The Unhealthy Accountant

Due to the author being under the weather, we'll be back in November! Please "consider" getting your flu shots.

Don't have time to listen to someone? ..... DON'T !!

Have you ever been caught by someone in the hall when you were rushing out the door or on the way to a meeting, or worse yet, right when you are in the middle of doing something? They just need a "few seconds" and need your ear, so you give it to them, and they talk to you right as you may be moving away from them.

What have you done?

(1) You fell for the "few seconds" line! How many things really take a "few seconds"? The interruption itself has already taken a few seconds!

(2) You have reinforced their behavior - if they can find you they can get you!

(3) You have allowed an environment to be created that is less than ideal to truly listen to them.

Now I know sometimes these practices have to happen, but certainly many of them, including the behaviors they reinforce, can be challenged. If you do not have time to fully engage and provide them a powerful listening ear..... DON'T DO IT. Out of respect for them, tell them no, and tell them how they can get your ear (and how you would like to be able to provide them your FULL attention at another time). Better yet, spend some time (later) talking about your communication protocols, boundaries, and needs.

Can an Accountant be "In The Zone?"

I know a lot of accountants who are currently in one of their "busy seasons" until the October 15th deadline. I bet at one point during a very busy time you have felt like you were "in a zone", where time was just flying by and you were getting lots of work done. (despite lots of pressure)

You have probably heard athletes talk about when they are in a "zone" and what they were doing (whether it was shooting a basketball or running a race) came effortlessly .... even though we know a lot of effort was required.

Many accountants will laugh at me when I try and use such an analogy, but it is worth investigating.

Be reflective. Why were you so productive? What did you do? What about your environment did you set up that aided you? What did you "enjoy" about that busy time?

You probably flexed your muscles a bit, and started to reach levels of productivity you either did not think were possible or had not achieved before. Remember you can wait all your life to try and find the most enjoyable thing you can do vocationally; but sometimes just a pursuit of excellence, in no matter what you are doing, can BECOME enjoyable because you are challenging yourself....and you ARE WINNING.

BRING IT ON.

Emoticons versus Body Language

Had a nice conversation today with an avid "learner" in the accounting profession and she mentioned something to me that really hit home ....

Younger accountants (and most professionals for that matter) are not as adept at translating body language as their older colleagues for the simple reason that they do not have as much practice! Think about it -- they have spent much more of their younger years communicating via a computer. They might know the various emoticons well :) :( ;) from their instant messaging communication, but they have spent less time on average talking and communicating with people face to face.

Ensure your younger staff are trained on body language and other non-verbal cues. You have probably heard it can be up to 90% of total communication.

"Listening" to our clients and colleagues is now as important as ever, but to listen you must be able to hear ALL of it. Make sure they know how.

Document or Review any Personal Goals Lately?

I found it interesting that the average American spends less than 1 hour a year documenting their personal goals and reviewing them. That is because most people do not even document their goals!! (Source: Day-Planners)

So, the average American spends more time biting their fingernails in any year than reviewing their goals.

If you do not have any long-term goals documented ..... I will promise you one thing -- you will have a much better chance of NOT meeting them!

The CPA Exam - More Than Just a Test

Click title above that links to the article we wrote about how passing the CPA exam can be a major learning experience ... much more than just a "test".

Do Accountants Lie? 1 Sign .....

The answer is a resounding YES!

Per Paul Ekman, author of Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage, the average person lies 3 times for every 10 minutes of conversation. That statistic is pretty daunting. So if I talk to the "average person" for 10 minutes, there will be 3 lies .... no actually 6, if I am also like the "average person"?!!

Now maybe the "average accountant" is better at not lying than the "average person." I'd like to think so. We have strong ethical codes and guidelines we have to follow, and hopefully most accountants are qualified for their integrity upon entering any organization.

But have you ever caught a colleague lying, a client lying, or even yourself lying? Chances are the answers are yes to all three questions.

Below is one typical sign sign of a liar. In future posts we'll discuss:

(1) Other signs

(2) How you can become better at "not lying" all the time, including eliminating the "little white lies". The first tip will be one you can probably guess right now -- you have to WANT to become better at this.

Liars typically provides MORE details - When you are lying you are lying to yourself and the other person. You have to convince BOTH and liars struggle with silence because they must talk them-self through the lie at the same time they are talking you through the lie. Thus, if they are silent they are only listening to their own lie and they also feel like you may be listening (even though you can't) and in an effort to "prove" their lie, they will overindulge in the details of that lie so you both will be over-convinced.

Isn't learning about lying FUN?!

What "Labors" You?

Since it is the Labor Day holiday, maybe it is appropriate to focus on your work. I know, I know. Many specifically do not want to focus on work this weekend!

But maybe there is some value in asking yourself two questions:

1.) What is the most laborious thing you do at your job? (What is the one thing you do that you like the least?)

2.) What is the one thing you do at your job that you LOVE?

I know most accountants feel like their job descriptions are set in stone, but that simply is not the case. You have no doubt noticed some at your organization who have excelled even when there may be only one or two things that they do REALLY well. But they do them really well, probably because they also really enjoy doing them. What is the one thing you do well and love ... and how do you do it more? Oh yea, and that one thing you like the least, how do you do that less? Sounds too simple, doesn't it? It's not if you decide to be intentional about doing what you are good at and love.