-writing Buckeye Reflections. Even if you’re not a football fan, I think you’ll enjoy the work they’ve done and the stories they’ve uncovered while developing the book. You can download the first chapter for FREE by going to BuckeyeReflectionsBook.com. “Games are won and lost at the line of scrimmage, but it’s the stories of the people that really make the legacy.” –Maureen Zappala Resources: Buckeye Reflections: Legendary Moments from Ohio State Football Learn more about Brutus Mascot Camp -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jennifer Briggs is currently the Senior Vice President and COO of the Indiana CPA Society, and she will be the CEO of the society beginning January 1, 2018. On July 1st, 2017, the state of Indiana signed House Bill 1467 into law, which “allows competency based learning through professional development opportunities to qualify accountants for accountant certificate renewal.” This all began years ago, around 2010, when the Indiana society created a board-level task force on knowledge management. Jennifer worked with the task force on competency to examine how things have changed in education, and everything snowballed from there. Although the bill is passed, this is just the beginning – Jennifer is now working with a committee to create rules around the law. Nothing is finalized, but the idea is that this new system will be designed around those who actually want to learn (as opposed to those that sit in the back of a classroom to collect their 8 hours of credit). Change is everywhere in our profession – technology, demographics, pricing models – so it’s imperative that the education change, too. “If you want things to be different, you have to do different things.” –Jennifer Briggs Resources: Learn more at about the Indiana Society at INCPAS.com Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dr. Alan Patterson is the Founder of Mentoré, a consulting practice specializing in leadership and organizational development, and a thought leader at the Business Learning Institute. Dr. Patterson also wrote Leader Evolution: From Technical Expertise to Strategic Leadership, which defines the four critical stages needed by individuals with technical or specialist backgrounds to move into leadership positions. “So what can I say? I'm a lone ranger. Hired gun. You need help? The doctor is in.” –Dr. Alan Patterson Although a lot of things have changed in the business world over the past few decades, one thing has stayed the same: we acknowledge that communication skills are important, but we don’t necessarily act like it. Even in the digital age, these are three of the most important skills you need to master… if you want to attain a strategic leadership position, or be considered a trusted business advisor: Active listening Communicating at the level of audience understanding Understanding the perspectives of the people you're talking to Dr. Patterson will tell his clients, “I can't believe I'm making money going to organizations telling them that they have… to be better at listening,” but it turns out no one is immune from underdeveloped communication skills – being in a senior position doesn’t guarantee that you're a better listener (and sometimes it’s just the opposite). “You need to go out, talk to people, and listen. Do you know what we call that? That’s called a dialogue.” –Dr. Alan Patterson Dr. Patterson has a personal challenge for you: Think of one person you know that's a good listener, then talk about that person and what they're like and what they mean to you. The results will likely be pretty dynamic. Dr. Patterson believes that people who don’t develop emotional intelligence, empathy, moral character, courage, relationship management, influence, and persuasion skills will, guaranteed, top out in their career; they will be frustrated because they will be passed over or put in a box. “People want the easy answer, so I say okay: You have to learn how to influence other people, and influence is based on credibility. There is no shortcut.” –Dr. Alan Patterson So what do people need to start working on today if they want to go from technical expert to strategic leader? Broader visibility, broader understanding of the business, providing guidance, and selling those ideas to others – And you won’t get seen, learn about the business, or have credibility if you don’t first learn to listen with empathy. Resources: Learn more about Mentoré: Mentore.com | Twitter | Facebook Leader Evolution: From Technical Expertise to Strategic Leadership by Dr. Alan Patterson If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating by Alan Alda -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Only 8 percent of CPAs believe that the profession is future ready, according to CPA.com’s study Welcome to the Fast Future. This is a rather concerning statistic because the future is coming, and it might be closer than you think. Bill Sheridan, Chief Communication Officer at the MACPA, is on the front lines trying to prepare CPAs for the future, and he recently published a new white paper that every CPA should read: Human Work in the Ages of Machines: Five Steps for Building a Future-Ready Finance Team. Basically, the paper asks what happens when more and more of the things that accounting and finance professionals are trained to do are being done by machines, and what does that mean for our profession? Because these technological changes are going to happen whether we like it or not, there's nothing we can do except learn how to do the things that machines can't do and work with them (or go out of business). We have to go beyond being just number crunchers and become number interpreters; we have to be able to understand what we're viewing and become better communicators. The futurist Peter Sheehan puts this another way: we've entered an age when humans should only do work that only humans can do, and everything else is going to be automated. This means that CPAs will need a new set of eight core skills, if they want to remain relevant going forward: Communication Leadership Critical thinking and problem solving Anticipating and serving evolving needs Synthesizing intelligence to insight, or providing the insight to the numbers Integration and collaboration Tech savvy and the ability to analyze data Functional and domain expertise. 6/8 of these skills were also identified in the Horizons 2025 project. We tend to ignore stuff like that until it's almost too late – until the stuff that is on the horizon suddenly gets closer and is threatening to steamroll us. We waited, and now it’s crunch time. Bill doesn’t believe that the problem with CPAs is that we’re too introverted to learn these soft skills. Bill believes the big problem holding us back is that accounting is a rear-facing profession. We've been trained to look in the rearview mirror, and so that's what we've done for decades and decades. Now we're at a point where we have to start looking through the windshield a little bit more and learn how to become a more forward-facing profession, which means figuring out what we need to do to stay relevant tomorrow rather than just accounting for what happened yesterday. Bill developed the Five C’s for staying relevant through the change: Context - What are the big changes going on around us? There’s three hard trends converging: technological advances, changing demographics, and new legislation. Certainty - What can we be certain will happen? The futurist Daniel Burrus says your odds of succeeding go up and the risk of failing goes down, when you start basing your strategy around things that you know are going to happen. Capacity - It’s going to take time for us to learn how to become future ready, and we're all busier than ever before. But we make time for the things that are important to us. Competencies - As discussed previously, we're going to have to learn an entirely new set of skills. Key among them is anticipation: learning how to spot future trends before they happen and position our organizations to take advantage of them, before the competition, is actually a skill that you can learn. Core Values - In a world where everything seems to be changing around us, it's really kind of comforting to know that there are some things that should never change: our core values. The core purpose of this profession, as established by Vision Project, is to make sense of a changing and complex world. How to Take Your First Steps Towards the Future Trying to become future ready all at once is overwhelming, and more or less impossible. However, now is a great time to start building future-ready habits. Bill suggests you start with a simple exercise: schedule one hour a week for yourself, and actually put it in your calendar. During that hour, do something like read a book that will help you prepare for the future, or ask your team what productivity apps they like and start implementing them. In the resources below, you will find a number of valuable books and resources to learn from during your weekly time block, including Human Work in the Ages of Machines. Resources: Connect with Bill on LinkedIn Human Work in the Ages of Machines: Five Steps for Building a Future-Ready Finance Team The Second Machine Age by Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson Humans are Underrated by Geoff Colvin Only Humans Need Apply by Thomas Davenport and Julia Kirby The Fourth Industrial Revolution by Klaus Schwab The 2020 Workplace by Jeanne C. Meister Traction by Gino Wickman Thank You for Being Late by Thomas Friedman Brain Rules by John Medina -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We’re doing something a little different today: Peter shares his favorite places to eat all over the country. He was inspired by former guest Clarke Price, who keeps a record of every restaurant he visits and often suggests new places for Peter to try. New Orleans: Gump Shop - GumboShop.com Mr. B's Bistro - MrBsBistro.com The Pelican Club - PelicanClub.com K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen - KPauls.com Drago's Seafood Restaurant - DragosRestaurant.com The Greater Baltimore Area: Cunningham’s - CunninghamsTowson.com Gachi House of Sushi - GachiSushi.com Bloomington, Minnesota: Ciao Bella - CiaoBellaMN.com - Best Customer Service Award Read Peter’s article about Ciao Bella’s customer service
Seattle, Washington: Purple Cafe and Wine Bar - PurpleCafe.com Bellevue, Washington: Seastar - SeastarRestaurant.com Atlanta, Georgia: Canoe - CanoeATL.com One Flew South - OneFlewSouthATL.com Charleston, South Carolina: S.N.O.B. (Slightly North of Broad) - SNOBCharleston.com Nashville, Tennessee: Puckett's Grocery and Restaurant - PuckettsGro.com/nashville The Greater New York City Area: Taverna Kyclades - TavernaKyclades.com Estiatorio Milos - milos.ca/restaurants/new-york Lincoln, Nebraska: DISH Restaurant - DishDowntown.com -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Annie Conderacci is a change management consultant and a passionate student of improv. She studied and performed improv at The Second City, Annoyance Theater, and IO Chicago, and she performs improv and sketch all around the city. As a change and management consultant, Annie frequently uses her improv skills to facilitate growth and positive change in organizations. Throughout the interview, she does an outstanding job of describing how improv can be applied to business, and discusses how you can use improv to defuse difficult situations. Annie fell in love with Improv the first time she saw Second City – she went to business school in Chicago so that she could also take classes. She was first drawn to the culture of imperfection. When she saw that you can make mistakes sometimes, and you don’t have to be perfect or even scripted, something clicked. As she moved up through the levels at Second City, it got more challenging… but it never stopped being fun or supportive. One of the most important lessons that she learned, and that she still applies in the workplace, is that you can challenge people in a way that makes them feel supported and taken care of, and that allows them to take bigger risks than they might in a safe environment. The freedom to fail is important, and that can mean something as simple as framing failure as a learning opportunity. Improvisers will have so many bad shows – way more bad than good – but it's the bad shows that they really learn the most from. And it’s important to note that, even if you are in the worst culture in the world, you can still do something within your own space, and you can make the conscious decision to not perpetuate a culture that is counterproductive. If you're fun to work with, people are going to want to work with you, especially if your methods create results. Improv also teaches us greater empathy, and it teaches us to acknowledge the way other people feel. Always saying Yes, And forces you to consider the other person’s point of view and add to it, as opposed to dismissing it; Yes, And helps you unlearn unproductive behavior. This is a powerful life tool that helps on stage, at work, and at home. Can you imagine how powerful it would be if people learned these skills as kids? If we started with kids, and kids could start acknowledging these behaviors early, building good teams, developing leadership skills, thinking quickly on your feet, and supporting each other... that may actually make a great difference in the world. Annie works with an incredible non profit called Room2Improv that works with children in Chicago. “By teaching them how to explore, embrace and adopt the techniques of improvisation into everyday living, we motivate individuals to care about themselves and others, make healthy choices and effective decisions and use their confidence to overcome their fears.” Resources: Connect with Annie on LinkedIn Support Room2Improv -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Byron Patrick, Managing Director of CPA practice at Network Alliance, is a nationally-known industry thought leader and a multi-recipient of the CPA Practice Advisor's 40 Under 40 award. Byron has been an active member of the Maryland Association of CPAs since the beginning of his career, and he credits much of his professional success to the support and membership of the MACPA. Personally, I know I wouldn’t be where where I am today without my local association, and I wholeheartedly agree with Byron – The benefits from volunteering at your state CPA Association (or any professional association) are endless, and the financial and personal investment you make will pay for itself many times over. Too often, CPAs don’t want to participate with their association because they look at membership as a cost, when really it's an investment in your network and career. When Byron was chair of the MACPA’s young professional network, his message was to be selfish – get involved with the association. These relationships and these opportunities will absolutely have a positive impact on your career trajectory… if you are willing to make the investment, meet people, and take advantage of those opportunities. “As much as I do to give to the industry and association, and everything else, my take away is a thousand fold. And it's okay – I am perfectly fine with you getting involved if it's to be selfish, because once you show up you're not going to leave.” Resources: Connect with Byron on LinkedIn Learn more about Network Alliance -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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 Getting Up!, Greg writes about the important difference between time management and energy management. Doing more, and living a happier life, isn’t about having more time – It's all about having more energy. We don't get any more time, but we can all get way more energy. Throughout this three-part series, Greg discussed four types of interrelated energy, which you can remember by thinking of P.I.E.S. Physical energy is the ability to just get up and get going, and it’s the type of energy that a lot of people focus on... but it’s the least important of them all. Intellectual energy is what people usually get paid for. Do you have the energy to solve puzzles, solve the problem, meet these needs, etc. Emotional energy is the one that often causes the most problems. In episode 46, we discussed the “energy vampires” who drain your emotional energy, and how you can combat them. Spiritual energy fuels passion, commitment, and endurance. Although for many it's religious nature, it doesn't have to be – spiritual energy is embedded in each person's mission; his or her's life purpose. Spiritual energy is the most powerful source of energy, but often people don't really understand it until they work their ways through the first three. If you look at people who make a powerful impact in the world, they all do that on the basis of spiritual energy. Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa: these people didn't get elected to anything, they didn't have armies, but the sheer power of who they were came through, drove their lives, and changed the world. 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 -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tom Hood, CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs and the Business Learning Institute, is on a mission to help CPAs make sense of this changing and complex world. Tom and I spoke on the third episode of this podcast, in June of 2016, and a lot has changed in that short period of time. We discuss how technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing are impacting the accounting profession (and the world), and how CPAs can begin transforming themselves into Anticipatory CPAs. What is blockchain? Tom says that blockchain is best described as the Internet of Value. Using secure peer-to-peer data, blockchain basically conveys transactions of value with multiple parties to, effectively, create a public ledger. This is a real example of a supply chain using blockchain technology, which may help you understand how it works in practice: There’s fishermen in a boat off the coast of Malaysia, and they have smartphones. When they catch a tuna, they use their smartphone to take a picture. The phone geo locates the photo and it creates the first block of data. The data says this tuna was caught at this location, at this point in time, with these people, and it includes the picture. On the dock, the fishermen hand the tuna off to a processing plant, and that creates another block of data showing it was transferred. Now it’s being processed. The really good meat is going to go to the sushi restaurant and the other stuff is going to be processed further down to canned tuna. The sushi tuna is in another block of data that says it's going on a truck, and it is delivered to some number of sushi restaurants. Each one of those restaurants is another element of data all about that fish. The restaurant owners and customers can trust, with certainty, that the fish is fresh and high quality. In the canning center, the cans come out with a bar code that basically connects it back to that block of data. When someone picks that can off the shelf, they can trace it back to that tuna on that day in that place off the coast of Malaysia. Consumers can trust that these fish weren’t caught using illegal or morally questionable practices. The Convergence The real power of blockchain technologies is realized when it converges with cloud computing and artificial intelligence. If you’re not aware, “the cloud” isn’t just for storing data – cloud computing harnesses the power of any connected device to process tasks more quickly than any single computer possibly could. This exponential increase in processing power has made artificial intelligence significantly more tangible. Oracle, for example, have a machine called Hana. It could process every tax return in the history of the world, since 1957 to now, in under four minutes. If accountants can leverage these technologies to do the grunt work in a matter of minutes, or even seconds, they can focus their time and energy on delivering substantial value to their clients by interpreting and analyzing that data. On top of that, blockchain databases will create an extra layer of trust and accountability, possibly even removing the need for audits entirely in many areas of the accounting industry. Be an Anticipatory CPA The idea of being anticipatory is to be aware, predictive, and adaptive. Do you even know that the trend is real? Can you predict what it might do for you or your client or your company? And then what would you start doing to adapt to it? A CPA’s greatest value is taking complex information and putting it in a context that somebody who doesn't have that knowledge can understand. To help prepare you, the Maryland Society of CPAs is working with IBM to create a future-ready learning portal for CPAs to learn about artificial intelligence, big data, data science, deep machine learning, and blockchain. The portal will give CPAs a familiarity with the technology and an understanding of the terms so that, as this technology starts to unfold, they'll be able to see the potential and understand the major concepts well enough to communicate with the people controlling these technologies. Resources: Learn more: Maryland Association of CPAs Business Learning Institute Five Steps for Building a Future-Ready Finance Team [PDF] - by Bill Sheridan, CAE (Business Learning Institute)
-- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Karen Eddington is a comedian, speaker, researcher, and the author of Understanding Self-Worth. She uses her experience in stand-up comedy and improv to teach laughter as a form of self-care. For 15 years, Karen has researched identity to look for patterns and create original solutions that help people “Under Pressure.” Although The Under Pressure Project started as an effort to understand the biggest pressures faced by teens, it has grown into a mission to heal the most universal and dangerous experience we all share. The one thing that we all have in common, which Karen describes as “the most universal and dangerous experience we can have,” is mental isolation: The times we feel alone in our mind because we feel diminished, flawed, or excluded The best solution for getting through this terrible but universal experience is to develop a support network, and anyone can learn how to create supportive communities by practicing comedy. Comedy vs Pressure While Karen was researching The Under Pressure Project, she was also getting into comedy for the first time, and she started making some useful connections. She was able to bring in comedy to relieve that pressure and isolation. As we’ve mentioned on the podcast before, the principles of improvisation and comedy are incredibly powerful in networking situations, professional environments, and just regular ol’ social situations. One extremely powerful tool that Karen likes to use is shared laughter: those moments where we connect as humans through vulnerability and humor. When you combine Karen’s research with a repertoire of practiced comedic tools (like misdirection or Yes, And), you can learn how to create experiences of shared laughter in any situation, and as a result, create communities that support each other; you can heal mental isolation. “Laughter heals and strengthens us, when sometimes nothing else can.” –Karen Eddington Resources: Learn more at KarenEddington.com Watch Karen’s TEDxTalk: “The connecting power of shared laughter” Watch Karen’s speaking & stand-up -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Debbie Peterson is a certified trainer of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and mindset expert who works with companies to increase bottom line results through greater clarity in communication and in leadership. We discuss how you can change the story that you’re telling yourself to transform negative self-talk into a positive thought process. We all suffer from this, at times, but Debbie provides proven strategies that will help change the dialogue in your head. Neuro-linguistic Programming One of the most important skills that Debbie learned was neuro-linguistic programming. After she went to NLP training, she figured out how to think differently in a way that changed her career, and her belief system about herself and what she was capable of. After discovering that positive mindset shift, she wanted to help others do the same. Then, one fateful night, Debbie woke up with an idea formed in her mind: Getting to Clarity. She rushed downstairs, secured the URL, and the rest is history. The Stories We Tell Ourselves People often say we are the stories that we tell ourselves, and it’s true. But it’s important to remember that you're the author – you can pick up the pen and write a different story too. So how can we change the stories we tell ourselves that cause limiting beliefs? Behavior rewarded is repeated, so it's really about rewarding yourself with the behavior that you choose to believe. Limiting beliefs can run full-time in your head, so the first thing you need to do is be aware of them and the story that you’re telling yourself; understand that some stories are not only limiting, but also inaccurate. “If you change your mind, you change your results.” RACE to Clarity: 4 PIeces of Shifting Your Mindset Debbie’s RACE system is a tool you can use to think differently, and act differently. By constantly redirecting yourself through these four pillars, you will take consistent action towards your goals, and you will continually improve as a professional and a person. Responsibility - There are certain things that you have responsibility for in getting more clarity. Whatever it is that you're trying to achieve, you need to know exactly what you want, and you need to know your Why. How can you hit a bullseye without a target? Accountability - Do you have a plan or goal or strategy? Do you have some sort of system that is going to incrementally move you towards what it is that you want? Community - Who are the people that you surround yourself with? You are the average of the top five people you spend the most time with, so who is it that you're spending the most time with, and are they people who support you in your goals and aspirations? Engage - There's a lot of people out there who will figure out what they want and why they want it, but when it comes to taking that first step they want to backpedal and make excuses. We’ve all done it, but then you have all this great wisdom about yourself and you never do anything with it. RACE isn’t just about thinking differently – it is doing differently as well. -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chris Shirer describes herself as a devoted champion of all things food, beverage, and guest experience… and she got my attention at “food!” Chris is the Founder of two companies: Madison + Fifth, a marketing agency, and the recently-launched JoinMyTable, a new platform for prepaid group dining created to encourage community and increase our time spent in real world conversation. JoinMyTable is a fascinating and unique concept: people who want to go out for dinner can pre-purchase off-the-menu dining experiences online with everything included (tip, tax, and any fees). Then they can invite people to join, and all of this is from a web-based platform. The idea is to bring communities together over dinner for some good conversation, without technology or the usual hassle of going out. This could be a group of your friends or your team from work, but the real gem is bringing a like-minded community together to make new friends and have good conversation. It took five years to get to this point because they needed to do market research. How could a service that brings people together for a night also help businesses? One of the biggest benefits for businesses is that these experiences can be offered on slow nights (usually Monday-Wednesday), which adds directly to the bottom line of a restaurant. Because the entire payment is included up front, the service staff doesn’t have to worry about common problems (like low tips) that come from big parties. It also shares the stories of individuals within these businesses: the chefs, brewers, distillers, coffee roasters, and other artists who we don’t always get to know, but who are sharing their incredible creativity in our communities. JoinMyTable is now available to anyone in the Columbus area, and it’s going great so far! Restaurants like The Refectory, Paulie Gee's Short North, The Whitney House, The Avenue Steak Tavern, and Barrel & Boar have offered successful tastings, seafood boils, and other interesting experiences. You can watch this video to check out the Low Country Seafood Boil at Barrel & Boar, and you can head over to JoinMyTable.com to invite friends and reserve your seat at an upcoming Table. Resources: Learn more: JoinMyTable.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bob Dean, Founder of Dean Learning and Talent Advisors, returns to the show to talk more about virtual learning. Our conversation is framed around ThinkTank, collaboration, and an article that we wrote titled “The New CPE: Collaborative Learning Experiences.” Bob works as a practitioner consultant using ThinkTank, a collaboration-as-a-service software company. By providing a collaborative structure to the way people work together, ThinkTank enables leaders to transform business processes and create a culture of collaboration, innovation, and engagement. Bob recently facilitated something remarkable: a (successful) virtual collaboration experience with over 100 people from around the world that lasted 90 minutes – and he did that four times in one day! Not only was his experience a feat, it benefitted both the client and the participants: It was all people ages 27 to 30, so all millennials, and they really embraced the virtual collaboration experience. In a live group, you may not get everybody's thoughts or ideas. ThinkTank has the ability to get all the ideas from people from everybody in that group, which makes it a much more richer experience, from a learning perspective, than just getting responses from two or three people in a live audience. Because nobody had to get on a plane, nobody had to travel, nobody had to be away, and nobody had hotel room, it was MUCH cheaper than training 400+ people in person, using the same exercise. In the future, there are a number of exciting possibilities for virtual collaboration communities on ThinkTank: Optimized and effective onboarding processes. Training in the new revenue recognition principle, or other technical training sessions Teaching people to write effectively, and other skill-building courses Possibly even a virtual improv course! In a world where change is happening faster and faster every week, we have to learn faster – and the way we learn faster will be learning through collaboration. Resources: Connect with Bob: LinkedIn | roberthdean@comcast.net Learn more about ThinkTank “The New CPE: Collaborative Learning Experiences” -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today our guest is Patrick Donadio, MBA, CSP, and MCC. For the past three decades, he has guided leaders and their organizations with powerful presentations and one-on-one business communications coaching. In his desire to help leaders grow their people, Patrick has taken his decades of experience and crafted a results-based process for his new leader’s guide, Communicating with IMPACT, focused on improving communication, increasing profits, and boosting performance in less time. Patrick’s process, The IMPACT Model, outlines The Six Keys to Communication. As you go through these six keys, think about which one is a weakness for you and try to pick up a couple of tips you can put in practice tomorrow. The IMPACT Model I is the intention. What's my intention for this conversation? What do I want the person(s) I’m communicating with to think, do, or feel after we've met? M is the message & the method. How do I craft a message that's going to help me achieve the intention I have for this communication, and what method of communication will be most effective (verbal, nonverbal, or writing)? People respond differently to different forms of communication. P is the person. Who am I communicating with and how do I adjust my communication to that particular person? A is to activate. How do I activate this message to engage me and my receiver? A little rule of thumb: every three to five minutes you want to be engaging the receiver physically, mentally, or emotionally. C is clarify. How do you make sure that what we both said is being communicated correctly? T is transform. How do you transform this particular interaction into the result that you actually set for yourself? The first half – IMP – is the planning phase. What's my intention, what am I going to say to achieve the intention, and how am I going to adjust the message to make sure that it fits this person I'm communicating with? The second half – ACT – is the activate phase. Put it all together, take about two minutes before you open your mouth, and you too can be communicating with impact. You can order your copy of Communicating with IMPACT now, which also includes a “Communication Inventory” to rate your current communication skills! Resources: Connect with Patrick: Website | Facebook | LinkedIn Communicating with IMPACT Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chris Jenkins, CEO of the South Carolina Associations of CPAs, joins us today to discuss how you can better engage an audience of any size when you are speaking, and to discuss how we can improve association management. Although Chris is a technology guy – we originally met when he served as the Chief Information Officer at the Ohio Society – he believes that Associations, and business professionals in general, are relying on technology far too much, and using it improperly. Professional organizations need to re-emphasize, and re-facilitate, face-to-face human relationships. Chris has always had a knack for engaging large crowds of people, but he used to struggle with small group interactions. Partly due to technology, we have lost the skill to connect with people one-on-one – because of this, Associations and businesses need to offer more professional development opportunities for soft skills. Elevator Training Chris learned to engage people one-on-one through an unconventional training exercise: he was locked in an elevator for an hour and tasked with talking to every person who got on and learning what they did. When you're in an elevator and you're in that contained space, you catch people off guard by looking at them, greeting them, and asking about them. People are shocked, and you very quickly get over your fear of engaging people. The other thing that you’ll learn is how to stop a conversation properly before they got off the elevator. You can learn how to network and manage a room by being locked in an elevator – and I know I’m going to try this exercise out soon! It’s also just a great improv exercise because it will train you to listen to understand. Leaders Need To Build Trust Leaders NEED the ability to engage people in one-in-one and small group conversations. If you are in a large group and you want feedback, people will naturally want to be nice. A group of 10+ people is not going to give reliable feedback. But it’s important that leaders are able to go in and make people feel comfortable with giving you bad news, or news that they think you don't want to hear. So leaders have to build trust, and the only way to do that is in very small groups, and to lay yourself out there and say what you’re trying to do. If you can't make them believe that you're actively listening and listening to understand them, you're just going to get what they think you want to hear – and a bunch of people telling you what you want to hear is the most deadly thing that you can have in a leadership role. The Difference Between Members and Customers Associations also struggle with engagement because, increasingly, they treat members as customers. What’s the difference? Simply put, the difference between a customer and a member is the experience, and fellowship is a big part of the member experience. You have to look at your business and you have to see what you're selling, and professional associations are businesses with something to sell. However, we’ve shifted to selling CPE… and that’s not what we’re supposed to be about; that doesn’t foster fellowship. When we start looking at CPE as a revenue stream and membership as a revenue stream, it’s easy to start looking at people as customers. And when you look at customer service, you want to make sure that that individual customer has the best possible experience... and then when they're gone they're gone. So a customer relationship is something short. But a member relationship is a long-term relationship, and it's not just a relationship between the company or the association and the member. It’s about fostering the relationship between the members themselves. They need a network of peers that they know that they can rely on. They need a community, and they need that fellowship. You can look at it from the other perspective as well: as an association, your stakeholders are the members on your board. That's who gets the pay out of our efforts. In a customer relationship, your payout is to stake holders who have invested in that company so your goal is to get as much money as possible from your customers so that you can pay out to your investors. We have a completely different goal. An association’s goal is to give its membership the maximum value for the minimum price, and we've lost sight of that in many ways. The unique value proposition of state societies is the fact that they’re local. They have local networks in every community. They have a local network at the state level. They have local meetings with real people, both social and educational. When associations embrace the fact that they’re local – when they don't look to compete with national brands for CPE and don't look to compete with Facebook – they create a very strong network of professionals, and that network has incredible power. As associations, we are uniquely positioned to create human experiences and we have to come back to it. Resources: Connect with Chris: SCACPA.org | LinkedIn The Trust Edge: How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom Line by David Horsager -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our guest, Roxanne Kaufman Elliott, has spent much of her professional life exploring what makes the difference between failure and success – and she’s found that it comes down to exemplary leadership. The good news is that there’s an exemplary leader in all of us – we just need a way to unleash it. As President and i3 Leadership Master at ProLaureate Ltd., a transformational leadership development firm, Roxanne helps both individuals and organizations unleash their leadership potential and transform cultures. She’s also a certified executive coach, facilitator, award-winning business marketing strategist, and the author of Never Wear Read: A Leadership Love Story. Roxanne started her professional life in drama, and later as a theater administrator. She then made a natural segue to working at a small company manufacturing specialty resin products for the construction industry. As part of a small leadership team, they grew that small business into a thriving company… before it was purchased by a large European company. That was a pivotal and heart-breaking moment for Roxanne. She saw the business philosophy and priorities shift away from communication, cooperation, and collaboration. She had to leave. She spent years learning about leadership from different organizations and research before founding ProLaureate, where she offers three distinct coaching services: The Leadership Challenge – Primarily cultural development based off of the book of the same name, written by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner. This training often involves individual coaching with everyone in an organization. i3 Executive Coaching – One-on-one and small group coaching for executive teams that want to develop strategic leadership skills (with an emphasis on strategy). ROXTalks – Speaking engagements and keynotes for large groups or organizations covering topics like “The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership” and “The Secret Sauce.” The Leadership Challenge Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner co-authored The Leadership Challenge and created the LPI 360 assessment around the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. These practices are in schools, churches, Fortune 50 corporations, and everything in between. It's really a movement to create a shared language for leadership, level the field of what leadership is, and build genuine leadership within organizations. Each one of the five practices are the tip of an iceberg that goes deep into developing our own personal leadership, which always comes first, and then our ability to lead others. One of the things that Roxanne loves about Kouzes and Posner is that they say the key to success, in anything that we do, is to be in love. Think about it: when we're in love, we're passionate about what it is we are in love with. And, in this case, it's our business; it's our people; it's the work that we do; it's the impact that we make; it's the change that we bring. The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership that guide organizations and people to leadership success: Model the Way – Walk your talk. How many times have we had leaders say one thing and do another? Inspire