Hey THRIVE Tribe Members, there has been a lot of chatter about how to meet the needs of our spouses as we move into firm ownership. They live with the consequences of our choices. Let’s bring them into the conversation!
The registration link can be found in the Events section of Yammer, or just let Jennifer know if you need it.
You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January 2012.
After an exciting first year in THRIVEal, several members recently decided to go a little deeper by joining a THRIVE Tribe. While we had all enjoyed some pretty lively discussions in the THRIVEal LinkedIn group, it became clear that we needed a better platform to be able to share files, photos, recordings of meetings, etc. We wanted to do more than just chat. We wanted more collaboration. That is where THRIVE Tribes and Yammer come in to play.
For the members that have chosen to participate at the Tribe level, access is given to our Yammer account. This is where the real magic happens. As Kevin McCoy put it, “Meeting people that are going through the same crap you are and figuring out how to deal with it – that’s worth the price of admission, in my opinion. Knowing you are not alone and having a small group supporting you in failure and celebrating successes is pretty cool.”
Now THRIVEal members can use Yammer to create events, upload recordings from their GoToMeetings, share photos, create pages that are searchable and taggable, create groups and subgroups for specific discussions topics, and really get down to the nitty gritty of helping each other become better CPAs for their clients. Joe Manzelli explains, “THRIVEal utilizing Yammer has made it easier to follow my fellow THRIVEal CPAs. Being able to share ideas in a network without any outside chatter allows for a true exchange of ideas with no judgements.The tool, Yammer, is addicting and has been a great addition to what THRIVEal has been doing.”
Each tribe has up to 10 members, including a leader, and has its own private Yammer subgroup where they can discuss the online meetings they have each month. Michael Wall is already seeing the value of being in a tribe, “Being a part of a tribe allows each of us from different regions and backgrounds to collaborate in order to enhance our professional experience and provide our clients with value to help their businesses thrive.” Carol LeBlanc agrees, “I love being able to post a question or share something on Yammer and get a quick answer or support from the group. We are so much stronger together. The generosity and knowledge in THRIVEal amazes me daily. I love having my own Tribe with a specific focus because we have our own place within Yammer where we can learn and grow together in the area we are most interested.”
THRIVEal members are free to create their own pages and interest groups for more specific discussions, and Joy Lizotte is loving it. “Members are sharing very detailed real-life information. It’s not the basic info you’d get off a website or out of a book!! I’ve read how other members are pricing, hiring, firing, what they’re reading, software and hardware to use and not use….and on and on!! It doesn’t get anymore real than this!” Magen Smith has been active in several discussions on pricing. She commented, “ I have been schooled on providing value, called out on being a wimpy pricer, and encouraged that I can do this. Yammer is my lifeline and support system for growing my firm. I could not do any of this without THRIVEal.”
One of our tribes is for those who are considering leaving employment to start their own firms. We call them Cliff Jumpers in THRIVEal because they are about to take a very scary but exciting step. Barrett Young, in the process of jumping now, said “I would not be going out on my own without such a great support net.”
Bottom line: Tribes are the heartbeat of the THRIVEal community, and Yammer is the tool we are using to achieve our why, which is to engage, empower, and encourage current or prospective CPA firm owners towards disruptive innovations, meaningful education, and deeper relationships with their customers. Wanna join us?
So the latest THRIVEcast came out just before Christmas. Did you hear it? Jason Blumer and Greg Kyte discussed the upside of customer complaints and what is means to work in a ROWE. Jason and Greg also had a fun conversation with Jay Shepherd, author of Firing at Will. Be sure to listen before the next one comes out, and don’t forget to rate us on itunes!
Thank you to The CloudSolutions Alliance for partnering with The THRIVEal +CPA Network to make the THRIVEcast happen each month! You rock!
I was talking with a banker friend the other day about how his bank manages people using analytics. They produce lists of lenders periodically ranking everyone in the bank… from top to bottom.
I remember being judged by a number. Realization rates mean everything in CPA firms. I knew it was time to disrupt our profession. And I remember our purposes being to make money. Everything was centered around the bottom line. And when the bottom line is first, customers and your staff (now called team) are second.
I challenged my banker friend not to judge his team by their “report” but to give them ultimate freedoms and then let them shine. But the bank says no to that. The bank has goals – and that is to make money, and they believe they can manage that growth by judging people with sterile reports.
So I told him to start a new bank, where profit is not the goal. Huh? Profits are a result of great businesses. They don’t have to be your mission statement.
CPA firms need to be disrupted where profit is not part of our mission statement, but simply a result of being a great firm. Banks need to be disrupted too. Higher education needs to be disrupted. Governments need to be disrupted.
Maybe your profession needs to be disrupted. What will you disrupt in 2012?
Our Podcast is on Stitcher!
Listed: Top Accounting Blogs!
Stuff People Said Recently…