This week our team shared “Sunday Lunch” together in New Orleans for our annual HORNE Leadership Summit. We had a great time! But, we were also challenged. Holding nothing back, Executive Partner Joey Havens asked us all: “Are you ready to lead as we build the Wise Firm together?”
What an important question! And, I think we all have a better understanding now, that we each have to make the intentional choice to lead.
To close out an amazing two days together, we literally built the Wise Firm together, one block at a time (with custom Legos, of course!). We focused on how each of us leads within each building block of the Wise Firm. I thought I’d tell you what resonated for me:
- WE & SERVICE, our foundation as a firm, takes trust and we each lead by doing what we say we will do and owning it when we don’t. That’s the kind of leadership that allows us to build the Wise Firm.
- WINDSHIELD VIEW means staying focused on where we are going not the rear view mirror of where we have been. We lead by understanding and focusing on where we are headed, not by focusing in the rearview mirror.
- COLLABORATION means working together to solve challenges and build the Wise Firm, where everyone shares their ideas, thoughts and concerns. We lead by being fearless and owning our voice and sharing our ideas to challenge the status quo. This is the block where we must defeat conflict avoidance.
- EXTERNAL FOCUS is where we must be unrivaled in our service to our clients. They must know how much we care. We lead when we are focused on delivering unrivaled expertise.
- SENSE OF BELONGING is something that must be strong so we can reach our full potential. We lead when we extend that sense of belonging to each other by fighting unintentional bias and creating an equitable playing field for every team member. And, reaching our full potential through seeking our highest and best use in the Wise Firm. We all bring unique strengths and perspectives that make us even better.
- RELATIONSHIPS mean we know business, at its core, is all personal. Respect, caring and serving all lead to a strong building block of relationships that help us establish strong relationships with clients and with each other.
- FORWARD THINKING shows us that we must lead with more anticipatory skills. Our clients are demanding that we provide forward thinking points of view and help identify the next challenge even before it arrives. It takes all of us leading in various ways to be relevant with the transformation in how we work and live.
- HARD DECISIONS reminds us that we must make hard decisions to align with our mission, vision and core values. Leading requires putting others and service before self. That is hard. It takes uncommon discipline to be focused and pursue unrivaled focused expertise.
- HONOR VALUES is leadership where our words and actions reflect our stated values. It only takes one of us compromising on integrity or honesty to slow our firm down. Every day we lead in how we respect and care for our clients and each other. We lead by honoring our commitment to our families, by serving others before self and by demonstrating our gratefulness and appreciation.
- FLEXIBILITY – Fearless Unrivaled Flexibility. The results of our first big firmwide collaboration where team members led from across the firm to adopt a philosophy that empowers each of us to integrate our personal lives and careers. We each lead by being fearless in integrating our personal lives and our career. We lead by communicating, by meeting our commitments and by building trust in our unique teams, roles and responsibilities.
- RESULTS means leading by focusing on and getting results. Setting examples by challenging the status quo and not relying on excuses. Leading with an “I’ve got it” attitude. We know we must generate results for our clients and results are how we measure performance. We lead by helping others understand how a client values our services and by understanding results are not based on the amount of time it takes us to complete the work but based on the outcome.
- EMPOWERED PEOPLE lead by not waiting for permission to be great. We lead by applying what we learned this week to our own roles and careers. Realizing leadership is not a title, but a mindset.
We know when we are working together on all of these building blocks that it leads to lots of POSITIVE ENERGY. Just like we experienced together this week. When we lead, we share our positive energy with others. This grows more energy, and that energy becomes magnetic energy—attracting great clients and great team mates which then provides for abundance of growth and opportunity for everyone.
We are building the Wise Firm together. And I am ready.
About the Author
Katherine Watts, CPA, CHC, champions the healthcare team at HORNE as their partner in charge. Fueled by her passion for diversity and inclusion in the professional world, she also leads the firm’s Belonging at HORNE journey as we seek to create a workplace where each and every team member can reach his or her full potential.
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
YouTube
Leave A Comment