Scott Duda was given a choice by a Partner when he first started in public accounting -- either take Friday afternoons off to network and golf or you can stay in the office and work. Through that Partner, Scott learned how to network through golf, developing new relationships and strengthening current relationships. He also happens to cheer for Ohio State sports, especially football. During our talk, it comes out that we were both rooting for our respective teams at the Notre Dame vs Ohio State football game in 1996!
In this episode, Scott and I talk about the best way to build relationships and to build teams is to just be yourself. He talks about how it's okay to not be an expert at everything but instead just know who to reach out to. Scott even tells his staff, "It's okay to not know everything. As a matter of fact, trying to learn everything will slow your career down.
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 Fast Company article, "Why Engagement Happens in Employees' Hearts, Not Their Minds" by Mark C. Crowley.
Meri Amber is a singer of crazy songs. The geek pop singer-songwriter graduated from the University of Sydney with a degree in commerce (accounting) but has gone on to a popular music career performing her original songs all over Australia and New Zealand. She's even written an entire album of accounting songs. The corresponding music videos got her a lot of attention, so I was excited she could take time to talk with me.
In this episode, Meri and I talk about how important being creative is in the world of business. Not breaking the law creative but the kind of next level thinking based on the data given. Clients aren't paying so much for the work but more how are we going to use this information? And we talk about being worried to share your passions with coworkers or clients because you think they won't relate. She says, "You need to show it if you want other people to acknowledge it!" It's even better if you can correlate it to a benefit for the firm, which isn't as difficult as a lot of people think.
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, "Why the Millions We Spend on Employee Engagement Buy Us So Little" by Jacob Morgan.
Cindy Schroeder is such a fan of all things Disney, that she considers herself to be a true "Disnerd". So much so that she's an Annual Walt Disney Passholder, allowing to take in as much Disney as her schedule will allow. She's been able to go behind the scenes at the Disney parks and other perks that would make any Disney fan lose their mind. By sharing this passion with clients, Cindy has been pleasantly surprised to find that there's always someone that shares your passion. She says, "If you don't talk about it, you'll never find those other people."
In this episode, we talk about how much the Walt Disney experience made her marketing skills so much better. It's even more impactful than going to a CPE marketing breakout session at a conference! She learned the attention to detail matters to how your clients feel, so she sends really fun cards and other treats to her clients on random days.
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 Virgin Pulse article, "Organizational Culture".
Stacy Mueller might be the most popular person in the office, taking the time to bake cakes to celebrate people's birthdays. Seriously, who doesn't love cake?!? She's also known for quilting and making ginger bread houses, both things that she's perfected through years of family gatherings.
In this episode, Stacy and I talk about how these passions help humanize her and give the office an opportunity to take a break from only talking about work demands. We also discuss a new policy INT implemented during the interview process where the candidate meets with a few people for a cultural fit interview. The staff don't ask any technical questions at all but instead focus on the candidate's outside interests and personality, two things that are vital to a healthy work culture.
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 UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School article, "Four Steps for Improving Employee Engagement".
Brian Wagner wasn't exactly in love with fly fishing the first few times he went, but a friend had invited him and promised cold beer was involved. After a few times, he began to learn the knots and techniques to catch fish and it became a lot more fun. And while unplugging from work is nice, there are many parallels -- no matter how much you study the technical skills, to truly excel, you must also learn the "art" of both fly fishing and business.
In this episode, Brian and I talk about how his fly fishing has built some really strong client relationships. It's also given him the ability to hone some skills that translate straight to the office, like focusing, remembering to be in the moment, and patience -- as Brian says, "Nothing good happens when you rush it." I also really liked talking with Brian about how it's up to individuals to own their career but the organization must support it, which includes sharing passions or creating shared experiences as a team. The last thing Brian wants is for everyone in the firm to be the same (i.e., accountants who only talk about accounting) because that'd be a very boring place to work.
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 Nikkei Asian Review article, "Japan Inc. moving toward 4-day work week".