“At the end of the day, if you can have an influence and a transformative effect on another person, even just one person a day, the whole world could change,” according to Dawn Brolin, CEO of Powerful Accounting.
Think about that for a minute — it’s powerful, uplifting and inspirational, right? Imagine the difference in your firm if everyone had intentional, meaningful interactions with each other. Asking to listen. Listening to understand. Looking out for each other’s best interests and helping each other rise to the top.
What we’re talking about here is being a designated motivator; a term Brolin coined for her new book, "The Designated Motivator." What is a designated motivator? It’s someone who serves a higher purpose than a mentor (though you need one of those, too). You’re a designated motivator if you’ve ever helped someone realize their true potential; maybe someone has even done this for you. This concept can have a transformative effect on accounting firms.
An opportunity to refocus on firm culture
At a time when firm culture is being redefined and challenged in new ways, we could all use some inspiration on how to get back to basics and really be there for each other. Bringing people in to create this kind of immersive experience can only happen when we show a side of ourselves that maybe we didn’t before. Part of that change is becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable, but you know what? The world has changed enough that we can be okay with doing that.
“Thanks to video conferencing, we’ve now been in each other’s homes," said Herschel Frierson, chairman of the board of NABA. "We’ve seen the kids running by, pets jumping on laps and the pictures hanging on our walls. This has forced our personal lives to blend with our professional lives and there’s no going back.”
A designated motivator culture provides a clear connection to the rest of the team. It’s creating a space to acknowledge when things aren’t okay and to take time to celebrate the wins. The new accounting firm culture is all about that communication; it’s valuable and the intangible link to improving the bottom line. If the employee experience is good, it’s likely that client experience is good, too. There are multiple benefits to fostering a culture of motivation.
Recognizing a designated motivator
The question then is how to foster a better sense of human connection in our firms. The answer is a motivational culture, fueled by one or more designated motivators.
A designated motivator is someone “extra special who has a natural inclination, mindset and skills to empower others and to believe in themselves,” said Brolin.
As with most things in life, it’s the little things that make the difference. Being a designated motivator starts from within. This is a person who can truly see people and connect with them on a deeper level. You can see this in the most benign interactions, too. Brolin described how exchanging a basic greeting with a cashier at the grocery store helps her connect with that person. She looks for ways to compliment others on things like their outfit or a piece of jewelry. It’s about noticing the little things to show you care.
We can translate this mindset of a designated motivator to the workforce pretty easily. As Brolin puts it, “It’s about having a purposeful conversation, a purposeful interaction,” not just another conversation where you’re not even listening after you ask someone how they’re doing.
There are definitely kernels of leadership here, but the firm partners don’t necessarily have to be the ones in the driver’s seat. Anyone in the firm can be a motivator.
“You find someone who has the ability to connect with other people purposefully and can cause that transformative effect within that person,” Brolin added.
Motivation culture in action
It’s past due for accounting firms to get intentional about employee experience. One place to start is by thinking of firm culture in terms of overall business strategy. Yes, we still have deadlines to meet, but we don’t want to lose sight of the impact that employees’ physical and mental well-being has on their ability to do their jobs. Incorporating designated motivator interactions is a really easy way to make a big impact.
It’s about doing, not saying, according to Brolin. It's not enough to literally tell someone that you care; show it. For example, seek to have designated motivator interactions with your team. These are a series of smaller, regular interactions that, over time, build trust and instill confidence. That way, when something goes wrong, your team member isn’t scared to admit a mistake.
“People are more fearful of messing up than they are about doing something right,” said Brolin.
So what does designated motivator feedback look like?
“Your approach is probably the most important thing,” Brolin said.
Here’s an example she gave: Let’s say an employee messed up a balance sheet. Traditional feedback would include things like, “You made a mistake,” “How did you miss this,” or, “I’ll just do it myself.”
On the other hand, designated motivator feedback looks like this: “Let’s get it on the table now. This happened, and you almost got it. I haven’t done a good job of training you if you’re missing this, so let’s figure it out together.”
See the difference? Traditional feedback might be quicker in the moment, but it most certainly misses the point. Motivator feedback comes at the situation from a perspective of education and compassion. As a result, the teaching moment becomes less fearful. It’s less about the mistake and more about the learning (and communication) process. If everyone acted like that, how amazing would that culture be?
“The more compassion you can show toward your staff,” said Brolin, “the harder they’re going to work for you.”
In the next 24 hours, find someone to connect with on a deeper level. Ask them how they’re doing, and then really listen for the answer. Point out that cool shirt. Recognize their contributions. And see what happens. If you do that regularly at your firm, you’ll see a difference in the way your team interacts with each other and how they show up for clients. This transformative effect could change your whole firm.
