Culture Matters: Building the Wise Firm

We hear it often. “I’ll prioritize <INSERT NAME OF LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY HERE> after I work on this pressing deliverable.” It sounds like a plan, right? The problem is, for many of us, prioritizing our career growth and continued learning never actually comes. After one deliverable is met for a client, another is staring us in the face. 

When I first started at HORNE, I was based in the Ridgeland, Mississippi, office. It wasn’t long after that I was assigned to a project in New York and after being there for almost four years, I received a call informing me that I would be moving back to Ridgeland. I began to think of all the fun times I had in New York but quickly became overwhelmed with the task of moving in a fairly short amount of time.

I recently shared my belief that “balance” (as in “work-life balance”) was a lie. It is obviously a lie many still believe, so let me offer you my argument against balance and see what you think.

Balance gives the false sense that all things can get equal playing time, at the same time, and that there’s a magic formula you’ve just got to persevere to find. I’ve found this to be impossible. Whether it’s hobbies, career, family, volunteering, traveling or anything else you have passion around, prioritizing one area will result in de-prioritizing another.  If I am striving for balance, I’d need to find an exact point of equality among all the things I find important. And every time I chose one over the other, I’d throw off that balance. And, for me, feel like I was failing.

I come from a family of high-achievers, medical professionals, doctors, Colonels and Seals. Each of my family members hustled to get where they are at. They own their careers. They go hard in the paint. To those unfamiliar with that term, its origin comes from basketball and means to finish a task aggressively.

The sense of belonging we strive for every team member to have here at HORNE is the same need that it is recognized as the third level in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The bottom four tiers of Maslow’s pyramid (including belonging) are considered deficiency needs. Maslow’s theory suggests that only once the lower four levels have been sufficiently satisfied can an individual reach their full potential. Thus it's not surprising that we want to feel a sense of belonging in our lives, both personally and professionally.

Two skinny vanilla lattes. Both sugar-free.

One hot chocolate.

One flavor of the day.

One Café Mocha.

One medium roast.

One London Fog—sugar-free and skinny.

An iced coffee, room for milk.

And one dark roast with an extra shot.

That’s my team’s coffee order. 

The first job of a leader is to inspire trust. But why…and how?

The why behind the significance of building trust is that the essence of leadership is the ability to persuade teams to act boldly in alignment with a big vision. The reality is that none of us are likely to be inspired or influenced by leaders we do not trust. Where there is low trust in a relationship or on a team, there is the very real perception of high risk. Conversely, where there is high trust, the feeling is one of low risk. This is where we are not afraid to step out of our comfort zone or our defensive/cautious posture and try something new and bold. But then, how do we establish trust?

At HORNE, we don’t have “bosses,” we have Performance Advisors (PA). The PA role is designed to help accelerate our development through ongoing conversations that are timely, honest, constructive and transparent. We also have 2nd PAs, if we so desire, who serve as an additional perspective in the same capacity. Having a 2nd PA willing to invest in my development has always been valuable to me.

In my three years at HORNE, I have been encouraged and empowered by my relationships with my PAs. I use my voice to help shape my career, and we work together to set goals that are measurable and practical. My PAs assess my performance and progress along these goals, and so do I. We discuss and align our perspectives as needed, and I gain a solid view of where I am in my career, where I’d like to be, and where I can improve.

My PAs recently helped me uncover one major area for improvement – that is my need to be more willing to share the workload and delegate effectively.

Knowing that I had a desire to grow in the area of business development, we started by assessing new responsibilities I had assumed in that area. We quickly identified a concern of sustainability – could I keep managing my original responsibilities and the new without becoming overloaded? I admitted my reluctance to ask for help because I don’t like being a burden on others, but we explored the cost of me not choosing to grow in this area. Costs like seeing decreased performance, burning out, denying others a chance to use their talents and strengths or to learn new skills, and the increased frustration they may feel as a result.

My PAs challenged me with candor and compassion to replace my concerns of being a burden with more productive thoughts, to resist the urge to do something myself rather than delegate or teach someone how to do it. They challenged me to keep the bigger picture in mind, continue having conversations, and practice. I have a long way to grow in this area, but I will keep at it.

To all PAs, my challenge to you is to continue renewing your enthusiasm and commitment to bringing HORNE’s Continuous Growth Philosophy to life with your team members. Know them – help identify their strengths and area of passion. Focus them – be clear about performance and expected results. Engage them – build relationships, connect to the Wise Firm culture, help them understand the “how” not just the “what.”

Team members working with a PA, remember both of you are accountable for ensuring development-focused conversations about you take place and take place in the manner they are designed. I challenge you to be honest, transparent and willing to receive feedback. And remember, it’s what YOU do with that feedback that will make the difference in your career.

I’m a working parent and the mother of a toddler. I am also a later-in-life parent, who learned to be a working parent more than 15 years into my chosen career. I am still learning. But some lessons are already worth passing along.