Culture Matters: Building the Wise Firm

In a world full of tips on how to accomplish almost anything, those “5 Easy Tips to Success” become afterthoughts by the end of most articles. In the presentation “ABCs to Outstanding,” I share tips that will move you from average and ordinary to outstanding. And, just like those articles we read, those tips are easy to do BUT also they are easy not to do. That’s why I focus on daily habits to bring those tips to life.

Using the power of gratitude is one of those tips, and the most impactful I have found.

Have you ever felt like you were misunderstood, like those around you didn’t appreciate or recognize your contributions, or that you just didn’t fit in? These are not uncommon experiences but they can present daunting barriers to reaching your full potential.

The reality is that most, if not all, of us have experienced these feelings at some point over the course of our career. Understanding these feelings and taking control of how we communicate with one another is key to unlocking our potential.

>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.

Wandering around aimlessly is exhausting. We can all likely relate to times in our career where we’ve sat in front of a computer, plugging away, and wondered, “Why am I even doing this?”

Having direction, goals, and an overall purpose makes work and life in general, simply invigorating. It transforms everyday tasks from tedious to vital. It gives us each a sense of place, of belonging.

When it comes to the work we do in HORNE Government Services, finding purpose isn’t a hard thing to do. Roughly 70 percent of our team has been affected by natural disasters, and lived through the aftermath.

It is extremely easy to get “caught up” in the daily routine of work, regardless of the specific position we hold within an organization. It is also easy to fail to connect the true purpose we are serving in our specific position and just how important that purpose can be to others.

Within the Franchise Services team at HORNE, we are serving our franchise-owner clients in a manner that is somewhat unique, even to CPA firms. Our business model is built around HORNE assuming the role of the client’s back office accounting staff, human resource team to a degree, and even the controller and chief financial officer in some cases.

Belonging Shown to be Key Indicator in Achievement

I grew up in public accounting. As a female in an industry where leadership is traditionally dominated by men, it’s safe to say I’ve experienced challenges. And, because of my own journey, championing a diverse and inclusive culture within our firm has long been a passion of mine. However, I’ve realized over the last few years that diversity and inclusion isn’t actually enough. We have to take it to another level.

What we really are striving for is a true sense of belonging. For everyone.

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.