a Shared Vision – This is critically important because most people struggle with vision statements, sharing visions, and getting other people to buy in. Challenge the Process – Experiment and take risks. You know the old saying if it ain't broke, don't fix it? Well, if it ain't broke, break it... and see if you can make it better. Enable Others to Act – Foster collaboration, build trust, and strengthen others by helping them develop their own competencies. Encourage the Heart – Recognize people for their contribution, celebrate values, and celebrate accomplishments (especially the little ones). A handshake, a twinkle in your eye, a genuine appreciation, and saying thank you go further than just about anything else. The last one is Roxanne’s favorite, and it is the basis for the title of her book, Never Wear Read: A Leadership LOVE Story (emphasis mine). A lot of executives balk at this idea, at first, but this is the heart of it all – this is the passion that brings success to everything we do. I appreciate Roxanne sharing so much about her experiences and coaching, and what she teaches parallels a core tenet of improvisation: providing support. Leadership can’t lead well in a silo, and teams can’t perform at their best without being given the tools they need to be successful. How can you start providing support in your life to train as a stronger leader? Resources: Connect with Roxanne: ProLaureate.com | LinkedIn | Twitter “Life’s Work: An Interview with Kevin Spacey” Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today’s returning guest, Karl Ahlrichs, is a human capitalist consultant and a far-thinking and future-planning individual. Back in episode five, we discussed some of the storms he sees coming on the horizon, particularly where HR and the next generations of employees meet. In this episode, we once again look to the future of human resources. Although our current economy is far greater now than it's been in a while, Karl sees quite a few potential problems on the horizon that we need to be better prepared to tackle, in addition to some opportunities. What’s are the big things on the horizon for employees and HR? Workers in the U.S. are very productive, and that’s what keeps our stock market alive. The volume of people working isn’t changing very much, but the volume of what we’re producing continues to climb because we’re leveraging technology and new processes. The scary thing is that it’s not going to be applied to every industry (e.g. coal industry is in trouble, but natural gas is booming). We’re going to see middle management jobs get automated and disappear. If you’re working in a job that could be automated, you need to start looking for a way to get client- or customer-facing. We are getting away from age segregation in the generations, which is great because there's been way too much millennial bashing. We need to develop better emotional intelligence, which means developing critical thinking skills, maturity, wisdom, and the communication skills necessary to speak to different kinds of people. We have to look at how young people want to learn and realize that everybody wants to learn that way. We have to gamify how we teach the core skills described above. If you make it a game, make it competitive, and get them engaged, you'll move the needle of learning. Below you can view a video of Karl explaining this process. Big data is coming in a big way. With the power of algorithms coming and the power of all of this data that we've been gathering, we can now start drilling into it. We're able now to predict what happens next, instead of tracking what happened last week. For example, synd.io is an application that, in three dimensions, maps the actual network, of your organization. You get to look at your organization - live data, real data, real time - and you can look at it like a nest of people from three dimensions. You can turn it and twist it to figure out who's important and who isn't. You can figure out who your key employees are. The one thing that people need to do this year to overcome all of the storm clouds on the horizon is listen to your high performing employees. You have to keep your top talent, and the easiest way to do that is to at least appear to listen to them (which goes back to developing emotional intelligence). Karl also recently put out a very interesting art project: a limited run of handmade and letterpressed books containing his own poetry and photography. It’s called Spaces Between Places, and it’s central theme is the loneliness of business travel. Check spacesbetweenplaces.net for news about future distribution. Resources: Learn more about Karl: ExpertSpeaks.com | KarlAhlrichs.com | Twitter | LinkedIn Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today’s interview is love at first improv. Allison Estep is a former Creative Services Associate for the Indiana Society of CPAs and a graduate of the conservatory program at Second City in Chicago. Our conversation focuses on the everyday application of improvisation skills to help us combat fear, take risks, work as a team, and become a more well-rounded person. Allison strongly believes that every person should take an improv course at some point in their life – it’s simply a great way to learn valuable life skills, like listening, managing your ego, following fear, and working as a team. As a matter of fact, improv games were originally created by Viola Spolin as a teaching tool. Getting up in front of people (in any situation) can seem like such a scary thing for people that have never been through an improv class, or don't know everything about the practice, but it's a little less scary once you realize everyone is part of the same team and everything doesn’t have to be a joke… and sometimes the most mundane things can be the funniest. Here are a few Improv Games that you can play with your team, friends, or even family. The Human Knot – Five or more people create a circle (the more the merrier!). Everyone puts their arms out and grabs another person's arm to get tangled up. As a group, you try to get untangled without anyone letting go. This game is a great way of learning how to work together as a group to figure out a problem. One Word at a Time – Two or more people try to create a cohesive sentence by speaking one word at a time. Don't think – just react. It’s a great tool for teaching people to listen to understand (and not listen to respond). Dr. Know-It-All – Three people sit in a chair and they know the answer to every question that's ever given… But they answer one word at a time. To be successful, groups they need to really park that agenda, not anticipate / get ahead of themselves, listen to what's being said, and then react to it. If you’re interested in taking the next step, find your nearest Improv school and take a class or get in touch with me about coming to your organization. Resources: Listen to This American Life 532, Act Two: “Rainy Days and Mondays” - A story about how compassion and improv help a woman with dementia -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today’s guest, Jason Michaels, is a professional entertainer, speaker, and author with astounding experience in the arts of deception. A storyteller by heart, Jason loves to blend impossible mysteries with unforgettable tales. Diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome at the age of six, Jason overcame the impossible and became an award-winning sleight of hand artist and professional speaker. He motivates audiences to see beyond their challenges and self-imposed limitations and inspires them to take action by living bigger bolder lives with his keynote program and book, You Can Do The Impossible, Too! Jason's also performs The Card Shark, a true story of scams, cons, and hustles. It is a one-man, autobiographical sleight of hand show that dives deep into the world of confidence men, fortune tellers, and charismatic magicians. If you’re not familiar, Tourette's syndrome is a neurological brain chemical disorder that manifests itself by what doctors refer to as tics, which are basically uncontrollable movements or vocalizations. Tourette’s can be a challenging disorder to overcome, particularly when your passion is on stage, but Jason has always thrived on putting himself in uncomfortable situations. Sharing that story is incredibly powerful and important because every single person feels like something in their life is impossible… but it IS possible to overcome that. This ability to overcome your fears and deal with the adversity – even the seemingly impossible – is a parallel message to the power of improvisation and Yes, And. It boils down to having a strong positive mental attitude and taking on adversity and your fears head on. Jason’s book, You Can Do The Impossible, Too!, details his journey with overcoming Tourette's syndrome to become a success in business and in life. It is a must-buy if you fall into one of these three groups of people: People who like magic and entertainment and want to read incredible adventures, stories, and crazy stunts (like attempting Houdini’s underwater torture cell on live TV). People around the world that have Tourette’s syndrome, and especially their loved ones. “I know what that's like. I know what it's like to be a kid … how do you get through the next day? Because you're having such a hard day and you're having these twitches and it's uncontrollable and it literally feels like hell … if I share my story, maybe they will learn, from my point of view, some new ways to help their loved one, their child, their sibling, whatever.” And then there's the audience of folks who want to push themselves. People who want to get outside of their comfort zone or need a message of inspiration to let them know that they're not alone. Resources: Connect with Jason: Website | Facebook | Twitter Watch Jason’s TEDx Talk You Can Do the Impossible, Too!: How One Man Overcame Tourette's Syndrome to Become an Acclaimed Professional Magician, and How You, Too, Can Live Your Biggest, Boldest Life by Jason Michaels Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode we are talking to Clarke Price, a retired CEO of the Ohio Society of CPAs and the very first guest on this podcast one year ago. We discuss how the prevalence of social media (and the decline of respectful debate) creates new challenges for leaders and we provide suggestions on how you can overcome these challenges to provide strong leadership in your organization. The Ohio Society’s record of innovative leadership during Clarke’s tenure was recognized by the American Society of Association Executives when the society was selected as one of nine remarkable associations that were part of an extensive nationwide study of successful associations The American Society of Association Executives’ publication, Seven Measures of Success: What remarkable associations do that others don't, featured the Ohio Society of CPAs as the only state-based membership organization profiled in the seven measures study. Social media fervor is making many organizations far too risk-averse. Organizations are fearful that their membership, customers, or constituency might disagree – loudly, online, demanding a penalty – with any decision or position they publicize... so they do nothing. Fear of risk leads to hesitation, which leads to inaction – and certainly doesn’t lead to innovation. From an improvisational standpoint, the inaction kills me. If we don't make bad decisions, how can we find good decision? Bad decisions are just bridges to good decisions. We need to change the current leadership trend. We can get ahead of these online movements if we train leaders to anticipate and respond to criticism appropriately. Good leadership needs to share the truth, acknowledge disagreements, and (most importantly) communicate a story. You need to tell a story about how the decision was made, why it was important, and what the consequences will be – a story full of emotion, as opposed to facts and figures – and you need to share that story in a variety of forums. Communication strategies may vary but there is one constant: you can't be silent and you can't expect problems will just play out and then go away. We should expect more, and encourage more, from our leaders; they should be prepared to actually lead, make tough decisions, and think about the future. It’s not enough to just be present. Resources: Road to Relevance: 5 Strategies for Competitive Associations by Harrison Coerver and Mary Byers 7 Measures of Success: What Remarkable Associations Do That Others Don't by Jim Collins “Chase One Rabbit: The Power of Small Wins | Philip Kim | TEDxAlbany” Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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 Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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 Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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. Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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 Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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 | susanna@live-good-life.com Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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. 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). 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. Location - You’re in a place that your competitors can’t be. 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). 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 Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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 Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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 Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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 Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today's guest, Rosemarie Rossetti, is an international speaker, consultant, writer, and publisher who walks her talk. She’s also the most adaptable person I have ever met. We have an inspiring conversation about overcoming adversity and living with conviction, and why she built the Universal Design Living Laboratory. Rosemarie's life was transformed on June 13, 1998. There was no wind, no rain, no clouds. It was a beautiful Saturday, and she was celebrating her third wedding anniversary with a couple’s bike ride. Then, suddenly, there was a loud noise and she was engulfed by a three-and-a-half ton tree. She was paralyzed from the waist down with a spinal cord injury, but Rosemarie looked deep into herself and found new strength and resolve. She had invested too much into her life to give up. In her keynote speeches, Rosemarie shares the lessons she has learned since that fateful day, and demonstrates how to rise above adversity and live life with conviction. Do something new every day. Focus on a hopeful future instead of your self-pity. Believe the impossible just might be possible. Allow more time to get things done, and be patient with yourself. To lower your stress, lower your expectations of other people. This moment also changed her career path. In addition to motivational speaking, Rosemarie speaks and consults with a focus on universal design housing, or making homes that are both livable for a lifetime and sustainable. Rosemarie and her husband want to start a discussion about the home of the future, which will marry universal design, green building, a healthy home, and technology. They built a national demonstration home and garden in Columbus, Ohio: the Universal Design Living Laboratory. It is the highest-rated universal design home in North America, earning three national certifications. They have 217 sponsors that contribute products and services necessary to build the home, either at no cost or reduced cost. You can take a virtual tour of their house on UDLL.com (bonus points if you can spot their cat). You can also pick up the first chapter of Rosemarie’s upcoming book, The Universal Design Toolkit, for free. It's a listing of the universal design features, room by room, in the house. Resources: RosemarieSpeaks.com Take a virtual tour of the Universal Design Living Laboratory Take Your Life Back! by Rosemarie Rossetti Calculate your Disability Insurance needs at LifeHappens.org Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl Disability insurance saved Rosemarie’s life. She recommends everyone in the audience purchase their own policy. If you are employed by another company, you need to talk with your HR people and learn if disability insurance is part of your current benefits, and what it covers. If you are self-employed, start contacting your financial planners and financial representatives that sell disability insurance, and get an individual policy. LifeHappens.org has a disability insurance calculator that will help you estimate the income you need to maintain to your current standard of living, which will help you in purchasing a policy. Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Courtney Kirschbaum is a human development and high performance expert who specializes in helping young professionals choose the right career and achieve mastery in it. She also successfully completed her own career transition later in life when she left the corporate accounting world to found CK Consulting. Now she is launching a new project, Job Hunt School, to impact even more young professionals. We discuss how pursuing passion and purpose help during career transitions, how the principles of improvisation will help you during the interview process, and the stress epidemic in the U.S. “They're still not teaching the things that you are really going to need to know when you walk into the job, and not only on the first day but even before that.” Courtney started consulting because she saw a leadership and development gap. Students in college aren’t being properly trained to transition from a collegiate environment to a corporate environment, or any other business environment. She attempts to fill those important gaps: Expectations in a corporate environment, and how to fulfill them. Office politics, and how to navigate them. Empathy for business owners, and how to develop it. The value of feeling like you have a stake in your job, and how to attain that. Consulting is great, but her impact is limited to the number of people she can work with on any given day. She’s reaching more young professionals through Job Hunt School. Job Hunt School is a program for recent graduates who are spinning their wheels and going through the motions, who feel like they’re doing everything they were taught, but aren’t gaining any traction. You know how to play the game, you went to the career center and learned to write a resume, but you haven’t mastered the game. Courtney’s program will offer the last 10% you need to master the game, and that last 10% can make a 100% difference in your career. If you’re interested in securing your spot in Job Hunt School, or you know someone who will be graduating soon, head over to JobHuntSchool.com. The doors open in April 2017! Resources: Connect with Courtney: Website | Twitter | Facebook Learn more about Job Hunt School Watch Courtney’s TEDxTalk: “The choices we make” Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Cathy Fyock is an author of eight books and a book coach, and she hates to write. In spite of that, she wrote most of her books in just six weeks! In this episode, Cathy shares a number of excellent and actionable tips for writing your nonfiction book, getting started when you’re struggling, and the benefits of publishing a book for you and your business. Her most recent book, Blog2Book: Repurposing Content to Discover the Book You've Already Written, is also the title of a seminar that I attended in February 2017. I really connected with what she said and, in large part, that is because she identifies with the pain of struggling to start writing, or struggling to get the words out of your head and onto the page. Before you even start the writing process, you have to prepare. Get hyper clear about why you want to write this book. Is it just because you have always wanted to write a book, or are you writing a nonfiction book around your area of expertise as a way to establish your thought leadership, get more clients, more business, or as a revenue stream? There can be a number of reasons that you may want to write. They're all legitimate, but your reason may inform how you go about writing the book. Get hyper clear on what this is book about. A lot of people get stuck because they know a lot, and they could potentially write several books, but you can only write one book at a time... and even that is sometimes tricky. What is your thesis statement? What is your 30-second