Being Present

I’m a Developer. According to the StrengthsFinder assessment, this means I see the potential in others. My goal is to help them experience success by creating experiences that stretch them and help them grow.

It should come as no surprise then, that one of the best aspects of my job is coaching attorneys, accountants and bankers on how to be more effective at their job and at gaining power in their organizations.

Imagine my excitement when an attorney who’s been participating in one of our year-long New Leadership Forum trainings actually asked for help on how to “be present.”

This attorney is already pretty great, but he has the potential to be extraordinary. One of the things getting in his way is his inability to be present among his peer group and with his staff. He rocks at this when he’s among his superiors.

The Developer in me jumped at the task and created best practices on “Being Present: 17 Tips for Mindful Communications.” Some of the tips include:

• Listening is more than hearing. Make eye contact. Don’t finish sentences for someone or interrupt. Just listen and absorb.

• Don’t multi-task when you’re engaged in a conversation (no answering your cell phone, texting, checking mail). People can tell when you are distracted, even on the phone.

• If you have to leave a meeting early, inform others at the beginning of the meeting.

• Don’t be afraid of silence. Relax.

• Become curious about them.

To see the complete list, go to “Tips on Being Present” on Ingenuity’s website.

What tip do you have on being present?

Old School But Open to New Media

I’m old school at times. I make lists – on paper. I have a land line phone at home, haven’t watched anything on Hulu and if I didn’t work here, I doubt I’d know as much as I do about LinkedIn, Facebook and other forms of social media. Although my teenagers were horrified their mother had a Facebook page (regardless of whether or not it was work related and only 1 out of the 3 friended me) I’m fascinated how we are using social media here at Ingenuity and every day I hear another success story that came about because of it.

Case in point – I heard today about a woman who became a “fan” of a company on Facebook that was a potential client of hers. As a fan, she automatically receives updates on any news the company is sharing. She noticed in a recent update that the company was going to be doing something in the future her company could assist them with. She immediately responded to the post, asked if they needed help, and got a response back that they indeed did and landed the account. It wasn’t cold calling, a sales call or a direct mail piece – it was simply her becoming a “fan” of her potential client. The cost for landing the new account? Minutes.

I have to admit; I’m not nearly as skilled at using social media to network and get the word out as others here. Kristy, our Growth Consultant, is the guru, with Rachel coming in a close second (see Rachel’s article “Be Connected: The People Who contribute to a Global Conversation” on our microsite: www.marketingyourpeople.com). Kristy does a great job of giving tips and dispersing pertinent information via her status updates tool on LinkedIn. She almost always receives comments back from clients and friends thanking her for sharing what she knows. Use your LinkedIn account and its status update function to create a little good will, share helpful information, connect with those in your network and establish your credibility as a “go to” person in your industry for the latest information.

Who can you become a fan of on Facebook to get current information and what information can you post on LinkedIn to share with your network?

The rewards of CPA Cool

A lot of younger professionals worry about how much they see the leaders in their firms working and are not sure they want to be a leader because of the constant work. I am going to share a secret they may be forgetting to mention to you: they work hard but they are having a lot of fun.

Last week we partied with BKR in New York City. BKR is an international association of CPA firms and more than a hundred leaders of firms from all over the world came to meet, learn, network and have a great time.

Dawn & I spoke on “Defining Your Competitive Differentiators,” to the group on the last morning. While there were a lot of questions, comments and ideas there were also more than a few red eyes and yawns. We did not take this personally as most of them had partied until the wee hours the night before. These firm leaders really cut loose. At BKR, the Karoake with a live band featured the talents of more than one surprisingly good managing partner. People from Mongolia to Malaysia, from Venezuela to Cyprus shook it out on the very crowded dance floor. A group of female partners did “We are Family,” and showed us some very un-CPA-like moves. We had a blast.

It takes work to get to the top of your game. But do not forget the rewards.