Voices

Are you a CPA technology preemie? Find your swing!

[IMGCAP(1)]I recently attended the AICPA’s Practitioners Symposium and Tech+ Conference, where I had an unbelievably over-stimulating night club experience. I was standing in the VIP section at Haze, the happening bar within the Bellagio. The lights, the loud music, the unmitigated craziness made my head spin. However, before I threw in the towel and called it a night, I stood back and took it all in. I decided to go with it, understanding that the night and the experience could turn into something positive. Another CPA standing near me stayed for 10 minutes and then hightailed it out of there.

The next day I reflected on my nightclub experience. It made me recall the birth of my son, who was a preemie. Preemies come into the world having to experience numerous procedures and stimulation before their neurological system has matured. This causes a preemie to react negatively to stimulus…to avoid it. This means that when the child is over-stimulated (when avoidance has failed), they will react with agitation, becoming squirmy and fussy. As the parent of a premature baby, it’s necessary to identify ways to calm the child. In my case, the only thing that worked for my son was the calming nature of a swing.

Stay with me here, I am going to connect the premature birth of my son to that CPA’s reaction in the nightclub. This particular peer became over-stimulated. His reaction was to feel agitated and retreat. This is the same reaction that many accountants have when faced with change…change that, in their minds, rocks their world—like new technologies and trends that try to pull them out of old ways of doing business. We all know that this is not the right reaction. We have to embrace change if we are to keep up and delight our clients with stellar service. In order to embrace change, we have to first change how we react to…well, change. We have to find our “swing.”

I would like to challenge you to identify what your “swing” is and share it with me. What calms you and allows you to move forward? If we can find an answer to “what is our swing?,” I know there will be a huge market for them!

Jody L. Padar, CPA, MST, is a Certified Public Accountant experienced with Complex Federal & State Income Tax Compliance for Business & Individuals. Jody is an adjunct professor at Oakton Community College, where she teaches Taxation and QuickBooks Courses. She is part of Intuit Trainer Writer Network and speaks nationally on various Technologies and Taxation. She can be reached at www.newvisioncpagroup.com.

 

 

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