What does it look like to be an Ideal Team Player? We all bring different strengths and skills to an organization, but how can you build a team that works in alignment AND complements each other?  Patrick Lencioni at The Table Group built a tool that helps you evaluate where you fall on the Venn diagram of Humble + Hungry + Smart. We define "humility" a bit differently: It's not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less (C.S. Lewis). It's not just about avoiding pride or arrogance; it's also not about being self-deprecating or having a lack of confidence.  "Hungry" i ..read more

Most companies know it's good to do training and development. But how can you actually build a culture around continuous growth, where your team is empowered to upskill? You have to understand and believe in the actual benefits before you decide to integrate training & development into your organization. It won't appear to affect your bottom line in a direct way, but it has ancillary benefits that absolutely do affect the bottom line; namely in retaining high-quality employees who are loyal to the organization, because growth becomes a real option for them.  When building a culture ar ..read more

Effective client relationships always start with effective communication. From the way we approach sales to how we're going to work together ongoing all the way to ending services, working with clients should feel collaborative. And for it to be a true partnership, we need to be on the same team! That starts in the sales process - we should be looking for a win-win solution, whether or not that means we end up working together. The goal is to ensure we're a good fit on both sides.  Once we've both agreed that working together will be mutually beneficial, we move into onboarding, which req ..read more

Whether it's saying "yes" to more than we should or shifting our priorities to make something "work," it's so easy to act in a way that makes other people like us. But when we don't have a clear North Star, we prioritize making the person in front of us happy, and usually end up letting others and ourselves down. Michael Scott from The Office is the prime example of this! He's consistently swayed by the opinions of others. The pursuit of pleasing others tends to make us feel selfless, when it's really about making ourselves feel good, avoiding the immediate conflict, or prioritizing our own te ..read more

When we get to the point where we're overworked, becoming too essential or handling too many problems, it's really appealing to throw a person at the work or at the problem. But how often does that actually work?  So, if delegation through abdication doesn't work, it can feel like the alternative is that you must do everything yourself in order for it to be done right. And that is unsustainable. In the short-term, it is absolutely harder to build process, train and equip others, create clear expectations and provide feedback. Equipping and expecting people to show up is fire prevention ra ..read more

We're looking back on this year and looking ahead to next year. Listen in as Jill and Anna talk about this year, what they've learned and what they're looking forward to in the year to come!    Podcast Sponsors + Advertisers:Accrew Follow the Going to Be Good Podcast on Social Media: twitter.com/goinggoodpod/ linkedin.com/company/goinggoodpodcast/ facebook.com/people/goinggoodpodcast/instagram.com/goinggoodpodcast/ Review: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser ..read more

The goal of time off is to rest, find balance, and "sharpen the saw," so we return to our work refreshed.  How can you encourage employees to take time, model taking time off yourself, and build a culture around time off well, so there is no felt change in services, regardless of who's on the beach sipping mai tais!  We start by identifying what is the responsibility of the employee and what is the responsibility of the company. This is step one in making time off an actual option for employees. Once your team knows what they need to do to make time out of the office work for the co ..read more

Making our busy season easier is a top priority at Accrew! It comes every single year, and yet, we are constantly surprised by the intensity of busy season! There will always be more to do - more questions, more back and forth with clients and CPAs, etc. How can we prepare not just ourselves, but our team and our clients, for busy season? And can we do it in a way that makes it easier and more manageable for everyone? Join Anna and Jill as they walk through the resources and opportunities they provide to their team, so they're equipped and prepared for Year End. Podcast Sponsors + Advertisers ..read more

A zero-sum game is the idea that one person's gain is equivalent to another's loss. But is that how it is? Or how it has to be? One of our core values is "Be excited to learn and generous with your knowledge," so sharing what we know is built into the way we work. But can you engage with people typically perceived as "competitors" - other bookkeepers, accountants, tax preparers, and even owners & leaders in other industries? Is there a way we can be generous while we network and collaborate, so we all win?   When we work with and network with other professionals in our industry ..read more

Clients tend to work with people they like first, then think they can trust, and lastly, people they think are competent. For a client, they tend to start with "Do I like them?" That then progresses to "Do I think I can trust them?" and then, last, "Do I think they're competent?"  So why do we focus so much on sounding smart rather than being an approachable expert.   The goal of communicating an idea is for the OTHER person to understand you; you already know what you're going to say! It's way harder to take something you understand deeply and explain it to someone who doesn't. So h ..read more