Culture Matters: Building the Wise Firm

People say I’m a very engaged team member, I take my work seriously and I go above and beyond. I can’t say I disagree with them. In fact, I can’t tell you how much it means to have the people I work with acknowledge these things about me and take time to give me that feedback. It creates a great deal of value, and I view it as a not-so-common gift in the workplace.

We often make the mistake of trying to control every aspect of our lives. Many of us have a morning routine we follow religiously. For some, it is waking up in time to enjoy a cup of coffee outside on the deck, catch up on news or stop by Chick-fil-a for your regular #1 meal with two strawberry jelly packets and an orange juice. For others, it is going on a morning jog, getting the children ready for school or having a fashion show in the mirror to find the perfect outfit. Hey, no judgment here!

Regardless of what you do to get going in the morning, it is your routine, and it seems like something you have full control over. That is viable, right up until disaster strikes (insert scream here)! Now it seems the rest of your day is thrown off. We can control the amount of coffee we consume or our morning workout; however, we cannot control the unexpected events that prevent us from sticking to our routine.

Fear is a deep-seated and natural human emotion. Indeed rational fear helps us make sound decisions and even helps keep us alive. But less primal/survival fears are learned as we grow and experience life. It’s these less rational fears that can stall or even derail our professional growth and career trajectory. Fear of failure, of being wrong, of not being good enough, of being taken advantage of and even fear of success can all diminish our capacity for growth, success and happiness.

A dreamer is defined as a person who is unpractical or idealistic. I define dreamer with two words: forward thinker. Forward thinking is the act of planning for the future and favoring innovation. Let’s imagine for a moment, a young dreamer with aspirations of competing against the most talented athletes in the most prestigious organization of its kind—the NFL.

When I started my journey with HORNE four years ago, my emotional intelligence needed improvement, particularly in the areas of self-awareness and positive outlook. I knew this needed to change; not just for my professional growth, but so I could be a happier and more well-balanced person in all aspects of my life.

Did you know that you can go get the feedback you need to grow and develop? Most people don’t realize how empowered we are to ask for what we need—including the specific type of feedback at any given point of the day or in our careers. Whether it’s appreciation, coaching or evaluation feedback you are seeking, here are some questions to help you go out and get the feedback you want.

How does one develop a healthy relationship? I was recently pondering this with a friend just the other day. I explained how I believe the most important thing in strong relationships is communication. Regardless of the relationship—coworkers, siblings, friends, spouses, parents—communication is key!

HORNE describes our Full Potential (FP) Coaching Program as a strategic investment by the firm that reinforces our commitment to our people by empowering team members to reach their Full Potential, in both their personal and professional lives. More specifically, our FP Coaches engage with team members in one-on-one sessions to discuss career aspirations, then assist with targeted goal setting and action steps designed to accelerate development and bring sharper focus to individual growth and potential. While this certainly sounded like something I wanted to sign up for, I wasn’t really sure what I was getting myself into.

There is an important growth, engagement and learning opportunity that the best teams will make a priority: the after action review (AAR). In addition to regular check-ins and course corrections throughout a project or client engagement, the AAR is a discipline that will help us all to #beEVENbetter. Here’s the great news, it doesn’t have to be a long, taxing process. Here are four questions, with a few best practices, that our team uses to make sure we are learning and growing continuously while engaging every member of the team.