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Balancing the Future Ep. 16 - Unstuck and Unstoppable with Jeannine K Brown
172 Plays8 days ago
Join Jeannine K Brown—a leader in public accounting and author of "Unstuck and Unstoppable”—as she sits down with host Christopher Mitchell to discuss the importance of community, critical thinking, and communication on her path to success. She shares insights from her book around career advancement strategies and overcoming professional stagnation. In addition to making a plan and finding a mentor, she emphasizes the need to exemplify the qualities you value in both professional and personal areas, as a crucial step in your career and individual growth.
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Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast
00:00:09
Speaker
I'm so excited today. Thank you for joining us on another episode of Balancing the Future. And guess what?
Meet Janine Brown
00:00:16
Speaker
I have Janine Brown with us and she's going to be talking about a lot of cool stuff. She is an incredible lady.
00:00:23
Speaker
I mean, just incredible. I've watched her speak on many occasions and I can tell you this, she's always been on point and she's always given just the right dose of information. So Welcome, man.
00:00:34
Speaker
ah Thank you for being a part of today's conversation. Is there anything you want to share? Because I'm about to say a lot of cool things about you. and Okay. When someone comes and they're introduced as one of the 25 most powerful women or individuals in public accounting, when they when they're the CEO running their own shop, taking care of business, and now you got a book out, unstuck and unstoppable, what?
00:00:56
Speaker
What am I missing? Because I know there's a lot more that you can add to that. First of all, just let us know who you are You know, i know it's a little bit broader, but what am I missing? Because I know there's a lot more that you can add.
Janine's Personal Insights
00:01:07
Speaker
Well, hello, Chris, and thank you for having me to the show. um i just want to thank you and Becker and all the listeners who are here today for just sharing your time with me. I appreciate being asked um and I'm looking forward to being on the show.
00:01:23
Speaker
um I feel honored to be among the guests. I've been checking out the episodes and you've been doing a fantastic job. So again, I am Janine K. Brown. um What you did not say is that I am the best auntie in the world.
00:01:38
Speaker
ah So, and I'm a friend, I'm a daughter, I'm a sister, um a partner. And so I just, you know, um And I'm just just an individual, right? Just trying to do the best I can to human every day. um And that's really my focus for myself and my clients and and people around
Everyday Lead and Team Performance
00:02:00
Speaker
me. So in addition to running Everyday Lead, where we have this amazing team that's designing content and high-performance marketing,
00:02:07
Speaker
and high performance team content for our clients and helping people be better in the workplace. and That's what I get to do to every day. So I'm one of those things, but I get to help high performing teams.
00:02:20
Speaker
I get an opportunity to speak on stages, ah to talk about, you know, career and leadership um and life. And so I just, I just feel very blessed ah to be me.
00:02:32
Speaker
Fantastic. Fantastic. So help me understand this, because I know the audience is wondering, you know, how does one get to that level? OK, you are a very successful individual and you're a woman.
00:02:43
Speaker
I mean, how did you get to this
Community and Career Success
00:02:44
Speaker
level? What do you attribute that to? Because we all need help. But how did how did you get there? You know, i i don't think there's a magic formula because like everyone, i life happens and there are moments where things are going very, very well.
00:03:03
Speaker
And then boom, there's some sort of resistance or disruptor. But I will say, and I believe this with my whole heart, that everything I've done since I was born has been in community.
00:03:17
Speaker
I grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I grew up um as a kid of a Baptist preacher. And um okay and so my whole life has been in serving the community, both the neighborhood I grew up in and the neighborhood where my church was. um And even when I started working both yeah In my corporate life, I spent a lot of time still serving a community, immediately serving on committees that reported to boards like at the United Way of Greater Atlanta.
00:03:49
Speaker
um And I've been on a board since I was 27 years old. and served on committees, boards, and leaderships of organizations. And that is, i think the secret sauce is being in community. And Chris, you know this, right?
00:04:05
Speaker
Being in community where people hold you um to high standards, They forgive you quickly for your mistakes. They hold you accountable to what you say you're going to do.
00:04:17
Speaker
So that teaches you to hold yourself accountable to yourself first. And you build integrity and um and you care, right? And you provide care and instruction to others. So that's, I think that's it.
