Kay Morgan has always loved trying new recipes – and the wine that goes along with it. As she began to bring on clients and hire new staff, she realized that food is something that everyone can relate to. This leads to her actually asking clients about their favorite meal during the onboarding process. It was also leads to her team sharing recipes with each other on a regular basis. Food is such a huge passion for Kay that she hires a chef to come to her annual team retreats.
In this episode, Kay and I talk about how food and conversations about food are a great way to break the ice. These conversations amongst her team allow them to get more comfortable with each other and develop stronger bonds of trust. Kay firmly believes that it’s important to take time to build relationships between team members because her clients are hiring the whole team, not just one person. She also says, "You have to be vulnerable in business in order to grow.”
Chris Morrison has always been very active and that hasn’t stopped even though he’s with a public accounting firm. While Ragner Relays and hiking are his two biggest passions, he’s also skydived several times and been a licensed helicopter pilot. Hiking is his “budget hobby” and a quick weekend getaway from his home in Phoenix. The Flatiron Hike outside Phoenix is the one he’s done the most but he’s also done a lot of hiking in the Grand Canyon and Zion National Parks.
In this episode, Chris and I talk about how much these activities have allowed him to open up and have stronger connections with everyone at his firm. He used to be shy and not say much about it, but after people asked what he was doing with his PTO time, he realized how it’s a great way to build relationships. He also takes pictures while he’s hiking and puts those up in his cubicle as a way for others to see what he’s passionate about. He firmly believes that people are what make up the personality of the firm and it’s up to each individual to let that out. In his words, “We live to work – not work to live.”
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 an Android app.
This week, John and Rachel discuss an Inc article, "Science Found the 5 Things That Drive Employees to Go Above and Beyond" by Marcel Schwantes.
Damien Martin has been playing piano since he was very young. He liked it so much, he majored in music at the University of California, Berkeley and was often paid to perform with jazz ensembles when he lived in the Bay Area. While he was studying for his degree, he decided to take a few Intro to Business classes where he began to see a parallel between music and tax. Just like notes on a page, the numbers on tax forms need to come alive to create a unique experience for the audience or client.
In this episode, Damien and I talk about how he felt he didn’t belong at a public accounting firm because he hadn’t gotten an undergrad business degree. He didn’t want to share his passion for jazz and blues because he felt that others would think he wasn’t as qualified. What he realized is that once people found out, it was much easier to network and often times people wanted to come see him play. Now that he’s made that leap, he says, "If I try to separate it, it just doesn’t feel right. I feel like I’m holding something back and not being genuine.”
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 an Android app.
This week, John and Rachel discuss an Accounting Today article, "RSM's 2nd Annual '90-90-9' Program Awards Staff $90K" by Sean McCabe.
Jason Hastie is the lead singer for Jason Hastie and The Alibi, a Top50 Canadian country band that was ACMA nominated for Group of the Year in 2015. He had always liked singing but didn’t really get into it until after he moved to Calgary and started his own consulting firm. Now he’s regularly on the radio and is invited to the CMA Awards!
In this episode, Jason and I talk about how similar writing and performing his music is to being a small business consultant. Finding that common ground that connects us is what makes both so powerful. In his words, “We’re all born to connect.” He realizes we’re all human and can’t be totally perfect. “The harder you try to be perfect, the easier it is to feel like you failed."
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 an Android app.
This week, John and Rachel discuss a Medium article, "Your Company’s Culture is Who You Hire, Fire, & Promote" by Dr. Cameron Sepah.
Sahand Kargosha really likes history. Especially United States history. In an effort to learn as much as he can, he’s read many books about the Civil War and both World Wars. He’s been doing this ever since he was little, learning how important reading was from his Mom.
In this episode, Sahand and I talk about how being a bit of a history buff has allowed him to develop some great relationships in the office – especially with a Tax Partner. This helped even before he started with EY, since his interview with a Senior Manager turned to discussing the Civil War. He likes to talk about this and finds it’s a good way to connect with others. He says he has yet to find anyone that absolutely hates history and that “…there are so many ways to bond with people – the work itself is just one of those ways."
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 an Android app.
This week, John and Rachel discuss a Forbes article, "The Key Differences Between Culture, Purpose And Employee Engagement" by Dan Pontefract.
Guy Pearson likes to work. A lot. He started his own firm, Interactive Accounting, one of the first cloud accounting firms in Australia, and a few years later, he started Practice Ignition. He spends so much time with both that he refers to one as his wife and the other, his mistress. When he was younger, he liked to play rugby, but because he’s had to start both companies from the ground up, he hasn’t had much time for hobbies or passions – something that he now realizes needs to change. So he’s being more intentional with making time for surfing, playing basketball, and going to concerts with friends.
In this episode, Guy and I talk about how important culture is to a firm or company. He says, "You can train everything else, but you can’t train someone to be a good fit for your culture." Therefore, during the interview process, he’s sure to ask questions that lead to candidates letting their personality out by sharing their hobbies or passions. He thinks coworker relationships are so important, he flies the entire global team to Sydney each April for their internal conference.