Scott Hoppe got into cycling when he was a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He bought an $800 bike and began riding it everywhere he went as a way to exercise and lose some weight. This eventually led to him entering both crit races, which are shorter, “crash happy” tight circles, and road races, which are much longer distances. He finished in 6th Place in the most difficult road race he’s competed in was in Boonfield, CA, a very mountainous part of the Pacific Coast Highway. When he’s not racing, he’s been known to ride his bike to some CPE events and even across the Golden Gate Bridge to work.
In this episode, Scott and I talk about how his cycling allowed him to learn that his limits were greater than he thought. He can now see through the “hurt locker moments” in order to dig deeper and stay focused longer. Scott is big believer in finding common ground to develop stronger relationships. When he was with larger firms, he often started “biggest loser” challenges or Wednesday night runs. He feels that if you’re at a larger firm, you shouldn’t wait to ask for permission but rather take it on yourself to create the culture you want. "Don’t be scared of failure, so fail forward and fail fast."
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 SocialTalent article, "Employee Engagement in the Workplace" by Michelle McSweeney.
Ted Barton first stepped on a comedy stage as a junior at the University of Central Florida. Since then, he’s even followed an acoustic set at an open mic by the lead singer of “We The Kings” and recently did a show in New York City.
In this episode, Ted and I talk about how doing comedy allowed him to be more creative at solving problems, have better analytical skills and, most importantly, develop his true self. He worked in several internships through college and noticed a common denominator of people not sharing their personal lives for fear of appearing less professional. But Ted feels the culture can be improved, started with the firm leadership, “but it can stop with the individual if they have some bad preconceived notions.”
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, "Satisfy Your Employees' Desire To Connect" by Todd Richardson.
Becca Shane didn’t get into running until eight years ago but she hasn’t stopped since, running 38 races in that time. She run everything from 5k’s, to 10k’s, to half-marathons and even the 48.6 miles over four days “Disney Dopey Challenge” – twice!
In this episode, Becca and I talk about it’s human nature to want to create connections with others. This was especially true when she graduated college and moved to a new city. In order to create connections and make friends, Becca found that it was best to talk about anything except work. She says, "If you only talk about work, you’re going to be pretty boring." In the corporate setting, Becca feels it’s more the individual’s responsibility to open up and share their non-work passions because the firm can’t force anyone to do this, especially since everyone has completely different interests.
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 Money article, "In the Workplace: Improving Employees' Work-Life Balance" by Diane Stafford.
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.”