00:04:30
Speaker
Awesome. So how would you, because you have a degree in accounting. yeah I have a degree in accounting, too, but I got it way, way, way, way back. OK, how has that helped you?
00:04:41
Speaker
Because I love when folks have that degree in accounting and they turn out to be, you know, all these wonderful, beautiful things and working hard within the community. I mean, how has it helped you to have that degree in accounting and and attribute to all your success that you you have today?
Education and Critical Thinking
00:04:58
Speaker
Getting my degree in accounting and starting my career in state and local tax and consulting taught me critical thinking skills and communication skills. and I think that's what I took out of accounting because although I was a good math student, I didn't major in accounting because of mathematics.
00:05:17
Speaker
and algebra. And, you know, that's not why majored in accounting. I majored in accounting because the salary, the salaries were higher than in what I really wanted to be was ah in psychology.
00:05:32
Speaker
ah So I had a practical mother, ah practical parents that said, you know, get you a job where you can support yourself. So that's why I did it. But the skills that I think I walked away with that I still use today are clearly critical thinking and communication.
00:05:49
Speaker
So, you know, I highlighted the fact that you're you're a successful woman in corporate. And I think that's so important. And I didn't want to just, you know, move past it and not give it the attention that it deserves. What does that mean to be a successful woman in corporate? I think it's powerful.
00:06:05
Speaker
I think it's necessary. And when I see a successful black woman in in corporate, it moves me even more. So what does it mean to you?
Identity and Professional Impact
00:06:13
Speaker
All of those things are important in my identity.
00:06:15
Speaker
But I always look at it like I'm on a I'm a I've been successful as a person. Cool. And then what people get to experience is my lived experience as a black woman.
00:06:27
Speaker
And i think that is what's so key. And I think when we talk about these conversations about gender identity in the workplace is that sometimes while there's so much value in being a professional woman, um a professional Black woman, I think when we qualify with that, it separates us from others.
00:06:51
Speaker
And so while I am very clear that my lived experience and how I show up in the workplace and how I show up with my clients, being Black, being a woman, being a woman from the Midwest is all in those rooms with me.
00:07:09
Speaker
But I think everything that I am is what everybody else can be, right? Very, very focused on providing quality work. Very focused on making sure that i understand the technical aspects of my job, right? I come with the aptitude to do the work, being a great leader in the workplace.
00:07:30
Speaker
And so that's what it means to me. And I hope that it inspires both men and william women, regardless of all the other things that make you who you are. right So if men and women are inspired at all ages, regardless of where they are in the talent pipeline, to me, that's what's really important.
00:07:48
Speaker
But yes, being Black, being a woman, being from the Midwest, those are my my four qualities that I always speak about that make me uniquely Janine. That is also important.
00:08:01
Speaker
You know, when I think about the strides and and where I've come from, OK, and what I've been able to achieve as a professional and people look at me to how are you a partner and how are you an executive leader? I'm like, you know what?
00:08:13
Speaker
I just worked hard, you know, and i'm I'm not trying to take away from anything and anyone else, but I just worked hard. I wanted something more than than others wanted it. Not that they couldn't get there, but it just worked out for
Entrepreneurship Essentials
00:08:25
Speaker
me. And I had a lot of help along along the way. If I think about my coaches and my sponsors and everyone that was by my side, it helped me understand ah corporate America.
00:08:35
Speaker
um um mean, I couldn't have done it alone, but it's just hard work. It's hard work and wanting it and and applying yourself every single day. I attribute it to making straight A's. People say, what is this? You got to make A every day.
00:08:48
Speaker
You know, i tell my sons that whom are you know grown and gone. I said, you got to make an A every day. That's what it's like. So, yeah. And it's about showing up, right? You showed up, right? We show up even when we don't want to, we show up when we know ah this is another challenging situation, conversation, interaction that we're going to have. You just show up. um And I think that's part of Just that's the part of the battle that I think a lot of people don't realize. If you show up, you're in the rooms.
00:09:21
Speaker
Not only will you be able to demonstrate that you are capable, but opportunities are there, Chris. Right. So many people who don't show up or they. They they have show up.
00:09:32
Speaker
um You know, this is a professional show, going to keep it clean. You know, they show you they have have show up. Right. They're doing the minimum. And I think that's what's really frustrating me about the culture, the work culture, the corporate workplace culture in these new communities.