commercial? Establish your target audience. Who is that reader? Get very specific about who that target market is, and then start to think about what it is that you really want a reader to know. What is it that they have questions about? What are the issues that they would want to have addressed in a book on this topic? Here’s a hot tip: To help her clients get clear on what their books are about and learn more about their audience, Cathy has “Ask Me About My Book” buttons. These are a valuable research and motivational tool because answering questions about your book will reveal what is compelling about your topic, if you have honed it properly, and get you thinking about the project more often. Now you are prepared with an outline, a reason, and a business plan. How do start writing a book, even if you hate writing? A lot of people make the mistake of starting with the first chapter, but that’s one of the hardest chapters to write. Start with whatever chapter in the middle is calling to you. The first and last are the hardest to write because you need to have that big vision of where you're going and where you've been. Just start with a page – it doesn’t matter which one. After you have something written (and that first win!), continue to write out of order. You just want to create momentum. You want to create energy and excitement for yourself, because this is a big and arduous task. Don’t get hung up on editing. You need to write the book first, then you can edit it. Writing and editing are two different brain functions, so trying to do them both simultaneously is exhausting. Just get it all out there, raw, and polish it later. Learn when you write best. Early in the writing process, set timed writing sessions in the morning, afternoon, and late at night to assess when you are most productive. You may not be a morning person but still do your best writing in the morning. Learn where you write best. Try writing in different environments to see where you are the most productive. Some people thrive in a hectic environment (like the coffee shop or a restaurant), but others need to be in a cave. Use writing prompts. Just google the term, use an app, or think about something weird. The most different writing prompts can sometimes produce the most creative results, because thinking about two disparate subjects can result in lateral thinking. Practice time blocking. Schedule the times that you will write, put them on your calendar, commit to actually blocking off that time, and be very detailed with your plans. You don’t have to finish a whole chapter. Give yourself one small, but achievable, goal with each time block so that you can continue racking up wins. Another way to chunk out the writing process, and the premise of her most recent book, is to write a blog first. You still need a plan and a theme, but writing 500-1000 words once or twice a week is much easier to chew than a whole book. By the end of the year, you will have a great outline for your next book, and you can use the blog to market the book throughout the process. After you are done writing, publishing a book offers distinct benefits for you and your business. It can increase your authority in the eyes of your clients, customers, and prospects and differentiate your business from the competition. Your book is your new business card. If you give someone your traditional business card, more likely than not it's going to end up in the trash can. However, no one throws away a book. It can sit on a desk, on a shelf, or anywhere. People can see your book, and every time they do you've made another impression in their mind... or, worst case scenario, they give the book to someone else. Another touch point. If you are thinking about a book, don't know where to start, or lack clarity, get in touch with Cathy for a complimentary strategy session. She wants to help you get started! Resources: Connect with Cathy: Website | Facebook | YouTube Blog2Book: Repurposing Content to Discover the Book You've Already Written If you are thinking about a book, don't know where to start, or lack clarity, get in touch with Cathy for a complimentary strategy session. Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today I’m excited to share a conversation with the hilarious Rik Roberts, who provides clean comedy and creative keynote presentations. Rik also provides excellent comedy education in the School of Laughs, which includes a hilarious podcast of the same name and comedy classes that will help anyone who wants to add more humor to their writing. Before Rik transitioned to the corporate speaking world, he spent years on the road as a stand up comedian. On the road, he learned many of the basics of comedy writing that he applies in presentations, and teaches to others, today. “An artist removes things so that you can see the beauty of the art, whereas a laborious person would just use everything to show you that they can do it.” If you want to master the art of comedy, you have to understand the economy of words. Rik uses the metaphor of a sculpture to illustrate why this is so important: if you give a sculpture 30 pounds of clay, they will remove pieces of it until they reveal a piece of art. They don’t add anything but their perspective. To communicate effectively, comedians have to cut out anything excess. This is a skill that will help with presenting in front of any group, too. In stand up comedy, the speaker usually wants to keep moving at a good pace. Laughs Per Minute are important. However, that isn’t necessarily the case in other speaking engagements. At corporate speaking events, or when speaking to other people in a professional environment, it’s important that the speaker isn’t just talking at the audience – the speaker needs to have a conversation with the audience and listen to what they say. When you are speaking in a professional environment, you need to slow down and hear what you are saying, as if it is the first time you are saying it, because that’s how the audience is receiving it. If you speak too quickly, you may blow past the key takeaways without giving your audience the time they need to process. It takes a lot of practice, but good speakers are comfortable with silences, when they speak in professional environments. “Listening to hear, not just to respond, is really key.” Having a conversation with your audience also helps when communicating with Millennials and the generation under them. The younger generations value experiences, so they don’t want to just sit there and listen. They want you to engage them. Way back when, before Rik was even in stand up, he was an improvisational comedian, and he’s still teaching improv skills and using improv exercise to help his audiences. The basic elements of Improv – like trust, team building, and listening – are things that every company and every organization needs, and sometimes all they need is a facilitator to show them how to do it. If you are interested in hiring Rik to perform comedy or deliver a creative keynote, you can find more information on RikRoberts.com. If you want to hone your own comedy writing skills, you can take Rik’s online comedy course at SchoolOfLaughs.com. While you’re there, check out his podcast! I was interviewed on episode 80, where we discussed how I fell in love with improv, how I was dubbed the “Accidental Accountant,” and a lot more. Resources: Connect with Rik: Website | Facebook | Twitter Take Rik’s Online Comedy Class Listen to Rik interview Peter on his podcast on School of Laughs Ep. 80 Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today we’re excited to have returning guest John Kelley, Chief People Officer at White Castle Systems. We discuss how the skills of improvisation relate to change management, and how being a family business affects their company culture. Change management is the process of identifying and implementing necessary changes during a major business transition, whether that is a merger, a shift in culture, or a new building. White Castle Systems moved into their headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, in 1934. Currently, it houses four or more generations of family and team members, from the Baby Boomers to the youngest generation of workers. They need a bigger space, and a space that better aligns with White Castle’s mission, vision, and core values moving into the future. They’re building a new headquarters that the company can use for another 80 plus years, and that requires a great deal of change management. John faces cultural change management decisions to at almost every level in the company: How are the work spaces designed for both collaboration and to allow privacy? How can they make the space a place where people want to work, while offering the freedom to work anywhere? How can they make shared spaces that people want to go to? How do they keep things both open and secure? To answer these questions, John is practicing one of the key pieces, and often most difficult pieces, of improvisation: listening. They are listening to consultants, touring the buildings of other companies in the industry, and conducting in-depth one-on-one interviews with their team. John won’t be able to please everyone. However, by focusing on the company’s mission, vision, and core values – and asking why every decision they make is in line with those three things – they will be set up for success during the transition. “Do all you can to listen and give people the opportunity to share. Make sure you're listening and not coming in with your solutions” -- Resources: Take the Yes, And Challenge -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Korean Proverb Shijaki banida: “The start is half the task.” Today’s guest, Phil Kim, is a highschool dropout turned accidental accountant turned tenured educator and professional speaker. He shares the remarkable story about how he fell into a hole and then turned his life around by chasing BIG goals through small actions. In December 2016, Phil gave a talk at TEDxAlbany called “Chase One Rabbit: The Power of Small Wins” (related to his book of the same name). Phil based his TED talk on a Confucian saying: “If you chase both rabbits, you catch neither.” The book and TED Talk both explain how we can use focus, accountability, and small wins to achieve more. Reach high. Expand and stretch yourself beyond what you think you can do. Choose a single, big priority. Chase the rabbit. Take your singular goal and break it down into smaller, doable chunks or small action steps. Intentional Accountability. You have your goal and you have your action steps. Now you need some sort of accountability, either with just one or two people or through a small community (like a mastermind). There's a theory called the the paradox of choice. It suggests giving users too many choices causes them to worry about making the wrong decision, so they don't make any decision at all. Too many choices can effectively lead to no choice. So don’t try to do everything at once. Finish your top priority and then move onto your second priority. We’re almost done with the first quarter of 2017 (wow that was fast!). I want you to watch Phil’s TED Talk or read his book and then reflect on your goals for the year. Do you have too many? Are they ambitious enough? Prioritize your goals and get hyper focused on just one rabbit – you might surprise yourself with how much you accomplish. You can watch Phil’s first TED Talk on YouTube or pick up his books on Amazon. -- Resources: Phil’s TedX Talk: “Chase One Rabbit: The Power of Small Wins” Read Phil’s books: Chase One Rabbit: 10 Habits that Move You from Failure to Success
Zebras & Ostriches: 5 Simple Rules to Engage and Retain Your Best People -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today’s guest, Maureen Zappala, is a rocket scientist turned professional speaker. She shares how we can get over the fear of public speaking and the Imposter Syndrome. The Imposter Syndrome is a concept describing high-achieving individuals who are marked by the inability to internalize their accomplishments and have a persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud. We all fight it and Maureen has some great advice to help you move past this syndrome. It’s important to understand that the Imposter Syndrome is not a confidence issue – it's a cognitive issue. It takes confidence to achieve most things worth achieving… but many people then experience a cognitive distortion separating themselves from their accomplishments. A big part of getting beyond the syndrome is identifying yourself with the accomplishments. It is putting yourself in the place of the person who did the work, and accepting that it’s not somebody outside of you or a set of circumstances that allowed it to happen. You created it, you did it, and now you need to own. Another critical part of getting over the imposter syndrome is recognizing its prevalence: you are NOT the only one suffering. Everyone can start moving past the issue when it is addressed, but sometimes it takes someone like Maureen to come in and start the conversation. If you suffer from the Imposter Syndrome, you need to accept that there is no possible way you can know everything about the position you're in, the technology you're involved with, the company you work for, or the reach that you can have. There's no possible way, so you need to let yourself off the hook. Practice saying “I don’t know yet, let me get back to you.” I greatly appreciate Maureen taking the time to share her important advice. If you are interested in having Maureen speak at your organization, you can contact her at MaureenZ.com. -- Resources: Connect with Maureen: MaureenZ.com | Facebook -- Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Did you know that… when a customer stops doing business with a company, 68% of the time it's because they feel ignored, underappreciated, or taken for granted? when an employee quits, 67% of the time it's because of their manager? only 42% of employees say that they received any kind of recognition in the past year? Those surprising statistics show why we need today’s guest, Lisa Ryan, and her business, Grategy, LLC. Grategy is a portmanteau of gratitude and strategy. The company teaches other organizations how to keep their top talent engaged, enthusiastic, and committed to long-term employment by harnessing the power of appreciation in the workplace. “You keep your employees AND your best clients from becoming someone else’s by the way you treat them.” You might be saying, “Hey, why should I thank my employees for doing their job?” Well, if you want your employees to give you their blood, their sweat, and their tears, that's what you do: you acknowledge them. As an added bonus, it costs nothing! On top of all that, you’ll see tangible results in your team’s productivity, attitude, and overall profitability to the company if you take the time to look at your people as more than employee IDs. Appreciated employees are more profitable in the short-term and retaining them will save you money in the the long-term. The process of hiring a new, minimum wage employee can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $16,000. That’s a big ROI for a change in attitude! Another way to show appreciation is to invest in your employees, and to invest in all of them. Investing in everyone creates connections, conversations, and opportunities for people to learn and grow together. If you empower someone with an opportunity to grow, they just might surprise you. Employers need to be sincere, be consistent, and can’t put a compliance factor around it. Lisa is inspiring an incredibly necessary attitude change in business environments. As the Baby Boomers retire and a new generation fills in the workforce, you will want those employees to feel appreciated and respected – you want them to work for you. Remember: show appreciation and gratitude to your talent so you can keep them on the payroll. Resources: Sign up for your FREE Gratitude Thought of The Week at Grategy.com Connect with Lisa: Lisa (at) Grategy.com Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today’s guest, David Crone, is a corporate entertainer, ventriloquist, speaker, and sometimes IT guy. He’s on the show to share his hilarious stories and teach us why work should be fun. David’s personal and business growth have been driven by a desire to be a great entertainer, not just a great performer. Great performers have great technical skills. As a ventriloquist, that means manipulating the puppet, working on the voices, not moving his lips, writing material, and finding good jokes. But there’s an art to entertainment that goes beyond performance. Great entertainers go beyond great technical skills. They still have the technical skills in their back pocket, but the entertainment comes from passion, feeling, and connecting with the audience. Good entertainers can bring a room together. “If you just hit every note right that’s not music. That’s playing all the notes right. That’s playing what’s on the page... But if you go to a concert and listen to some great pianist, their passion comes through in the variation and their feeling comes out through playing the music. You forget how many notes are being played and you just get sucked up in the moment.” David believes that great managers should also be great entertainers. They should transcend technical acumen and incorporate human relationships. How do you create a culture that encourages working with other people and enjoys the process of creating? For David, the simple answer is fun – people work better when they’re having fun. David has found that imperfection is actually a very powerful leadership technique that is conducive to a fun atmosphere. It may sound odd, but he sees teams working better and happier when the boss allows his or herself to accept mistakes and be vulnerable because it doesn’t hold the employees up to an unrealistic standard. When employees are avoiding mistakes and walking on eggshells, they’re also unlikely to take risks that can benefit a company. Of course, there is a limit to mistakes. Making a mistake is fine – repeating them is not. If you want to learn more about how to make your workplace more fun, head over to WorkShouldBeFun.com. If you are interested in hiring David to entertain at one of your events, head over to ImNoDummy.com. Resources: Hire David for your own event at ImNoDummy.com Learn how to make your office more fun at WorkShouldBeFun.com Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jeff Jackson is a husband, a father, a speaker, a salesman, a published author, a superhero in training, an accidental accountant, and a daddy blogger. His blog, Daddy is Best, was named one of the Top 50 Dad Blogs by BabySpot. On his blog, Jeff keeps his creative spark lit while discussing the role of the modern dad. Jeff is a baby boomer, and his father was part of The Silent Generation. His dad wasn’t an active participant in raising him, so he didn’t learn a lot about being a daddy when he was growing up. Now, Jeff is a little bit older and learning to be a daddy on the job. By connecting with other fathers on social media, Jeff has noticed that many modern dads struggle with filling a more significant role in their kids’ lives. They don’t always know where to go for support. He’s trying to fill that gap. Jeff is also an accidental accountant. He didn’t particularly like accounting, but he sees how he can help provide value to the profession as the need for accountants in small businesses grows over the next 5-10 years. Jeff wants to combine his sales, accounting and speaking experiences to teach accountants how to sell themselves, and to dispel two accountant stereotypes: The Bearer of Bad News. Accountants are often considered the person who shows up when there’s a problem. As an accountant, you have the power to change that by forming personal relationships with the people you work with. You need to become a trusted business advisor. Just A Cost of Doing Business. Accountants are not just a necessary cost. Great accountants provide great value. You just need to learn how to communicate that value to your customers or clients. I appreciate Jeff coming on the show to share the many turns on his journey. Be sure to check out Daddy is Best to read the comedic stylings of a marketer turned actor turned accountant turned salesman turned father. Resources: Learn more about Jeff: Daddy Is Best | Twitter | Facebook Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Do you know the difference between time management and energy management? If you’re a CPA, accountant or anyone that's entering their peak revenue season, this podcast is a must-listen. We have a number of tips and techniques on how to get the most energy out of ourselves and how to generate more energy when we need it. Greg Conderacci is an expert on energy