Let’s say you’re competitively hiring for a new role at your company, in which this individual will oversee the performance and responsibilities of four existing employees. You find the perfect candidate: she’s charismatic, brimming with ideas, and has a deep background in the field and your industry. The only hang up is she’s never had direct reports in prior roles. Does this deter you from moving forward with her as a candidate? You decide to make her an offer. She joins the company and is immediately introduced to her new team, and the expectations of the team are laid out. So, how do yo ..read more

“AI is a field of computer science that aims to create machines and software that can perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as understanding language, recognizing images, making decisions, and learning from data.” 1 That’s the definition Bing’s Chat Enterprise tool gave me when I asked it to describe AI. AI is the buzziest of all buzzy topics in 2023 and organizations and individuals are jumping on the bandwagon. How much of this is hype and how much of it is rooted in AI’s true potential to transform our world? In my view, recent advancements in AI – and the emergenc ..read more

“Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse. If you’re comfortable while you’re doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.” – Ted Lasso Society today is heavily reliant on technology and largely motivated by a search for immediate gratification. Today’s abundance of conveniences and modern securities are beneficial in many ways. However, is this much comfort good for us? While modern technology makes our lives easier, it also deprives us of some of the challenges, experiences and failures that allow us to learn and grow. Having the tenacity to push boundaries and step out of our comf ..read more

“Do something. Even if it’s wrong.” Those words from my running backs coach in college stick with me today. His point was that, on the football field, if you stop moving, your injury risk skyrockets. Someone is more likely to roll up on your leg and blow out your knee when you’re standing still amid the frenetic activity of a game. But when you move, even if it’s unproductive movement, your muscles are engaged, you are in the flow of the action, and your body is better equipped to absorb any contact. My coach’s advice applies well beyond the football field. I believe it’s important to do so ..read more

It’s no secret that Sikich is in the midst of rapid growth. And rapid growth means we have to continue to attract and retain talented professionals. To meet our recruitment goals, it is critical that we place our diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging strategy at the center of our growth plans. But how can an organization of our size approach a robust, formalized DEIB program? The answer? A fantastic DEIB leader. As we continue to grow, our people-first initiatives are our top priority. I recently sat down with Dimitri Wilder, our diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging leader, to di ..read more

The coronavirus pandemic has pushed many organizations into large-scale remote work. At Sikich, we were well prepared to adjust to this reality. Long before COVID-19 shut down the country, Sikich was investing in technology to support a virtual workforce. Nearly 200 of our 1,000 employees were already working remotely prior to the pandemic. While COVID-19 accelerated our plans, we were able to shift to an almost entirely remote environment overnight. Since then, our organization has taken a strong stance in favor of long-term remote work and flexibility for our employees. I’m confident in th ..read more

No matter who you are or what you do, everyone goes through life experiences that require us to be resilient. Some people build strength and determination from these experiences; others let difficulties take them down. Who we are and who we let ourselves become is determined to a large extent by the attitudes we maintain. A poor attitude breeds negativity and disappointment. A positive attitude looks at the cards you’ve been dealt, regardless of how ugly they may be, and relentlessly searches for a way to play them – always looking for anything positive, always pursuing opportunities for gr ..read more

Diversity and inclusion have always been a part of our organization’s fabric and a key element of our growth and evolution. At the start of 2020, I named diversity as one of our four critical priorities for the year and moving forward—not because it is a new initiative for us, but to intentionally place additional emphasis on this core tenet of our culture. Recent tragic events have forced us all to confront injustice in our society and have strengthened our resolve to prioritize diversity and inclusion. We recently pledged to create a more diverse and inclusive workspace across race, gender ..read more

This Women’s History Month, I had the opportunity to talk with Kara Hamstra, a director in The Agency at Sikich and the leader of our Women’s Leadership Circle program. During our conversation, we discussed the mission of this leadership group and the positive impact our organization can have on building an inclusive, supportive culture for everyone. CG: Happy Women’s History Month! Can you share some background on the Women’s Leadership Circle at Sikich? KH: Thanks! Sikich’s Women’s Leadership Circle was formed in 2019 with a pilot group of women at Sikich. We quickly grew, though, and t ..read more

Throughout my career, I’ve faced challenges, failures and difficult decisions—these experiences became the foundation and building blocks that led me to where I am today. While I have plenty more to learn and more demanding decisions lay ahead, I like to think I picked up a few worthwhile practices along the way—all of which became part of my daily rituals. Recently, I discussed building resilience during hardships. Today, I’d like to share my thoughts on staying focused and clear-minded as we make our way through and out of the current tumultuous business climate and help our clients and co ..read more