00:09:52
Speaker
a new generation of workers coming in while I support their desire to have a quality work life, right?
00:10:02
Speaker
Have a quality personal life and to prioritize family, personal life and well-being over everything. But I also believe that the There is a point of view that is not sustainable for your career around showing up and doing the work, right? You can't do minimal work and expect extraordinary results and reward.
00:10:27
Speaker
I just, I don't even know where that can happen. That can't even happen when you own your own business. And a lot of people think, oh, I'm going to leave my company and I'm to start my own business.
00:10:38
Speaker
Well, most the time when you start your own business, all you're doing is creating another job for yourself. And not only you have one boss, you have many bosses. Every single client of our firm is the boss of me, right? What they want, what they need comes, it's a priority, right?
00:10:57
Speaker
And even when I don't feel like working, i have to show up even in my own business. And so if we don't practice that in the workplace, um you you're not going to practice it in your own business at all.
Coaching Through Books
00:11:10
Speaker
So let's talk about the book. Yeah. Unstuck, Unstoppable. In fact, that's in the title of this podcast, Unstuck and Unstoppable. What does that mean?
00:11:21
Speaker
What does that mean to you? I know I'm so excited for you because I've you know i've been around people who've written books. I haven't written a book. I've helped. I've reviewed a couple of things that that they've asked me to review, but I've never written anything.
00:11:34
Speaker
What was it? That achievement in and of itself. What does that mean to you just to have it out there for purchase? You know, it's it has been an amazing three, almost three years. um we The book came out in January of 2022.
00:11:53
Speaker
And it has just been an amazing experience to be able to impact the lives and the careers of people who've read the book. I am often overwhelmed by the reviews.
00:12:05
Speaker
ah The emails, the DMs, when people find me ah to tell me what they've learned, um how it has changed their perspective about accelerating and navigating their careers.
00:12:18
Speaker
um And so it it means everything. I set some goals around the book, like what I wanted people to experience. um Because I know I can't coach 8 billion people. And I expect 8 billion people at one point to have my book, right? At some point, they're going to either have it in their hand or they're going listen to it on audio.
00:12:36
Speaker
And I know I can't touch 8 million people in my lifetime. But I wrote the book and said, if someone needs an executive coach and they need someone who's going to be clear and concise and give them practical stuff on how to navigate their career, that's what I want this book to do.
00:12:52
Speaker
And when I get messages that says, you know, Jeanine, it felt like I was just talking to you, right? It felt like I was talking to you when I was reading the book or, oh my God, I didn't know that that was my problem and until I read your book. And now I have a strategy and it has changed everything. So that has been Like I get chills right now just saying it, Chris. It's been an amazing experience because the book is not about me. It's about the reader.
00:13:20
Speaker
So Janine, Unstuck, Unstoppable. You know, when I think about that title, all I can think about is being stuck and what that means. OK, I know that you've got a lot of different strategies embedded within there.
00:13:32
Speaker
That kind of explains a whole lot. But what does it mean to be stuck?
Understanding Being Stuck
00:13:37
Speaker
So in the context of the book, right, the title of the book is Unstuck and Unstoppable, Five Proven Strategies to Leverage Your Value, Increase Your Visibility, and Gain Recognition to Accelerate Your Career. And so in that context, what being stuck looks like.
00:13:54
Speaker
You're doing great work. You're getting the great, great job. Pats on the back. You are heads down. You're not making it, you know, causing any waves or any problems.
00:14:06
Speaker
You're getting raises too. Timely raises along with everybody else. But you want more? And you haven't been tapped on the shoulder for it. You haven't gotten a promotion.
00:14:17
Speaker
You haven't worked on any big special projects. You don't feel like you get feedback, but it doesn't feel like it's the kind of feedback that's going to take your career to the next level. And you feel a little, you're starting to feel a little frustrated.
00:14:30
Speaker
And that's what stuck looks like in the workplace. You're doing great work and the reward for great work is more work. So you're getting it, but you're not getting the visibility. You're not getting the invitations and you're definitely not getting the promotions the way you want.
00:14:46
Speaker
So when I think about the things that you you just shared and I start thinking about a coach and I think about how important it is to have that person that you can turn to, is that what you're describing in essence is having that person or group of individuals that you can turn to to help you understand what is required for you to make it or take it to that next level?