management. He wrote Getting Up!: Supercharging Your Energy and rode his bicycle across the United States of America in 18 days averaging 150 miles a day. He really understands energy management. Greg believes that we should move away from those old time management techniques into a new and more productive method of managing our energy. “We’re kinda missing the boat here in the 21st century by talking about time management time management time management when, really, I think this is the century of energy management.” The emphasis on time management goes back a couple hundred years. When most people in the U.S. worked on farms, the day started when the sun came up and it ended when the sun went down. During the Industrial Revolution, there was a concerted effort to make people think of time laterally. People on assembly lines were taught to think of time in terms of minutes and hours. We are still victims to this time management mentality, especially in our education system. Not a lot of people work on assembly lines anymore, so why do we still have that mentality? We need to focus on where we add value – and we add value with our energy. “If you look at people who are making fabulous amounts of money, they're making fabulous amounts of money because of the value that they're adding – not because of the time they’re spending.” The key is to focus on energy flows. None of us are at 100% peak all day long so you should take note of the times that you are most efficient and effective and schedule the most intellectually challenging work at those times. After that, Greg has two big suggestions for maximizing the amount of energy you have in those times: Get at least seven hours of sleep. Drink a lot of water. Your energy is maximized when you have seven hours of good sleep (so don’t drink yourself to sleep!). On top of getting energy, your brain is also working while you’re asleep. You can literally solve problems in your sleep. There’s also value to the idea of a midday siesta, or an afternoon power nap. Most people are at their lowest energy between 2:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon, anyway. Sleep or rest will charge your batteries and make you more productive for the rest of the day. The last part of the equation are all of the energy suckers in your environment. We have technology, we have instant messaging, we have texting, we have constant interruptions and, if that's not enough, we’ll pull out our cell phones. Discipline will save your energy. “We're working on a scarce resource. We should manage our time carefully, there’s no question about that, but we keep thinking it's going to give us more time – it's not!” If you have energy and you are purposeful about using it on your most intellectually challenging work, then you can maximize productivity by doing less challenging tasks when you have less energy. Emails don’t need to be checked first thing in the morning. I greatly appreciate Greg coming on the show to share these extremely valuable tips for getting the most out of our energy. A lot of accountants are going to have a much better busy season if they put his advice into action. Resources: Getting Up!: Supercharging Your Energy by Greg Conderacci Connect with Greg at MorePersonalEnergy.com Valuable articles for the busy season: “3 Critical Areas of Personal Well-Being During Busy Season” “Communication Will Matter This Season” “Manage Your Busy Season With a Dose of Humor” “Be the Leader Your Team Needs This Season” “Your Busy Season Sitcom”
Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Matt Horan is a professional development consultant with experience in engineering, practicing law, the Navy and management. In this episode, he explores why we need to be teaching people leadership skills earlier, before they are leaders. He also offers, possibly for the first time ever in a podcast, a good definition for “adding value.” Some people naturally want to be leaders and some people are thrust into leadership, but it doesn’t matter which camp you fall under – everybody needs to learn how to be a good leader before they can actually lead effectively. If you have never had the opportunity to lead, where do you start? Self-awareness. It's understanding your own strengths, skills, priorities, values and expectations. “If you know yourself, then you can start to lead other people because to lead people you need to set expectations with those people.” Set goals based on what you want to achieve. Find a mentor, and don’t be afraid to ask someone to be your mentor. Matt rejects the notion of “fake it ‘till you make it.” It’s a bad way to be a leader or a team member. A self-aware and honest leader is able to say they don’t know something in order to better understand it, and they’re able to speak up when they make a mistake. What do you need to learn to be a good leader? You have to be able to say you made a mistake, when you make a mistake. You have to be able to say you don’t know something. You have to actively add value to everything you work on. You have to be present, in the moment and focused – just like in Improv! You have to create a culture where people want to do the same. The Matt Horan School of Adding Value says adding value is basically your thoughts, your perception of how you think this should go, and being able to communicate that in a manner that somebody else can understand. It’s a critical skill for good leaders. I greatly appreciate Matt coming on to share his insight and wonderful stories – he’ll definitely be back again soon. Resources: Connect with Matt on LinkedIn Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We talk about how learning improvisational skills can be a valuable tool in your continued professional education (CPE) all the time. Today, we’re learning how other comedy skills can help hone different presentation and communication skills for professionals. Greg Kyte is the Founder of Comedy CPE, a stand-up comedian, a CPA and a cartoonist. In other words: he is a standup comedian, with a niche in accounting. We go into detail about the ways in which humor helps break down barriers in the workplace to facilitate open and honest communication. We also discuss how putting yourself in uncomfortable situations, and overcoming that discomfort, can improve your performance in every aspect of our lives. “The humor that I can bring to the job really breaks down barriers, breaks down people's defenses, and it makes for some real open and honest communication – which, in the long run, really helps me be more effective at what I do.” As a special treat, Greg shares one of his biggest claims to fame as a standup: opening for Weird Al Yankovic. It was an… interesting experience, to say the least. You can learn more about Greg at ComedyCPE.com or on Twitter @GregKyte. Resources: ComedyCPE.com Follow Greg on Twitter: @GregKyte Enjoy Greg’s accounting cartoons on Going Concern Listen to The THRIVEal Podcast Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today’s guest, Randy Nelson, is CEO of Gold Dolphins, LLC author of "The Second Decision: The Qualified Entrepreneur.” It’s a wonderful book that has changed the way I lead my own business. The first decision is your decision to start a business. The titular Second Decision comes in after the business is up and running smoothly. The Second Decision is whether or not you, as a Founder of a business, are the right person to run a business. The book helps you answer the question, “Am I the right person to lead this company for the next 3-5 years?” Randy defines five roles in the book – three are qualified to help run a business and two are not. The Leader is the person who is at CEO and wants to be the person to lead the company’s future. The Role Player is the person who doesn’t want to lead the company but has their own expertise, and they might fill a position like Chariman of the board. The Creator is the person who loves getting businesses off the ground, they’re a startup person, but they aren’t passionate about running a business. The Dabbler is the person who wants cash but isn’t interesting in learning everything they need to learn to build a business. Status Quo is the person who is happy where they are at. Randy models his qualification system around the tests he went through to become a submarine pilot. It features a qualification card that asks you every question anyone will need to be able to answer to run a business for the foreseeable future, built around the top reasons companies fail or underperform. “I really am pushing leaders for self-awareness on whether they are the right person in that right seat. It's a combination of self-confidence and self-awareness. If you have both, it's a powerful combo. If it's just the self-confidence piece without the self-awareness, it’s a risk.” Randy wants leaders reading the book to be more self-aware of the role they are best at and enjoy the most. It’s okay if you aren’t the leader and don’t have a role to play in running a stable company – you just have to be self-aware enough to hire someone better suited for that role or leave the company behind. Randy is currently working on “The Third Decision,” which will explore how leaders and entrepreneurs can avoid some regrets in their lives by being more self aware of the decisions they make in their personal lives. If you haven’t already, pick up "The Second Decision: The Qualified Entrepreneur" and become more self-aware about the role you should have in your business. It’s a must buy. Resources: "The Second Decision: The Qualified Entrepreneur” by Randy Nelson Learn more about Randy and Leadership on www.randyhnelson.com Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bob Dean is a collaborator, innovator and talent developer. His firm, Dean Learning & Talent Advisors LLC, consults with companies on learning and development, talent management and customer experience. “I believe that learning and development needs to be a life-changing experience for people.” He is a ”Certified Experience Economy Expert” and joined the first group of professionals certified by the authors of The Experience Economy, Joseph Pine and Jim Gilmore. The book explores the opportunities that businesses have in order to create a better experience within whatever platform they’re on. Bob is passionate about virtual meetings, virtual collaboration and virtual learning – he has been ever since he saw the first virtual meeting platform in 1997 – but the PowerPoint platform has had a negative impact on both face-to-face business and virtual experiences. Bob was very excited about the potential for the virtual classroom because he envisioned subject matter experts being able to extend their reach to many, many more people than they ever could in a classroom. He thought we would have a revolution on learning with virtual classrooms. Unfortunately, we’re 20 years later and it really has not taken off as much as he had hoped and expected, and a lot of that is due to the challenges with virtual facilitation. “I really believe that, as businesses go global and as the Millennials become such a significant part of the workforce, that virtual learning, virtual meetings will become a differentiator for many companies.” Bob has used a lot of virtual web platforms, but ThinkTank is the game changer for virtual collaboration. ThinkTank is over 25 years old and the company developed many of the guiding principles for best practices in collaboration, including the importance of anonymity. Anonymity is a critical element of virtual collaboration and education because participants are more honest, open and eager to participate. When participants are collaborating anonymously, they still need a virtual facilitator who is able to direct the process and optimize productivity. Bob believes virtual facilitation will be a core competency for future professionals. Facilitation requires two key skills: Confidence. You need the confidence to direct people who you can’t see or identify. Improvisation. You're dealing with the unknown so you have to be listening to what is being said, whether that listening is what has been written or on the call, and you have to be completely focused in order to adapt to the situation. “I think the relevance of improv is greater now, in business, than it ever has been” Improvisational skills are viewed by many business people as something that is fun and out-of-the-box, but not necessarily totally relevant to the way they interact with each other or with clients. However, in a world with instant communication, instant responses are critical to both face-to-face interactions and virtual interactions. It requires some level of improvisation to be able to respond quickly, with helpful information. Improvisational facilitation ties back into the experience economy because working with different participants and adapting ThinkTank to provide different types of classroom experiences allows participants to retain more information than they would from a PowerPoint-driven type of presentation. I greatly appreciate Bob for taking the time out of his schedule to teach us about virtual learning, virtual collaboration and virtual facilitation, and how they relate to improvisation. Resources: ThinkTank The Experience Economy by Joseph Pine and Jim Gilmore Yes, And by Second City Look by Jim Gilmore Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2016 flew by faster than a european swallow, or maybe that's an African swallow? Well, in any case, on June 27th this podcast was launched with the intent to help my audience strengthen their communication and leadership skills through improvisation. I wasn't sure what I was walking into but I did tell myself that I needed to invest a year's worth of time to see if this was right for my business and I can answer that question right now with a resounding, “Yes!” This episode includes a short review of the past 29 episodes and my favorite quotes. For more information and to see all the quotes, visit my website: PeterMargaritis.com/podcasts Resources: Want to be a guest? Send me an email: Peter (at) PeterMargaritis.com Gaitten Wellness Listen to the cbuzz podcast (hosted by Dan Swartwout) Trusty & Company: Website | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn College Bound Advantage Gratitude Marketing by Mike Sciortino Stop Knocking on my Door: Drama Free HR by Karen Young Accounting Dreams and Delusions: Scenes From Professional Paradise, and What Really Happens in the Accounting Industry by Kristen Rampe The Message of You by Judy Carter The Message of You Journal by Judy Carter The Comedy Bible by Judy Carter Learned Leadership by Greg Kozera Just The Fracks, Ma’am: The TRUTH about hydrofracking and the next great American boom by Greg Kozera The Intuitive Therapist by Janis Cohen Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today’s guest, Dr. Jay Young, just launching College Bound Advantage to provide more value and information to any college applicants, and their families, in the Ohio area. At College Bound Advantage, Jay will use his 20 years of academic experience and months of in-depth campus research to provide applicants with a trail map and all of the information they will need to make the best decision. His expertise and knowledge is only $549 – well under the $3,000 it costs, on average, to hire a college consultant. “People look for colleges but it's really like hiking without a trail map.” When people apply to colleges, they are often going into the experience somewhat blind. College consultants and school counselors have a keen understanding of the academic timeline and the best strategies for applying to a college, but they don’t necessarily know about academic programs. Jay’s primary focus is on academic programs. He’s interested in the ways that they are connected to each other and the kinds of opportunities they provide students, both while attending and after graduating. College applicants really don't know what they don't know and they don't really know what to look for – and they certainly might not know where to begin or where to go. Now there’s College Bound Advantage. “I do what college consultants don't do and I do what high school counselors don't do. I know colleges in Ohio and I know their academic programs, I know their co-curricular programs and I know the trade-offs that result from the connections between those.” Jay went to more than 50 Ohio colleges to prepare for his launch. When he visits a campus, he makes sure to do at least three things: A student-led campus tour to see the campus and talk to students who are actually attending there. A meeting with admissions to talk generally about programs, what schools they compete with, what they're proud of, what's going well and what's new. A meeting with a faculty member who is in one of the programs that they are particularly proud of to talk specifically about the program as a whole other similar programs in Ohio the best programs outside of this school important accreditations required academic standards
Speaking with faculty members in unfamiliar, different disciplines helped Jay dive deep into how academic programs are structured and organized, what represents a quality program, and what doesn't – even outside of the business programs, which he is very familiar with. When you come to Jay at College Bound Advantage, he will go through a three-step process to give the student and their family an edge. Intake – Transcripts, standardized test scores, personality test and a short interview to establish the student’s and family’s top priorities. Jay also educates the family on issues related to student debt. Trail Map – The trail map basically provides them feedback on the personality inventory, re-identifies the criteria that were discussed and prioritized, then identifies five to eight colleges that meet those criteria. For each school, he then provides feedback on how each criteria is or isn’t met and exactly the ways in which the school meets them. Coaching – Depending on the majors and what the student prioritizes, Jay provides a set of things to make sure the student covers and to make sure they do when they visit campus, so that they make those campus visits meaningful and better enable them to make the best decision. “I can help them get to the right schools to look at the right programs and ask the right questions so they can make the best decision.” I greatly appreciate Jay taking the time to talk about his new business endeavor. It’s an insane value proposition for the price he is asking, so I highly recommend heading over to College Bound Advantage to learn more or email DrJay (at) collegeboundadvantage.com to discuss a consultation. Resources: Learn More: College Bound Advantage Get in Toch: DrJay (at) collegeboundadvantage.com Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today’s guest on the show is Jamie Richardson, the Vice President of Government and Shareholder relations at White Castle Systems, Inc., the Chairman of the Ohio Restaurant Association, and a family-owned business advocate. “It's 95 years ago that the epicenter of all cravings was launched, and we’re going better and bigger and having more fun than ever.” White Castle is celebrating its 95th birthday this year – and its 95th year as a family-owned business. Jamie is an advocate for family-owned businesses. He believes it is important for family-owned businesses to share their story with thought leaders and lawmakers, whether that's at the state level or the federal level, to ensure that lawmakers consider the impact that new policies might have on family-owned businesses. Jamie believes that family businesses are unique in a number of ways. “They are very distinctive… because a lot of the the businesses that are known for treating their team members well… tend to be family businesses.” Being family-owned gives them the freedom and flexibility to make good decisions for the long haul. Family-owned businesses are less likely to get caught up in what Jamie calls “the sudden tug” in an emergency. “We feel it gives us an anchor and we call it the base of all metaphysics here in Castle Land.” Jamie is also a great networker, which comes down to being a great friend. Jamie approaches community engagement and networking events as opportunities to make new friends, and that opens him up to connect and start helping them more easily. Jamie engages with local communities, professional communities and charitable communities because it opens him up to a more diverse network of friends from different industries, different backgrounds, different worldviews and different perspectives. When you start to listen to people and genuinely appreciate them, then networking can begin to unlock some doors. “The greatest part of networking is about friendships, and part of that friendship is being a good listener.” Since 2008, Jamie has seen bigger barriers