Culture Matters: Building the Wise Firm

I’ll never forget my first job after college. I had co-workers that felt like family, and a true sense of belonging. Though happy, I began to question the growth opportunities in my position.

I was young in the workforce and eager for more. So, I began the job search again and landed a position with a national company. I got the chance to learn more, do more and grow more. Yet, at the end of the day, I still wasn’t happy. I was simply just a blip on an 80,000+ employee radar and lacked a sense of belonging.

When the Belonging at HORNE Sponsor Program was introduced to me, I sincerely thought that it was a “nice” concept, but I was SURE I knew exactly where my career was heading. There was no doubt in my mind I was in the driver’s seat. Sure, early in my career I needed help and to this day am very appreciative of the individuals that guided me. Honestly, the thought that kept going over and over in my head was that this program would be great only for individuals who are just embarking on their career and navigating new waters.

C’mon, with over fifteen years managing and developing team members with whom I assisted in their professional growth (including direct impact to their career) surely I knew how to steer MY own career. Or so I thought…

Last week, team members from across the country met in New Orleans, Louisiana for our annual HORNE Leadership Summit. Helping to make the summit a success, we invited Meridith Elliott Powell to be one of the keynote speakers. Her recent blog sheds light on our firm from an outside view and we want to say thank you to Meridith Elliott Powell. Thanks for your leadership, kind words and for this incredible recap of our journey to building the Wise Firm. (Excerpt below, click link for full blog.)

As a talent recruiter for the firm, that is a question I get a lot.  And, quite honestly, I think there are a lot of reasons I could tell you. We each connect our personal purpose to the Horne accounting firm in different ways. For me, it’s the Wise Firm we’re building. But, instead of sharing only my opinion, I’d like to share what other team members are saying.

You see, we actually asked our team members, “What makes HORNE a place where people want to work?”  The top three answers were 1.) Fearless Unrivaled Flexibility 2.) Belonging at HORNE and 3.) a “beBetter” mindset.

I read something that startled me recently. According to a report titled “The Future of Work,” only 29% of employees believe they can achieve their dreams where they currently work.* Even more startling, when the report removed the executives and entrepreneurs from the data, that number dropped to only 9.8% who believed they could achieve their dreams where they currently work.**

Now, let’s add perspective. Those surveyed were not “unhappy” people. Of the same exact population:

>If there’s something you should know about us at HORNE, it’s that we are serious about building the Wise Firm. Recently, I had the opportunity to hear some of our team members share their personal reasons for building the Wise Firm. It all started as part of a video project—we asked various team members to finish this sentence: I am choosing to build the Wise Firm because:_________________.

(I highly recommend you watch the video below.)

Thinking of Our 2020 Vision as a Roadmap

I have a confession to make:  I use Google Maps every day for my commute. You may think that my commute is arduous, complicated or that I’m new to the area. Turns out, my drive is only 5.6 miles, involves three turns on four roads, and I’ve lived in my current home for four years. 

In higher education, the end of the spring semester is always one of my favorite times of the academic year. One of the reasons I love working with students in college is the definitive beginnings and endings, and beginning again. From freshman move-in to the excitement of spring commencement ceremonies, there is seldom a dull moment! It is also during this time of year that I find myself counseling with soon to be graduates about their career search.

It is easy for new graduates entering the workforce to allow others to define for them what a good job and a good organization look like. Advice is more than plentiful from professors, family members and friends. But I coach graduates entering the workforce to decide for themselves the kind of employer and work environment they want. I challenge them to look beyond the name brand, starting salary and benefits, and perceived prestige of potential employers to instead really dig into the organization’s values, vision and culture.

Sometimes I catch myself wondering what it was like to be an accountant in the days of green-bar paper and ten keys, before they were replaced with computers and excel. Back when mobile phones came in bags and mail was only delivered by the post office. When work papers were actually paper and notebooks required ink-pens.