Paul Meissner has always had a thing for winter sports. After competing in downhill skiing in University, his attention turned to curling, a sport where he gets to yell a lot. Some of his highlights include a game against the gold medal-winning Canadian Paralympic Team and another time playing a pickup game against Greg McAulay, a Canadian world champion curler.
In this episode, Paul and I talk about how curling is a great metaphor for an office, where the team is made up of different skills and it takes all four working in tandem to get it right. By playing regularly, he's learned to communicate more effectively and to change plans quickly. Client faces light up when they find out he does curling, so he often takes colleagues and clients to play. He really enjoys that because everyone is out of their comfort zone and there's a level playing field so everyone can play equally.
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, "3 Benefits Companies Can Provide To Boost Work-Life Balance" by Rachel Ritlop.
Liz Mason began traveling when her Dad brought her along on business trips to London and the Caribbean. Since then, she’s been hooked and now sets her personal goal to travel at least two weeks a year to disconnect and focus on something positive in order to break the anxiety and stress that build up from work. She believes in this so much that her firm offers everyone a $1,000 stipend if they completely unplug from work on their vacation.
In this episode, Liz and I talk about how her traveling has forced her to learn better problem solving skills. She’s learned to filter information more efficiently in order to make better decisions. We also talk about how some firms give their teams PTO but then make them feel guilty if they use it, which completely defeats the purpose. These are usually the same firms with cultures that don’t encourage everyone to share passions, missing the fact that, “having human passions is always relatable whether the other person shares that passion or not.”
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 Harvard Business Review article, "HR’s Vital Role in How Employees Spend Their Time, Talent, and Energy" by Eric Garton.
Michael Wherry has been downhill skiing since he was very young. And now he's gotten his daughter in the sport, even taking a trip together to Breckenridge, Colorado this past winter. It was during this trip that he realized how much skiing had taught him how to be a better manager. Because everyone has had different experiences, a good manager needs to find the right questions to get others to explain what they’re processing in their head.
In this episode, Michael and I talk about how people need to feel comfortable at work. The firm or company needs to be open to everyone putting small things in their space that show who they are. It’s ideal if management leads the way because, "Newer staff needs someone to show them the way that work isn't everything." He’s seen some firms do “Busy Season Olypics” playing Minute To Win It type games to break up the monotony, which is something that doesn’t necessarily only have to be during Busy Season.
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, "How To Build An Innovative Workplace Culture With Experimentation" by Daniel Newman.
Andy Wang started playing guitar just after graduating high school and later joined a punk rock/ska band when he was in college. He started after his father told him, "Why talk about it? Go take a lesson!" Since then, he's learned to play the Hawaiian slack key guitar and has entertained Christie Brinkley, performed at Staten Island Stadium, the Highline Ballroom, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival, where he was able to perform with his musical heroes.
In this episode, Andy and I talk about how his guitar playing benefited his career in so many ways. He developed a niche by realizing there weren't many Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar players in New York City. He also learned to take a leap of faith and trust the process -- you'll get better over time. Early in his career, he didn't share his guitar playing because he didn't feel that it benefited his career. Now he's inviting clients to his shows, includes it in his twitter bio and on his page of the firm's website. Andy said, "When you're in the business world, there's always the risk of trying to take yourself too seriously. The fun goes out the window."
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 Washington Post article, "Uber founder Travis Kalanick resigns as CEO amid a shareholder revolt" by Elizabeth Dwoskin.
Drew Carrick, aka "Petty Ca$h", has always wanted to entertain those around him. Whether it's his original rap songs about accounting or him being his college mascot for a few events, Drew really enjoys standing out, so he was a natural fit for the Green Apple Podcast. His "Public Accounting Anthem" went viral and the rest was history. Colleagues at his firm have recognized his innovation and entertaining skills, and as such deemed him as the "Most Creative". He's even performed his original rap songs at Grant Thornton events, which got the attention of the Marketing group for some special projects.
In this episode, Drew and I talk about how Grant Thornton is doing some things to promote bringing your whole self to work. Drew said, "You shouldn't only be yourself when you're at home or hanging out with your friends. You should be able to be that around the people you work with, too." For most people, work isn't the most important thing in their lives and they need to know that it's not only okay, but the norm. And it definitely doesn't make you any less effective at your job.
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, "Ten Company Rules That Destroy Trust And Teamwork" by Liz Ryan.