to entry in the foodservice industry, and more restaurants are going out of business. These barriers are put in place by regulators at the local, state and federal level – often with good intentions – and it puts a strain on an industry that already operates with compressed margins. The impact of regulation is real. The struggle to remain profitable is only made more difficult by the fact that these threats are often more external than they are the result of a foodservice company’s own decisions. “We think it's our responsibility to focus on being good citizens and let them know what the real world looks like.” I appreciate Jamie for taking the time to talk to me. He’s a great person and a great friend, and that has taken him a long way in his career. Resources: Get in touch with Jamie on LinkedIn Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke by Podcast Masters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today on Improv Is No Joke I am talking to Janis R. Cohen, a licensed clinical social worker and author of The Intuitive Therapist. She has been a practicing therapist for the past 25 years, but eight years ago her practice changed dramatically when Janis’ intuitive and psychic skills opened up and her practice completely shifted. Janis is a clairvoyant, an empath and a medium. Janis’ goal in life is to teach other people. She wrote The Intuitive Therapist because she wants therapists to know how to do what she does so that they can help their clients faster and more effectively. It offers both professionals and laypeople effective strategies for getting in touch with the major driving system within them – their intuition. “I am addicted. I am obsessed with helping people end their pain and suffering.” She also wants to provide real, tried-and-true strategies about how to problem-solve on your own. She will do whatever it takes to help her clients achieve happiness, and all of that together was the impetus for her writing the book. Janis has a seven-step process to strengthen your intuition: Intention – Start with the genuine intention of noticing and connecting with your intuition. Be aware – Be aware of everything around you and within you. Imagine – Be in a space of fun and fantasy, in which you are open to receiving the messages. Write It Down – Validate that your intuition has the strength and ability to guide you and lead you in all the right directions by writing down your experience. Acting – It's taking what you become aware of, noticing what's going on and just going and doing. Trust – Trust what you get. What many five-sensory people do with intuition is they immediately discard the immediate sense that they get. Environment – Live in a space that validates that your intuition plays a key role in your decision-making, your relationships, your job and how you show up in this world. There’s an interesting cross section between intuition, improvisation and service professionals. It’s all about serving your client or audience. The strategies that Janis employs are similar to the strategies that all service professionals should employ – there's a know, like and trust factor that dictates if your client will buy in. They have to know you are adaptable to their needs and like you as a person before they can offer you their trust. I’ve known Janis for years, but I really enjoyed learning more about her life, her process and her business – and I absolutely loved reading The Intuitive Therapist. It made me think in different ways, which I always love to do, and I appreciate Janis for taking the time to write something that helps people. -- [smart_track_player url="x" social="true" social_twitter="true" social_facebook="true" social_gplus="true" ] Download this Episode MP3. -- This week’s Improv article: Type article description here, then link it. What To Listen For In This Episode: T T T T Resources: Learn more about Janis The Intuitive Therapist by Janis Cohen -- Transcript: Click to download the full Transcript PDF. Type here
Production & Development for Improv Is No Joke 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: Launch Apple’s podcast app Tap the search tab Enter “Improv Is No Joke” in the search bar Tap the blue search key at the bottom right Tap the album art for the podcast Tap the reviews tab 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 spent 10 years in higher education, with eight of those years at The Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio. One of the great benefits of being a professor is seeing your students graduate and start developing wonderful careers. Today, I’m excited to be joined by one of my former students, Ashley Matthews, Senior Tax Manager at Rea & Associates. A constant struggle in public accounting is that work is always being added, but never subtracted – and this issue was exacerbated by the economic downturn in 2008. Public accounting practices became leaner and hiring slowed down to a crawl. The result is a gap in experienced senior managers, because there were so few new hires 5-8 years ago. CPAs rising in the industry need to be adaptable and maintain an open line of communication with the people they work for, in addition to their clients. “I found that you have to be stern and you have to mean what you say in order to be taken seriously. People have a tendency to pile on and see how much you'll take, and so pushing back is always appropriate.” People who are not in public accounting, and clients, may not think of the word adaptability and CPA in the same sentence, but CPAs must be adaptable to everyday occurrences in order to be successful. If you're not adapting, you may be way too rigid and start losing clients and business. “This definitely is not a profession for someone who wants to come in and sit at their desk and have their day planned out and be predictable and get their to-do list done every day and punch the clock and go home.” CPAs like Ashley, who are often Millennials, are fighting the stereotype of an awkward business person chained to a desk counting beans. At Rea & Associates, they want clients to view them as trusted business advisors who understand all aspects of the clients’ businesses so that they can help the clients improve their businesses. Ashley and her associates are trying to break the CPA mold not only in the eyes of the outside world, but also in the eyes of their clients. “We're working, especially here at Rey, for our clients to view us as their trusted business advisor.” The role of a trusted business advisor is changing, and that’s why CPAs are providing excellent value to the firm and to the client when they’re able to adapt. Ashley discussed what her ideal public accounting firm will look like in the future. A successful firm will: embrace changing technology be transparent about partner succession and upward mobility with its employees be smart about the work that they do and when they do it realize that the best decisions and some of the best relationships are made when CPAs are out from behind their desk and really talking to people “If you're doing the same thing today as you were doing three years ago, then you're missing the boat.” I really enjoyed talking to my former student Ashley, and she offered an enlightening glimpse into the minds of a hungry generation of young professionals who are currently working their way up the ladder, in every industry. I expect we’ll be learning more about communication, technology and business relationships from Partner Ashley Matthews in no time at all. Resources: Rea & Associates Listen to the unsuitable on Rea Radio 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 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: Launch Apple’s podcast app Tap the search tab Enter “Improv Is No Joke” in the search bar Tap the blue search key at the bottom right Tap the album art for the podcast Tap the reviews tab 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 Free@JudyCarter.com. “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 mark@pro-active-cpa.com 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: I had a coach I worked at it 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: Kristen@KristenRampe.com 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
Today I’m excited to be talking with Hayden Williams, a national leader in CPA education. Hayden is Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Education at the Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants (WSCPA). Hayden started as a CPA almost 20 years ago. He was a staff accountant at a small firm in Arizona before moving to Director of Finance at the Arizona Society of CPAs. Following his dream to live in the North West, Hayden became CFO of WSCPA. After two years with WSCPA, Hayden transferred to Vice President of Education. Hayden and the education department at the WSCPA provide about 1000 webcasts and webinars to their members. 300 are live programs, and the WSCPA actually webcasts about 100 of those live programs. There are also 15 conferences, 5 of which are webcast. “In the last seven years, education has changed dramatically with the introduction of the Internet. The Internet was always here, but when the downturn in the economy came … there was an onslaught of education being provided via the Web.” This includes self-study programs, webcasts and webinars, and that changed the landscape totally for CPE, where the state society or a county bar association had a geographic lock on education. That doesn’t exist anymore. Seven years ago WSCPA might have had 400 live programs and a few conferences, but they have actually cut back on live offerings to start producing webcasts. If you aren’t familiar, there is a difference between a webcast and a webinar. A webcast is a video and audio presentation with a power point. A webinar is the audio with a power point. The difference is that you have a talking head on a webcast. Some entities will market their webinars as webcasts, but you should expect a live presenter in a webcast. Before Hayden was VP of Education, WSCPA did their first live webcast. They had 300 people from all over the country attend the 990 course via webcast. “That always stuck in the back of my mind, so I thought we should be doing this on a regular basis.” Now, WSCPA has really embraced technology. They have partnerships with five or six states in which the WSCPA provides webcasts for those states, and the WSCPA purchases webcasts from other entities. “We really embrace that technology and we’re not worried about saturating the market. We will have a class on 1040s, and three days later we’ll have a webcast of 1040. What we’re trying to do is penetrate the market as much as possible with all forms of CPE.” Seven years ago, the WSCPA came up with the concept of the One-Stop Shop. They endeavor to provide all of the self-study, webcasts, webinars, and conferences and live seminars that a CPA will need, in one digital location. They haven’t grown their market share, but the WSCPA has maintained the market share they had before the economy went south, while many other associations are losing market share. Online CPE has removed a lot of the barriers that existed even just 10 years ago, but Hayden has an idea of where continued professional education will go in the future. Hayden is working to make webcasts and webinars more interactive, and he believes that an important step is for the presenters to start creating an experience specifically for the web audience. Hayden imagines more cameras, a speaker that can talk to the audience using their names, and generally more engagement with the online audience. Hayden imagines an interactive application to accompany presentations, which offers a live workbook experience and direct interaction with the presenter. “We have to start thinking about how we embrace that audience, how do we create that experience?” I greatly appreciate Hayden taking the time to come talk to us. Continuing Professional Education is a big part of my life, and I love that people like Hayden are working to make it more accessible and more effective. -- Resources: Learn more about Hayden, CPE and the WSCPA Contact Hayden with the subject line “Improv is No Joke Podcast”
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Today’s guest is Tami Gaitten, an integrative nutritional health coach with over a decade of experience in the IT field. I didn’t know anything about integrative nutrition health services before this conversation, and I learn a lot. Tami went to school for computer science. She did well in the IT field, and eventually moved from programmer to business analyst, which is essentially a liaison between the programmers and the end users. In the meantime, she was taking care of three children – fast food, struggling to get them all in bed, then working until 2 AM. “By the time that fourth baby came along, we were pretty broken.” Tami decided to stay at home, something she though would be easy after handling major projects at work. “Boy did I have a lot to learn. They pushed all my buttons. I realized nothing was going to go as planned. But we were able to get healthy.” Tami developed a passion for nutrition, and she went to The Institute for Integrative Nutrition to earn her certificate as a health coach. At about the same time, she was having her own health issues. “I’m eating well, applying all of these things that I know, and I’m falling apart.” Tami went back to school again in 2013, this time to study Functional Nutrition, which looks at the person as a whole and how all of your system are intricately connected. It also looks at each person as being incredibly unique, so no two people with the same diagnosis or the same problems are going to be helped by the same protocol. Everybody has variations in their genetic makeup, what type of problems they may be working on, and the makeup of the bacteria in their gut can be different. As a coach, Tami didn’t just learned physiology; she also learned how to listen. Whenever she begins coaching a new client, they begin by talking. “I listen to their lifestyle, I listen to their background. There’s a lot of stuff that comes out of their history when they talk.” Then they track their lifestyle in a food-mood-poop journal. Then she starts to address lifestyle and diet changes. “It doesn’t have to be an overall, big diet change. It’s just starting to make little upgrades.” The little things add up like a snowball effect. “Once you start doing one little thing you do motivated, then you start to feel a little better, then you suddenly have a little bit more energy, then that motivation and energy coincide to push you forward.” One thing that Tami teaches is that we should be eating with the seasons. “Nature is designed to provide us the foods that we need in the season that we’re in.” In spring, you eat leafy greens that are designed to help your liver, to help clear out the sludge from the winter. In the summer, you eat more greens and fruit to keep energy up. As you head into the fall, you’re eating more of the root vegetables. Those things are designed to ground you and get you ready for winter. In winter, we eat more beans and spices: things that are soothing and warming. On average, Tami works with her clients for 3-month intervals. They meet every other week, but they also have access to her via email every day. “I’m their support person, I’m their advocate, I’m their friend. I’m in it with them, basically, we’re doing this together.” Tami is a one-stop help desk for your health. I learned a ton from her today, and I hope you did too. I hope you reach out to her and learn how to start upgrading yourself. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: How an integrative nutritional health coach helps people make themselves healthier How Tami applies skills from the IT field to improving systems of the human body Why one of Tami’s greatest tools as a coach is listening How your health can be improved through small changes, as opposed to one major change DON’T STOP HERE… Learn more about Tami: Website Contact Tami: tami@gaittenwellness.com | Sign up for a free 15-minute chat
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I’m really excited to sit down and talk with Jack Park, Certified Speaking Professional, Corporate Advisor, Football Radio Commentator and Best Selling Author. He has some powerful thoughts about what makes a good leader, plus a bunch of fun stories about football history. Jack formed the business Financial Insights more than 20 years, which does leadership training for corporations and associations across the country. For the past 38 years, he has been a radio commentator for Ohio State Football, with weekly and daily segments when the Buckeyes are in season. About 10 years ago, Jack married his two passions, football and leadership training, and he created The Leadership Secrets of Football’s Master Coaches. It is a leadership program that explains how to develop leadership within an organization or association based upon what made the greatest football coaches of all time so successful. “With almost no exceptions, the great coaches were great coaches because they were even greater leaders than they were coaches.” Jack wraps up his leadership course, The Leadership Secrets of Football’s Master Coaches, by highlighting five coaches: Woody Hayes – What we can learn from Coach Hayes is that you will get to a place in life where you can look back and say, “Gee, I’ve been able to accomplish a fair amount, and I’d sure like to thank those people that helped me get where I am. While you can’t always thank the people that helped you, you can pay it forward. Knute Rockne – “Rockne is the type of guy you want to learn a lot about to help create a new industry.” He helped create American Football, and he teaches us that, “Whatever stage we are within the business world, we can enhance that by looking into the future.” Vince Lombardi – Organizations often try to do too many things. Lombardi’s basic philosophy was to focus on what they could do best, and to become the best at that thing at the exclusion of everything else. “He left a lot behind. He left his leadership model.” Urban Meyer – “Urban is basically the organization man … A lot of coaches have plans, Urban has a system.” He has an excellent system, he’s an excellent recruiter, and he surrounds himself with tremendously talented people. Bo Schembechler – “Bo really put a high priority on the people. Now other coaches do too, but I don’t think anybody ever did it any better than Bo.” There is a story from Michigan State alumni that, if any player ever came to his office unannounced, his secretary was to make sure they didn’t leave until Bo could speak to them. Bo recognized early on that the business he was in was not the football business, but the people business. The one coach that Jack probably uses more than any other, and the coach that Jack ranks as the best of the five, is Vince Lombardi. “Maybe his biggest strength was his persistence.” It took Lombardi 20 years to find a head coaching position, and at one point it was estimated he got turned down 22 times. “He had confidence in himself when other people apparently didn’t,” but he wasn’t arrogant. He continued to hone his craft. Lombardi was successful because he was a hard worker with a dedication to excellence. Between 1959 and 1967, Lombardi led 5 NFL championship victories, in addition to the first two Super Bowls victories, as head coach of the Green Bay Packers. Jack has written four books on Ohio State history, which won’t surprise anybody who has heard his amazing stories, and he has a fifth on the way, tentatively titled “Buckeye Reflections.” Jack is working with Maureen Zappala, a motivational speaker, amazing writer and huge football fan. “It’s going to be made up of short, anecdotal stories connected to the Ohio football program: unusual things that have happened, outstanding things that have happened, humorous things that have happened.” I really enjoyed sitting down with Jack and talking to him today. He’s always a delight to be around, and he has collected a lot of wisdom that he is more than happy to share. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: How to take your passion and turn it into something that helps others Why the best football coaches are the best models for good leadership Leadership tips learned from five of the best coaches in football history A lot more about Ohio State football and the Buckeyes DON’T STOP HERE… Learn more about Jack: Website Contact Jack: jp31@jackpark.com | Phone: 614-481-0214 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: How to Identify, Explain, and Present Pertinent Financial Information to Non-Accountants
