All posts in CPA Fun

The “Royal We”

This morning I was getting my usual cup of Joe and my assistant Chrissy happened to be walking by the refreshment area.  As my Keurig® was percolating I casually mentioned to Chrissy “we” need to schedule a meeting time with my dad to finalize 2011 engagement letters and fixed price agreements this week.  She looked at me and said “by we, do you mean the ‘Royal We?’”  “Royal We?” I responded.  What is the Royal We?  She explained to me that the Queen of England would refer to decisions made as we, when all the people really know the it was a “I” decision.  Very appropriate.

I explained to Chrissy that when I used the word “we,” I meant the whole team in the office. This got me thinking. If you overheard your a team member in casual conversation with someone, would they refer to their work setting  as “we” or “they,” “us” or “them?” Does your team feel a “part of” something or just an “employee?”

The “part of” feeling is super important in retaining millennial’s.  If I am a part of something bigger and working to a collaborative goal, I am more likely to succeed.  If I feel included and needed I am willing to show up the next day fired-up and productive.  If I am a part of my workplace my loyalty will be stronger than ever.  If I am “part of” a collaborative process I will refer to my office as “we.”

In a honest game of espionage, I challenge you to see what your team would say.

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Shop Dog

On Monday morning my dog, Tess, moved into our office. I pictured owners who bring their pets to their independent bookstores and antique shops and I thought, “Why not an accounting firm?” Let’s face it, bookstore owners generally get a friendlier response than the CPA firm. Not Fair!

Accountants are people-people. We enjoy long lunches with clients and friends. We enjoy tackeling clients’ challenges with a smile and a action plan. We like solving problems to make our clients’ lives easier. I like having Tess around. She brings an energetic expression and a sweet demeanor. She’s already won over the affection of my assistant, a Millennial with no pets or kids. I came back from a meeting to find Tess’s bed moved under the front desk. Chrissy explained Tess was lying under there so much, she might as well be comfortable.

Tess is already used to her daily walks and checking the mail. We are lucky she is a pretty chill dog who only barks at the UPS man if she hasn’t met him before. Any other professional service firms with a resident pet in their office?

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