change can be difficult, but it can also be the key to success.
by seth fineberg
at large
yes, it’s that time of year again when proclamations of change are made, and everyone professes to be resolute in their goals.
the fact is that most of these statements don’t happen, despite all the best intentions, but let me give you one prescription for the new year. hopefully, beyond if accountants and the profession have any hope or goal of change, you need to do the uncomfortable.
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what does it mean to “do the uncomfortable”? it can include nearly anything outside of one’s comfort zone, ranging from not responding to every client call or email to working comparatively fewer hours using new technology to increase efficiency. it could even mean posting entry-level positions at a higher pay (you are raising fees anyway, yes?). and maybe, just maybe, embrace more diverse staffing practices.
change, in and of itself, is uncomfortable and not for everyone. it also doesn’t have to be anything major. these are incremental steps to improve your life and the life of your firm.
however, if you’re going along in a way that works for you and your firm, leave all the change-mongering at the door. you do you. but take an honest look at how you are functioning. moreover, if you care at all about this great profession, or about at the very least yourself within it and achieving some form of life-work balance (yes, that’s how we say it, now), then stepping outside of your comfort zone is what it takes to make any of these things happen.
you may say, “look, i’ve tried the newer, better, different approach, and it doesn’t work for me.” at any point, i’d say it felt uncomfortable, even wrong. moreover, what haven’t you tried?
if that’s not you, i’m not saying change for the sake of change or follow the latest trend. and that’s what you need to do: find what works, but in the context of “i know things can be better, i just don’t know how.”
someone recently said, “how do you know if you’re on a sinking ship or it’s just changing direction? because it feels the same.” ask yourself, is it the result of any changes you’re making, or do you feel the world happening to you? ultimately, it is about taking some control and being okay, not feeling okay, at least initially.
nothing worth doing will always feel “right” or “comfortable.” not at first, and this is the most crucial time. this is when the quit comes in or, at the least, the tendency to retreat to the comfort zone. when that feeling hits, that’s when to push forward.
find your reason for making any change possible, however small it may seem. because, in the end, doing the uncomfortable is doing yourself – and perhaps the entire profession you are in – a favor.