00:15:07
Speaker
It is definitely that. But most people, Chris, don't even have a plan. Wow. They don't have a career plan. They're waiting for some career fairy, some special person with a lot of power within their organizations to tell them exactly what to do and write the blueprint for them.
00:15:24
Speaker
And I think part of it starts with being really clear, even if you have to write it down. And I would suggest to write it down. What do you want your career to look like this year, next year? What do you want to be doing? What sort of projects do you want to work on? What sort of skills do you want to develop?
00:15:41
Speaker
Most people are just kind of showing up, doing the work, doing good work. i Doing what's expected to them, meeting satisfactory goals, but they don't have a clear plan. And without a plan, you sometimes you wake up or you wake up and you realize, still doing the same thing. I'm still doing this and I'm doing the same job. So I haven't learned any new skills in the last two years.
00:16:09
Speaker
And that's the biggest problem. um and So without a plan, then you don't know what to talk to your mentors about. Chris, I know you've had people come to you want advice, but they didn't even know what to ask you for. They didn't even have a plan for you to give them advice about.
00:16:25
Speaker
And I think that's the thing. What's the plan? Because if you write down the plan and you come to me as your coach or your manager, i can tell you where you're off. I can tell you how to get to where you're trying to go.
00:16:38
Speaker
And most people don't sit down enough and think about that. they they They're really waiting for someone to make some of those decisions for them. So, Janine, I want to spend some time talking about unstoppable. When I think it's unstoppable in the title of your book, it's all about you know having that.
00:16:55
Speaker
For me, it's about that Superman effect, you know putting on that cape and then knowing what I need to know in order to be successful. But in your words, I mean, what does it mean to be unstoppable?
00:17:07
Speaker
You know, we changed the image on the second edition of the book of a person standing with their foot on the ball. And so Unstoppable, think from the feedback that we got, what women and men were saying is that they felt a sense of more control over their career.
Defining Unstoppability
00:17:26
Speaker
how they were going to get promoted, the direction their career was going to go in, what industries, what type of work they wanted to do. And so Unstoppable to me, and I think also to our readers, is just about that. I i have a lot more control because I have a plan.
00:17:41
Speaker
I know have some strategies. i got like some inside secrets from what executives are expecting. And now I can execute and implement those things.
00:17:53
Speaker
So, Janine, when I'm thinking about individuals that could use this book, is it that person that's right out of college, is the one that's an experienced person that's been at their job? Sounds like that would automatically apply to someone who's been in a role for a while trying to figure it out.
00:18:09
Speaker
I mean, what's that target audience that could really, really benefit from from reading this? So think the book is for anyone who feels stuck in their career, no matter where they are in the talent pipeline.
00:18:23
Speaker
And so going back to like how you phrased the question, if you want to get jump a jumpstart on managing your career and you are a recent graduate from college ah or an MBA program, or you just finished your CPA, the book is for you.
00:18:39
Speaker
If you are an emerging leader and it just doesn't, something doesn't seem to be clicking and how you get feedback in the workplace or your understanding around corporate politics and navigating your career, the book is for you.
00:18:54
Speaker
If you've been working for a while and you feel stuck and it's like, there's something that I'm missing here. and Maybe I need to dust off some skills. I need to regroup and be reflective. Then the book is for you.
00:19:05
Speaker
And if you mentor anyone in those categories or sponsor someone and they're up for a big promotion, the book is for you. Now, when I wrote the book, I thought, you know, this you just can't write a book for those many people.
00:19:18
Speaker
And so the book is written as almost like a handbook with really clear stories and strategies, stories about other clients at different levels of their careers, people that we've worked with that may have had three years of experience and someone who was up for partner and looking to make partner in their firm. And so you'll have a vast variety of examples that match match the strategy. So, which is a great question, Chris, because it it is no matter where you are, but if you are feeling the sense of stuck or you you want to make sure you don't get stuck, pick up Unstuck and Unstoppable.
00:19:54
Speaker
I like the way you put that. Now, when I think about an entrepreneur, okay, and I'm going to shift gears just a little bit. And you've been an entrepreneur for a while, okay? And i when I'm in schools and I sit down and I talk with folks that are in their third or their fourth year, wherever they are in that process, and they say, I'm going to come out and I'm going to be an entrepreneur.