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My guest this week is Bret Johnson, Director of Channel Management and Development at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). For the past 20 years, he has worked to build partnerships and grow businesses, especially in the learning space. Bret was hired by the AICPA to focus on partnerships and business development. His team looks for different routes to market, handles licensing, works with publishers and grows state society relationships. “Anything that we create in number learning and competency, my team helps to take up.” The Director of Channel Management and Development did not exist at the AICPA until Bret was hired in February 2014. “Even though Channels is a practice that has been around a long time, in a lot of cases, it’s sort of a little incubator inside of a different organization. You could say I’m in constant startup mode.” Bret’s biggest challenge at the AICPA is internal education. “There’s a certain amount of fear when it comes to working with partners. You have to trust; you have to take a bit of a leap of faith. And then there’s this understanding that doing business in a different way requires flexibility, it requires forgiveness.” One of the difficulties of internal education is student perspective. Some view attending professional education as compliance, while others view it as an opportunity to learn. “They couldn’t be more different. Learning you’re exploring, compliance you’re following a set act.” If you’re having trouble getting through an internal education process, remember: the best place to network is in class, and one of the best forms of marketing is referral. Bret has been using improvisational techniques to develop positive relationships for years, but Improv is no Joke helped him apply the “Yes, and” mindset to other aspects of his life. He has applied these techniques internally at his job, in addition to at home. Improv even helps Bret manage office politics. “There are agendas. It helps you to understand what others are trying to accomplish, because that’s a listening skill, and by using ‘Yes, and’ you’re not even really playing politics; you are digging in and collaborating. It kind of puts politics aside.” Bret views building relationships and building partnerships as the creative process in practice. You can’t go in with a set expectation, or it’s not going to fit the dialog. Through collaboration and improvisation, we can develop stronger relationships and better business ideas. I greatly appreciate Bret taking the time to come on the show. I had a lot of fun, and I love how Bret is applying the “Yes, and,” mindset to produce positive outcomes in his workplace and at home. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: The power of improv in developing partnerships and businesses Why Channels Management is like working in constant startup mode Difficulties in internal education processes How to develop positive relationships with partners DON’T STOP HERE… Learn more about Bret Johnson: AICPA Contact Bret: LinkedIn | Twitter
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I’m excited to have my long-time friend and colleague, Jennifer Elder of SustainableCFO.com, joining me today. With her on the show, you’re guaranteed to walk away with many nuggets of wisdom. At the Sustainable CFO, Jennifer works with smart business leaders who are interested in developing strategies to ensure their businesses are around for the long haul. Today’s CFO’s and CEO’s can get so overwhelmed with putting out day to day fires that they don’t think about what’s coming in the future. Jennifer’s role as a coach to CEO’s and CFO’s is two-fold: Supporter and confidence builder – With Jennifer in their corner, they don’t have to go it alone. She aids them as a confidant and sounding board for ideas that they can’t bring up to their teams in the workplace. It helps to know that Jennifer has “been there, done that” with anything that might be causing problems. She offers a different perspective – she doesn’t see things the way the others in the organization do, she has an experienced outsider’s perspective. She can use this to point out blind spots that her clients are missing. With so many millennials in the workplace nowadays, Jennifer has some great advice to help them move up from middle-management. “You’re not there just to do a job, you’re there to make your boss look good.” Millennials are in the perfect spot to ask their bosses, “What is it that you hate to do? If you could delegate something, what would that be?” Once you find this out, ask to take this task over then deliver on it the way your boss would like. This will elevate you in the organization’s eyes and make you an indispensable employee. Middle managers can also look at their department or organization as a whole, figure out where their contributions and skills can make it stronger, then set about doing just that. Utilize your strengths over fixing your weaknesses. Jennifer learned an important lesson from her father when she first entered the workforce, “The definition of a professional is someone who does their best work when they don’t want to.” We all need to realize that every day at work is an interview, and even when you don’t want to be there, you’re still being interviewed. One thing she can hear from clients is that they don’t understand people. Well, this is a people business we’re in. We’ve got a big variety of people in the workplace now, from millennials to baby-boomers, and the most effective leaders are able to adjust, improvise and think on their feet to be able to make better connections with somebody. People are more likely to hear what you have to say if you approach it from their perspective. “If you want to be heard, you have to adapt your style to theirs.” I had a really great talk and I can’t thank Jennifer enough for her time today. She exceeded all expectations and I’m sure we’ll have her back on the show again soon. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: How Jennifer supports her clients How having an outside perspective can illuminate opportunities never realized from those within How focusing on strengths over weaknesses can lead to success within an organization Why it’s important to understand the different generations working in today’s world Plus much more… DON’T STOP HERE… Learn more about Jennifer Elder and Sustainable CFO: Website Contact Jennifer: jelder@sustainableCFO.com | Phone: 410-231-1881
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I’m excited to have an old school friend on the podcast today – we’ve known each other for nearly 50 years! Kevin Tipton is a professor of Sport, Health and Exercise Science at the University of Stirling in Scotland. Prior to Kevin’s appointment in July 2010, he was a Senior Lecturer in Exercise Metabolism in the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at The University of Birmingham from 2005-10 and an Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston from 1997-2005. Kevin was involved in some of the seminal studies involving human muscle protein metabolism in response to exercise and nutrition. Kevin came by to discuss: How easy and effective it is to be active – Whether you’re an entrepreneur or working for a corporation, it is easy to get a quick, productive workout, and it is an effective way to increase productivity. The “Yes, and” mindset and teaching – Kevin had an improvisational mindset when he started teaching, and this helped him develop techniques that make lectures more engaging and enjoyable. Kevin is someone who has always liked sports, but he feels like he has to work harder than everybody else. This is the origin of his desire to study physiology and nutrition. “I was trying to find out for myself how I could train better and eat better to try to compete with people who were better athletes than I was.” This is a mentality that should be adopted in the business world. The people in Corporate America often don’t eat well or take care of themselves. The entrepreneurial lifestyle, which often involves working from home or frequent travel, has its own challenges as well. If one approaches the challenge with a “Yes, and” attitude, it becomes an opportunity as opposed to something that’s bad. You don’t need to have a huge length of time to do a good workout – at home or while traveling. You can do a quick High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) session. Kevin was practicing a “Yes, and” mindset in education before he even realized it. He tells jokes and stories to his students. This helps get the attention back from students who have drifted away from the lesson, and then they enjoy the lecture more than if you taught straight through class. Bring in things to mix it up. By consciously reinforcing improvisation in our daily lives, we can have a greater impact on the people we interact with. Talking with Kevin was really fun. He really understands how practicing improvisation every day makes us more effective. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: How easy it is to be active The work benefits of staying active every day How improvisation aids education Why improvisation allows us to have a greater impact on the people we interact with DON’T STOP HERE… Learn more about Kevin: Website Contact Kevin: @StirProfTip ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
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I’m very happy to introduce my friend John Barlow today. He is a brilliant thinker, an empathetic automotive engineer and a masterful practitioner of the “Yes, and,” mindset. John is an accidental engineer. He started his career as a principle engineer at Honda 22 years ago, while pursuing a career as an acoustic engineer. He doesn’t exactly fit the stereotype of an engineer, and he brings an empathetic perspective to the engineering and design process. “I think you can train your brain to use both sides of the brain simultaneously, but if you try to do two tasks with one side at the same time, I don’t know it works so well.” John shares the different aspects of his unique perspective on engineering: Have a wider viewpoint – Learn the different ways people want to use a vehicle (or any product), even if they can’t tell you how they want to use it Be empathetic to other people – Be empathetic to how people do things, use things and want to use things. John has tactics for imparting empathic processes upon his fellow engineers: Build a logical storyboard and try to show a trend. Try to imagine the future by considering the past – some things that sound unrealistic might happen John’s position involves imagining how people will use products and technology in the future. Part of this is attempting to establish the relationship between human and machines, because the more of a relationship you can build there, the more trust there is in the technology. “As technology is starting to provide services to people, you don’t want it to come across as a machine. You want it to be more personal than that.” “Because people are so busy with their lives these days, I think part of that forces the, ‘Yes, but,’ culture.” John sees how the mindset can impact every part of your life and the people you are around. However, if you can take a step back and look at things from a different perspective, you will realize that it is more effective, and more empathetic, to use a “Yes, and,” approach. I’m extremely grateful to John for taking the time to talk today. He is one of the most empathetic people I have ever talked to, and he really understands the benefit of a “Yes, and,” mindset. I can’t wait to have him back on the show again. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: Why it is important to approach problems with both sides of your brain How empathy is important to the engineering and design process How someone can learn to be more empathetic Why a “Yes, and” mindset can lead to a more positive impact on other people, at work and at home DON’T STOP HERE… Learn more about John: LinkedIn ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Humans are Underrated: What High Achievers Know That Brilliant Machines Never Will by Geoff Colvin The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies by Erik Brynjolfsson & Andrew McAfee
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Pam Devine has graced her presence as the guest on today’s show. She is from New England but now has her life in Baltimore. Her favorite quote is from Tom Hood that is, "L is greater than or equal to C." She has been part of the Business Learning Institute, an affiliate of the Maryland Association of CPAs. This organization focuses on leadership, strategy and communication, the skills that make better business professionals. Learning is what give the organization a competitive advantage and has the saying "The learning curve is truly the earning curve." The organization gives the team within an opportunity to grow by attending various conferences. The organization is also redesigning their office environment in a way wherein it can promote a more collaborative open learning environment expose to different levels from CEO to junior members. One of the important conferences in topic was the Bersin Conference, which talked about leadership. It talked about learning architecture and how learning has changed from more than just education. In order for an organization to have a truly competitive learning environment, the conference introduced the Four E’s: Education Exposure Environment Experience It discussed also the way to think about a systematic approach to learning encompassing all of the Four E’s. Pam gave the CPA Day in Annapolis event as an example. Here, CPAs get to have a new environment outside the office to learn. CPAs can be exposed to meet various people and legislators and have the opportunity to understand what is going on in the legislative environment. Lastly, CPAs gain the experience at the end of event. It mentioned also the importance of making the architectural learning environment work, which is composed of curious employee, network employee, holistic employee, agile employee and innovative employee. Pam would like to share to the listeners of this podcast the quote "Train your people and they are 92% more likely to stay and be loyal." It is better to invest in one's future and gain loyalty. LEARN FROM TWITTER Follow the stream hashtag #impactHR on Twitter Learn beyond the traditional education through tweets A good way to get an immediate feedback ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Maryland Association of CPAs: website Bersin Conference: website
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I’m happy to have Karen Young of HRResolutions.com on the show. She’s a purposeful HR person who believes in creating drama-free workplaces through purposeful communications and a “Yes, and…” approach. Just as she discusses in her book, ‘Stop Knocking on my Door,’ Karen believes that drama occurs in the workplace when we fail to communicate fully with our people. If we have to say “no”, this is our opportunity to have a courageous conversation and explain our reasoning to them. There are a few key aspects to having courageous conversations: Practice with someone – become comfortable with what you have to say in your role as a leader Write your talking points down – this will keep your conversation on track and ensure you hit all your important points Don’t beat around the bush – the sooner you have the conversation the easier it will be Karen’s a big proponent of the idea of “hire slow, fire fast.” She recommends taking your time in finding the right person for the job. To aid her company in hiring, she’s instituted a revolutionary new practice: the first step of the application process is for applicants to respond with their understanding of her company’s core values and what they mean to the applicant. This allows her to get the right people on the bus. As long as your bus is full of valuable people, you can fit them where they need to be in the organization and teach them the skills they need along the way. With the whole hiring and firing process, Karen says that most employers don’t know that as soon as they hire their first employee, they’re now responsible for at least 12 different employee regulations. From unemployment exposure to age discrimination to disability issues, employers need to do some research before they make their hiring and firing decisions. Explore your options and don’t be accidental in your choices. Making well-informed decisions can save you lots of headaches down the road. Regarding the idea of firing fast, “If you’ve made the decision to fire, you are not doing anyone any favors by dragging that out.” Don’t use excuses and don’t talk around it. Make your conversation short, sweet and honest and practice ahead to make it easier. Karen recommends keeping in mind that even though you have to fire someone (or just not hire them in the first place), they can still be a valuable referral resource for you in the future. Handling the situation correctly with compassion and dignity is the smart thing to do as you never know what the future can bring and how a relationship can re-develop at some point. I had a really great talk with Karen today and I truly appreciate her taking the time to share herself and her wealth of HR knowledge with us. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: How the “Yes, and…” approach is applicable to human resources work How you can protect yourself from legal exposure through correct hiring/firing practices How to judge the “fit” of a prospective employee within your company culture How interns can be a valuable piece of your company’s pie Plus much more… DON’T STOP HERE… Learn more about Karen Young and HR Resolutions: Website | Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn Karen’s Book ‘Stop Knocking on my Door: Drama Free HR To Help Grow Your Business’: Amazon
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Steve Sacks is a right-brain thinker in the left-brain world of accounting. I first met him when he attended one of my workshops in Las Vegas, and since then we’ve had many spirited discussions centered around leadership and communications. It’s great that we’re able to continue our conversation here for the audience. Steve’s always been more enamored with what happened to generate the numbers in accounting rather than the numbers themselves. To him, a financial statement a few months after the fact doesn’t add any value, and because of this he got into consulting. Through consulting, he can offer real help to his clients in the form of advice or direct action steps that need to be taken. He’s looking to differentiate himself from other consultants in the field. He wants to go from just offering advice and a report to helping the client implement and get to the next level. “Identifying problems is not enough.” Steve believes that the accounting profession is really a relationship building profession. When you meet with a prospective client you want them to leave the meeting knowing that you care and want to be a partner in their success. You can only do this by listening and asking great questions. You’ve got two ears after all, so you should be listening twice as much as speaking. Ask a question, listen to the answer then deliver on what the client wants. That’s what builds great relationships. In all accounting firms now and in the future, we’ll be relying on the next generation of associates to help build the business. It makes sense to bring the younger, newer staff into meetings to learn from the conversations of the more experienced partners. “You gotta bring up the next generation sooner rather than later.” They should pay attention to the questions asked and the way the clients react. Steve also believes it’s of extreme importance to foster in the younger generation an intellectual investment in the firm. Our management styles need to change to be more collaborative in our efforts, actually working with our new associates to create a more interesting and imaginative workplace. The younger generation doesn’t take too well to the rigidity of the old ways. This also has the effect of developing the company’s culture. We need to walk the walk and talk the talk, and being in-step with our nice and inviting marketing collateral. “Culture will be the determining factor whether you’ve created a home for that future star or not.” It used to be that job jumping made for a toxic employee, but now we’ve got to expect it and do everything we can to get them to stay. Hiring practices need to be improved as well, and interviewing has become a lost art. It’s important to get the right people on board, as well as on-board them properly to the company. Steve recommends that every new associate be assigned to a mentor within the firm, and be given a career roadmap right from the start. Also, skip the yearly formal reviews as this should be an ongoing process throughout the year. Steve gave us many of his insights into the future of leadership with accounting firms. There’s so much that he discussed that we all should be trying to implement. My thanks again to Steve for the time that he gave us today. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: Why the accounting trade really is a people business, not just a numbers game How firms are adapting to the next generation of employees in regards to a comfortable workplace Why Steve thinks the old standard partnership model of firms will change over the next 15-20 years What you should never discuss during a performance review Plus much more… DON’T STOP HERE… Learn more about Steve: LinkedIn ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: “Talk Less, but Ask ‘Why’ More”: Article
