Culture Matters: Building the Wise Firm

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.

I recently read an article on common regrets of older people as they looked back over their lives. I realized that I still had time to impact and improve my life and career as I kept reading. Here are the main regrets that stuck out to me and how I plan to not add them to my personal regret list. 

“What is your biggest accomplishment to date?” I was asked this question recently. Without hesitation, my response was passing the CPA exam. I would say, without a doubt, the journey to passing the CPA exam was the most emotionally, physically and mentally exhausting journey I have taken. I remember questioning many times if this was the path God intended for me. Could I really make this happen? Was it really worth it? It has been a year since I found out that I'm officially a CPA, and I can tell you now it was worth every tear and sleepless night.

Last week, I shared the first 10 takeaways for owning your career in Part 1 of this blog series. So, below are the next 10 tips to take your success into your own hands and own your career.

Taking ownership for your career is critical to your success whether you are brand new to the workforce or a seasoned veteran. As Full Potential Coach, I consistently see that people who lean in to embrace the empowerment that comes with taking the initiative to gain clarity, make choices and act on their career are more engaged and happy at work.

When I think back to my first time serving as a performance advisor (PA), when it was actually called being a mentor, I always think about what a huge responsibility I was handed. I vividly remember thinking, “Really, my partners are entrusting me to help grow our future leaders? But I'm still growing myself!” I didn’t know how they thought I was going to make an impact on helping others grow when I wasn’t there myself. 

Being the best is easier said than done! I wake up every morning with my mind set on being the best at what I do. I consider myself to be a competitor and that is what drives me to succeed. I plan on taking the accounting industry by storm in the next ten years with hard work, dedication, and perseverance. My personal goal is to be the best CPA I can be and also to influence the world through accounting.” 

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.

My early career goals didn’t include the acronym CPA. I attended a liberal arts university and worked at a bank during my time there. After graduation, I was offered a full-time position with the bank. I worked my way up, eventually becoming a bank officer and lender. I made loans for everything from cars to churches to crops. I liked the people I worked with and I enjoyed interacting with my customers. But, it never felt like what I wanted to call my life’s work. The work kept me content, but I wasn’t totally fulfilled.