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What's Your "And"?

John Garrett’s research involves talking with professionals who realize that who you are is so much more than what you do. Accountants, consultants, lawyers, engineers, and other professionals everywhere are doing hobbies and passions after they leave the office. We discuss why these outside-of-work interests matter and how they've impacted their career.
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What's Your "And"?
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Now displaying: March, 2017
Mar 29, 2017

Brett Cooper is always looking to feel more personally connected with others. It started out organizing activities for his peers at his first public accounting firm but then shifted to those less fortunate half the world away. After volunteering domestically for a few years, Brett decided he needed to be able to see and talk with the people he was helping, which led him to use his accounting background in India, Uganda, Kenya and now Rwanda. He likes that he is maximizing the value of businesses while also maximizing the value of his personal life.

In this episode, Brett and I talk about the beauty of sharing diverse experiences. It's crucial for everyone to determine their own happiness, know who they are, and own it. We also talk about the fear of being perceived as "not serious" if you show that you have passions that are equally important as your job. In the end, it's up to you to overcome that fear because, as Brett says, "Either fear dictates your choices or you do."

Mar 27, 2017

The Green Apple Podcast does weekly "Green Apple Slices", where John Garrett and Rachel Fisch discuss a recent business article related to the Green Apple Message. These shorter segments are released each Monday, so don't miss an episode by subscribing on iTunes or Stitcher.

This week, John and Rachel discuss a Forbes article, "An 'Employee Value Proposition' Mindset Just Might Fix Employee Engagement" by Rod Wagner.

Mar 22, 2017

Lauren Thiel follows the motto "Always be yourself, unless you can be Beyonce!" As a little girl, Lauren's parents enrolled her in dance class in hopes that it would teach her discipline. What they didn't realize she was now heading down a path where dance was a going to be a part of her life forever. After getting her degree in Accounting, she was able to use her business skills to help a friend start Bey Dance, a fun, inclusive and divalicious dance school inspired by Beyonce's music and dancing.

In this episode, we talk about how her dancing has increased her self-confidence and made her a better presenter. Lauren feels it's important to remember that your firm or company hired you for you, so if you don't share a bit of your whole self at work, you're denying your firm, your coworkers, your clients, and your career, from seeing the full potential you can bring. In Lauren's words, "I mostly do accounting but it's about being much more than that."

Mar 20, 2017

The Green Apple Podcast does weekly "Green Apple Slices", where John Garrett and Rachel Fisch discuss a recent business article related to the Green Apple Message. These shorter segments are released each Monday, so don't miss an episode by subscribing on iTunes or Stitcher.

This week, John and Rachel discuss a Business 2 Community article, "Are You Creating Deep Interactions?" by Dave Brock.

Mar 15, 2017

Ron Baker really hates the billable hour. I mean really, really, really hates it. And you can throw in timesheets, too, while you're at it. It all started after he left his job at Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. to start his own firm and realized how annoying it was for his clients to be billed this way. He immediately started value pricing and hasn't looked back since, having written several books and coached many other firm owners to do the same. And, oh yeah, he's a pretty decent golfer who loves to travel.

In this episode, we talk about how professionals aren't paid for tasks but rather are paid for outcomes. Unfortunately, many professional services firms have a vision that's too narrow and utilitarian, which creates an anti-innovation culture that is slow moving and measuring the wrong metrics. As Ron said, "We don't build relationships by being efficient!"

Mar 13, 2017

The Green Apple Podcast does weekly "Green Apple Slices", where John Garrett and Rachel Fisch discuss a recent business article related to the Green Apple Message. These shorter segments are released each Monday, so don't miss an episode by subscribing on iTunes or Stitcher.

This week, John and Rachel discuss a Forbes article, "Being Engaged at Work Is Not the Same as Being Productive" by Ryan Fuller and Nina Shikaloff.

Mar 8, 2017

Chris Callegari admits he's the last person he thought would ever try salsa dancing, let alone performing of any kind. But shortly after he graduated college, he was looking for a new challenge and signed up after for salsa classes after seeing an ad in a newspaper. Since then, he's gotten pretty good and he's got the 1st Place trophy to prove it!

In this episode, we talk about how his salsa dancing showed him how stepping out of his comfort zone could lead to success. Chris even had someone on his team excited to share that she had just started salsa lessons herself! By taking the time to get to know his team over monthly check-in meetings and then also sharing his hobbies and passions with them, he feels like it's made him a much better manager.

Mar 6, 2017

The Green Apple Podcast is doing weekly "Green Apple Slices", where John Garrett and Rachel Fisch discuss a recent business article related to the Green Apple Message. These shorter segments are released each Monday, so don't miss an episode by subscribing on iTunes or Stitcher.

This week, John and Rachel discuss a Forbes article, "Why We Shouldn’t Tell Workers When to Unplug" by Susanna Schrobsdorff.

Mar 1, 2017

Chris Hooper took the roundabout way into accounting -- from wrestling promoter at the age of 13 to power lifting competitor to entrepreneur. He'd always been good at making money, but never good at keeping it, so he figured he needed to study up on accounting. And the rest is history. While he isn't competing anymore, he still lifts regularly, sometimes even with clients.

In this episode, we talk about how Chris works hard to make Accodex a refuge for really good accountants who also have passions outside the office. While this might be frowned upon at larger firms, he embraces and encourages it. He stays in constant contact with all the staff but also schedules quarterly meetings with every individual. His goal is to have short-term productivity but long-term engagement from his team, so he works hard to align their personal goals with those of the firm. The question that he asks everyone is, "What's your dream job and what can we do for you to help you get there?"

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