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I always enjoy speaking with Karl Ahlrichs, a human capitalist consultant and a far-thinking and future planning individual. He comes on the podcast today to discuss some of the storms he sees coming on the horizon, particularly where HR and the next generations of employees meet. Even though our current economy is far greater now than it’s been in a while, Karl sees quite a few potential problems on the horizon that we need to be prepared for: Baby Boomers – due to the recession of 2008, many of these people delayed retirement to rebuild their nest egg. Many of them are now ready to leave and hit the beach. High Performers – they’ve driven the country’s productivity to unprecedented levels, but now they’re looking for the next challenge. They’ll be ready to migrate jobs soon, so we need to figure out our management style and plans so we can attract new ones and keep the old ones in place. Social Media – sites like LinkedIn will attract high performers away from you by enticing them with great challenging opportunities as well as being a source of candidates for recruiting companies. Digital Natives vs Digital Immigrants – this is a great way to divide the world when looking to hiring in the future. Digital immigrants need jobs without lots of tech involved, and we need to hire people who line up with their jobs. You can’t put somebody tech savvy into a job with minimal tech interaction and vice versa. Karl knows that business practices also need to reflect the current majority group within the workplace: millennials. Studies have shown that 2/3 of millennials don’t plan on staying with their current employee for more than 5 years. We have to change our business and management practices to keep these high performers more engaged. “We have to adapt the very work we do to fit a more project thinking pattern.” There are a few things that we can start to do now to keep those high performing millennials in place: Better hiring practices and higher standards. High performers love to work with other high performers and are pleased and impressed when their bosses hire the best. Management sincerely listens. High performers tend to stay in their jobs 20-30% longer if they perceive their manager listens to them and values their input. Millennials are only one employment group we must contend with, but the new Gen WiFi will be a handful as well. These future employees became aware at the age of 3, the same time as Google came online. This generation doesn’t need or want to know anything; they rely on Google over memory. One other key distinction about this group is their lack of ethics. The ends justify the means for them. This will create ethics issues in the workplace and it’ll be up to us as management to parent them along ethical lines. Underscoring all of these issues is the fact that people nowadays are overwhelmed with the glut of information they’re presented on a daily basis. The average person is subjected to 32GB of data per day. Talk about overwhelm! This has created the need for simplicity in answering questions or solving complex problems. The ability to simplify the complex and communicate it will be invaluable in the near future. “That’s the most important human skill going forward; to take complex things and make them understandable. So the most important thing people can do, to sum everything up, is to focus on hiring standards because if we bring in ethically challenged poor performers, we’ll destroy the cultures and businesses we’ve worked so hard to develop. We need to screen for, teach and practice for ourselves a higher ethical standard because, “Ethics are learned by modeling, not by reading.” Karl was very gracious with his time and wisdom today as he dropped value bomb after value bomb on us. I took a great deal away from our discussion, as I’m sure you did as well. We all now have lots to take away and apply to our own lives and business to make our lives easier. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: How you can tell if you’re a millennial Why it’s to respectfully leave any job that’s not a cultural fit The three basic stages in the development of our own personal ethical standards Why story telling skills can help you communicate with the world today Plus much more… DON’T STOP HERE… Learn more about Karl: Website | LinkedIn ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Book ‘Everydata’ by John H. Johnson and Mike Gluck: Website
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Ed Mendlowitz is a long-time CPA and a partner of prestigious Withum Smith+Brown. He’s also a member of many CPA societies and has taught financial and accounting courses for 11 years. He’s a firm believer in CPE and uses his CPE training opportunities to network with other CPA’s from around the world. He’s full of wisdom and insights and he shares many great nuggets with us today. Ed considers himself the last of the “expert generalists.” He started his firm a long time ago and the only way he could grow was to never say “no” and to do anything that came his way. He grew his first practice from two people to fifty before finally merging with WSB years ago. WSB does something that many other accounting firms don’t do; they create unique, fun and fresh videos that they use to promote their brand on the Withum1 YouTube page. The videos started as a way to chronicle their yearly ‘state of the firm’ meetings and to excite the staff. This has also had an added benefit of being a recruiting tool for new talent just emerging from their accounting education. WSB does a lot to wine and dine great prospective employees, just like how many companies wine and dine prospective clients. Where many companies fall short though, is they start by doing anything they can to land the client, then once they’re on board, they eventually forget about these existing clients. “If they paid attention to existing clients with the same effort and interest that they do to get a new client, they’d get a lot more business from existing clients and the firm would grow and their clients would do all their recommending and referrals for them.” Through his love of CPE, Ed attains over 100 credits per year. Most of this is through going to LIVE CPE events. He prefers these over online CPE because of the human interactions that come from these events. He meets about 40-50 new people at each event, often times inviting the lone person to join him for lunch or dinner. His networking skills have earned him referrals from all over the world. Personal connections have always been a part of Ed’s business, but many other accounting firms just don’t do a good job with it. They often think that doing the client’s taxes and meeting commitments is developing a relationship. It’s not. It’s when you reach out with a personal touch that really matters. When you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and say “hi.” This creates availability and clients love when their CPA is available. Ed recommends returning phone calls promptly, and if there’s a problem you need to let them know ASAP. You should precipitate phone calls with questions and suggestions for the client. These build your client relationship and will often lead to referrals. “The referrals you get from existing clients are the way you can tell if you’re doing a good job or not.” Creating a comfortable environment for your employees is another relational aspect to accounting that every company needs to work on. Within committees or groups, create an atmosphere where people can spitball ideas that can turn into something great. “Bad ideas lead to good ideas, no ideas lead to nothing.” Innovation and crazy ideas have led to many successes in every aspect of life, so don’t miss out on this opportunity within your own company. Ed truly delivered with some great nuggets of knowledge and insights into networking within the CPA community. You’ll hear from Ed again in the near future on the podcast, so stay tuned. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: A few ways that WSB excites their employees and keeps them interested in their job Where most of WSB’s referrals come from Why ex-WSB employees remain in the accounting field more often than ones who leave the “Big 4” How important it is to elicit ideas (even crazy ones) from your team. Plus much more… YES, AND… Learn more about Ed: Website Withum Smith+Brown: Website ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Ed’s review of ‘Improv is No Joke’: Website Withum Smith+Brown ‘I Gotta Feeling’: Video
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Tom Hood was a wonderful guest on today’s show. He’s a great forward-thinking leader in the CPA world and delivered great value to the audience with his insights into technologies and trends for the future. Tom just returned from a spring council meeting for members of the American Institute of CPAs. A big takeaway from the meeting is the sense that people are beginning to understand the impact of the exponential pace of technology. Big changes like continuous auditing of 100% of transactions are right around the corner, as well as automation within the financial world. Big ticket items will still remain with professionals, but the entry level tasks will be moved to machines soon. “We’re going to need new skills and need them faster probably than we think and we’re going to need to focus on things that computers can’t do.” The trust and relationship side of accounting are aspects that we need to leverage: we need to get better at doing what computers can’t do. Tom has been able to predict many of the things that others are just now starting to see. It’s not any type of clairvoyance on his part, though. He attributes his future seeing abilities to something that Isaac Newton had said, “The reason I can see farther is because I stand on the shoulder of giants.” Tom’s business relationships and training has helped him see upcoming trends. With this vision, Tom knows that it won’t be enough to just know the nuts and bolts of accounting. CPA’s will need to begin developing strategic thinking within the companies they work for. This is understanding data and having the ability to analyze it within the context of the company and the world surrounding it. “Wisdom is looking at patterns and connecting dots.”
The number one reason why people leave their CPA’s is because they tend to be reactionary and not proactive. Accountants are logical and we look for facts to understand and tell us about the business. This can lead to a focus on the rear view mirror, without ever looking out through the windshield. CPA’s need to make time for the future and must be taught to look forward.
A change in curriculum like this isn’t something that higher education is capable of just yet. That’s a huge ship to turn around, and we all know they don’t turn quickly. Because of this, it’s up to us as employers to teach our people the skills necessary to be more adaptable and to make a greater impact. Don’t worry about the costs, do this so your people are better prepared to help the organization. The old idea of “if we train them they’ll leave” needs to take a back seat to the more critical message of “what if we don’t train them and they stay?”
Tom gave some incredible food for thought in today’s episode. We all need to make a concerted effort to be more forward thinking in our approach to our chosen profession. I’m really glad he had the time to speak with us today. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: Why forward-thinking is so valuable to the CPA professionHow collaboration between CPA’s and other professions surrounding them will be more important as time moves onThe hard trends that we can all be trained to seeWhy we can’t rely on higher education to fully prepare accountants for the new financial world we’re facingPlus much more… YES, AND… Learn more and connect with Tom: LinkedIn | Twitter ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Maryland Association of CPAs: WebsiteAmerican Institute of CPAs: Website‘Humans are Underrated’ by Geoff Colvin: Book Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
I’ve been looking forward to this conversation with Michael Sciortino for a very long time. He has over 30 years of experience in the area of marketing, is a keynote speaker and trainer and is the author of ‘Gratitude Marketing.’ He comes to us with a wealth of marketing information and he shares some incredible techniques with us today. He didn’t get into writing his book like many authors do. Instead of writing a book then developing a seminar and teachings/trainings around it, he started with the seminar first. He put all the tools he’s used for years and what he’s learned from others around the country and tested everything out on live seminar attendees. The feedback and experience he received from this was massaged into a user-friendly format within the book. ‘Gratitude Marketing’ is about recognizing and developing meaningful, memorable relationships with the people that you want to work with for the long-term. “I’m about building long-term relationships and you do that by being concerned more with what the customer or client wants than what your agenda might be.” Mike is a masterful client-relationship builder and he tries to establish new working relationships by asking the prospective clients about their practice, their clients and their approach to business. This warm caring attitude will lead the prospective client to choose him as the logical choice because of this. Two of his favorite words to get them on his side are “tell me.” “Tell me about your goals… your objectives… what you want for your kids… what you want to do when you retire.” Gratitude marketing comes naturally to Mike, but some clients or prospective clients don’t see the value in building interpersonal relationships. For these people, Mike asks them what they’ve done in regards to marketing their product. He finds that most traditional marketing speaks at people. Gratitude marketing engages and connects with people. You meet them where they’re at and build a deeper connection through this process. Expressing gratitude isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a consistent practice that can accomplish The 3 R’s: Retention – it increases client retention. It costs 7x more money to find a new client than to retain a client. Referrals – by far the best marketing strategy is to cultivate a consistent referral program. Client referrals cost effectively doubles your business. Revenues – taking care of retention and referrals takes care of revenues. “Ultimately, people and clients work with people they like, know and trust.” An incredible expression of gratitude to your current clients that helps to build relationships and which leads to referrals and more business is to personally hand-write three thank you cards every day. There’s always somebody to show gratitude towards, and taking the time to do this is the greatest habit you can build that will be so much more valuable than you could ever imagine. But, all the gratitude in the world won’t help if you don’t have a business worth sharing with others. Mike’s a big believer in “we don’t get what we don’t ask for,” but clients are only willing to refer if you give a service that’s referable. Mike dropped some incredible nuggets of information and some actionable steps we could all jump at right now to improve our businesses no matter the industry. I’m thankful for the time that he gave to me and the podcast today. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: How building long-term relationships nurtures trust within clients and leads to more business That moving your focus away from the numbers and to the relationships will lead to more than just financial success How writing the book has surprisingly transformed Mike’s own life An exclusive asset retention idea not presented in his book Plus much more… YES, AND… Learn more and connect with Mike: LinkedIn | ph 985-705-1824 ‘Gratitude Marketing’ Book: Website : Amazon
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It was great having my longtime friend and mentor, Clarke Price, on the show with me today. He’s retired now, but he led The Ohio Society of CPAs for 40 years and has been a not-for-profit volunteer and leader during much of that time. He’s developed great leadership skills and influence in the not-for-profit world and he shares much of what he’s learned with us today. In the not-for-profit world, leadership can be quite different than in the corporate world. Great leaders spend a lot of time building a consensus and support among the organization for the direction they want the organization to take. It’s not enough to just have a vision and say, “This is where we’re going.” Great leaders have the ability to explain that their path is the right thing to do. This takes the power of persuasion and the willingness to tackle hard conversations with your people. You must have the ability discuss the unknowns, but to be able to convince supporters that they have the capacity to succeed in new endeavors. This of course makes relationship building a critical piece of running a not-for-profit. People have to know, see and trust you. It’s easier if they like you, but that’s not always the case. Leaders can’t be effective if their focus is on “How do I get everybody to like me?” You must have the courage of your convictions and be willing to go full-bore once a decision is made. As a true leader, you’re going to develop a vision for where you want the organization to go, but within every not-for-profit, your vision may conflict with the views of others within. “Good leaders are not afraid to take on the tough or unpopular issue.” This is where the relationships you develop begin to pay off. The ability to address these issues and to be heard by your people is part and parcel of being an effective leader. Part of leadership is innovation of ideas and implementing them within the organization. There’s “idea leadership” where the leader decides on the direction of the organization or products it will develop. The corollary to this is where ideas come from within the organization. In order to get this type of idea creation, the leader needs to create a place where he empowers his people to bring forth their own ideas. The great leader supports a culture where people feel free to express ideas about what the organization should do or stop doing. You know this is the case when your people have faith that you will support them or at least listen to what they have to say and know you will give it serious consideration. One concern that Clarke has with the world today is the trend toward timidity of leadership. This is when an organization avoids controversy at all costs. They allow questions like, “Who will this offend?” and “What’s the media reaction going to be?” drive their leadership decisions. It’s better to ask questions like, “Does this make sense for the organization?” and “Will we be stronger or more profitable as a result?” These questions lead the organization on the right path. This was an incredibly informative and valuable conversation with a great leader. I’m very appreciative of the time that Clarke granted me for this interview, and I can’t thank him enough. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: How story-telling and communicating your vision is critical to success How some people may just not be cut out for leadership The qualities that Clarke respects in his favorite leaders Some solutions to getting great people on board your not-for-profit bus Plus much more… YES, AND… Learn more and connect with Clarke: LinkedIn The Ohio Society of CPAs: Website
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Welcome to the Improv Is No Joke podcast! Please enjoy this short introduction episode where I explain the purpose of this show, and the value I hope to provide to my listeners throughout a series of interviews with many business leaders & entrepreneurs. For more information on the show, head to www.petermargaritis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices