Culture Matters: Building the Wise Firm

When my soon-to-be husband at the time, asked me how I felt about moving to Oxford, Mississippi, for a potential job opportunity he received, there were several immediate thoughts that popped in my head. The first being, "Will these two Bulldogs fit into the rival city?" Not that I thought there would be a group of people with pitchforks staking out our house, but you know, I figured we'd end up being good candidates for solid yard rolls every Halloween. The second thought was, "What about my job?" 

“Andra Lewis was so loud at lunch today!”

Depending on who you say this to, you’re most likely to be met with stares of confusion or praised for your comedic gold. The reason is quite simple. I am not the greatest conversationalist nor very loud. Though it is something I am working on, in most cases, I’m pretty reserved. But, there is one area where I don’t mind standing out—my style choices.

After completing my first busy season in the Ridgeland office, I moved to HORNE’s Hattiesburg office as the only team member in my department.  I had a plan set in place to tackle some of the obstacles I may face, but ultimately knew that most things never go as planned. Luckily, I had a team standing behind me that was ready to take on those challenges as well. I have heard the words “flexibility, feedback, and full potential” a dozen times before, but soon they applied to me in a very real and transforming way. I found meaning in them, and it was due to the support of the people around me.

Expanding your circle at work is extremely important to your career growth. Connecting with your peers and having additional sources of friendship and support will help improve overall job satisfaction and give you a stronger sense of belonging.

Ring…ring…ring…it’s a sound we all hear throughout the day but to some it can be the thing you dread most. Whether it’s your wife calling, knowing you forgot to take out the garbage, or your supervisor asking for that report you knew was due the day before—it’s not a good feeling. But good news, there is a way to get out of those situations, and yes it works on spouses too! It’s having a strong relationship. 

As often as we can, my wife and I like to steal away to the great outdoors for some camping and hiking. The fresh air, beautiful creation, and peace and quiet are a welcome change from what can sometimes be a very busy pace.

Last year at our firm’s strategic planning, it was brought to light that a lack of engagement amongst my team was one of the top things holding us back from reaching our full potential as a practice group. 70% of those on the management team agreed it was our number one problem. 

When I think of service, my earliest memories go back to childhood. As a child, my parents encouraged me and my brother to sort through our toys to identify things we no longer played with so we could donate to other children in the community. Now as an adult, I’m often reminded of service through Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages. My husband’s love language happens to be “Acts of Service.” I’m reminded weekly about acts of service as I perform the undesirable job of cleaning the bathrooms or making the dreaded trip to the grocery store.

Despite the light-hearted approach to last week's blog, 5 Foolproof Ways to Fail as a Performance Advisor, I believe the point was still clear—being a good performance advisor actually is hard work. But, it's without a doubt one of my most rewarding and fulfilling responsibilities. Creating a rising tide is something that has always been incredibly important to me and being a performance advisor gives me a fantastic opportunity to do that. I think Seth Godin sums it up in a recent blog by saying, "We get what we invest in. The time we spend comes back, with interest."