00:20:14
Speaker
Can you share how tough that is? I know you shared a some of it earlier on How hard is it to be an entrepreneur? Because I've done it and I know how much work goes into it. I've managed businesses and it is not easy.
00:20:29
Speaker
It's not a break in sight.
Entrepreneurial Skills
00:20:31
Speaker
It's always on. You're always on go. That's just my version of it. But what does it mean to you when I say entrepreneur? When I hear the word entrepreneur, when I think about the data around the success of entrepreneurs, um I would tell someone don't go in it um without a plan and a support system.
00:20:53
Speaker
ah The first thing i would say is make sure you have ah significant amount of disposable income that you can live off of and that you can live cheap. And I was really fortunate.
00:21:04
Speaker
I worked so much. I didn't spend a lot of money. So um I had a lot of money saved. ah So I could move into it kind of slowly and I can learn. i think it's really important just like anywhere else is to be in a community with other entrepreneurs at your level and those who know more so that you can grow your business faster.
00:21:25
Speaker
But I think being an entrepreneur is just really about getting your products and services into the hands of your ideal clients and positioning yourself where you can have some sort of consistent, predictable revenue.
00:21:38
Speaker
And that's what big companies do. So we look at it through the lens of a so ah certified public accounting firm. They have consistent, predictable revenue. They know that they're going to be auditing ABC company for the next four to five years. If they're you know if they do good work, they're going to have those audits.
00:21:56
Speaker
If they do great work, they're going be doing that tax work. If they do great work and they have innovative professionals, they're going to have multiple service offerings to those clients so that they can...
00:22:07
Speaker
They can spend their time selling work and building the business with those existing clients. And then if they want to expand that business after doing great work with those existing clients, they're going to find new clients and they're to wow them.
00:22:21
Speaker
And that's what entrepreneurship is about. It's, you know, it's not about managing your day on your own. It's not about, it's not about the things that people want to make them feel good.
00:22:32
Speaker
Because entrepreneurship, Chris, is lonely at times when you first start off. And it's you who's doing the delivering the product, building the product, i'm making the product, collecting invoices, doing collections.
00:22:46
Speaker
right It's a lot until you can get that revenue to a point where you can start building a team. You know, my equivalent when I think about being an entrepreneur and that is I've got like five to 10 jobs.
00:22:58
Speaker
And what I mean by that is that I show up. I do all that you mentioned ah but before, but it's just that pressure. You have that pressure to make sure that everything is taken care of.
00:23:12
Speaker
And it's not it's not easy. and okay And that's what I want the audience to understand when I start thinking. We start tossing it out there and say, hey, I can i can just walk into this. Well, that means you're good at marketing.
00:23:23
Speaker
That means you're a good accountant. That means you're good at sales. That means you're good at the operational piece of it, whatever that may look like. Now, when I think about you know the things that I do and some of the things that you do, I mean, you're an author.
00:23:36
Speaker
OK, you have a consulting firm. OK, you have a podcast and there's so many other things that I know you're doing behind the scenes because you've got a staff as well. So just know I want the audience to know, you know, think about it.
00:23:52
Speaker
Think about it. If you're and I'm not saying don't do it. I'm saying that if you're struggling to show up to the office to deliver whatever you got to deliver and you think you're going to become an entrepreneur overnight, there's a lot that goes into it.
00:24:04
Speaker
So just give it some thought. because you can be an entrepreneur overnight. he just might not be successful. You might not be able to you know, have the the income that you're looking for. And think, and i think You know, i have a mentor and he always says that most people move into entrepreneurship and they create another job for themselves, but they're working more hours, making less money than they were in their W-2.
00:24:31
Speaker
And because in your W-2 job, you have an infrastructure of technology, staff, um you know, best practices already laid out before you.
00:24:44
Speaker
But I will say that entrepreneurship and business ownership for me is so rewarding. When we leave a company and we've that we've been working with for six, 12 months, multiple years on making sure that they are a high performance team,
00:25:00
Speaker
I feel so good when the CFO comes over to me and says, hey, the IT department heard about what we've been doing, how our team is performing, how we have less errors. We have lot more cohesion and collaboration. He wants you to come down there and talk to them.
00:25:18
Speaker
and then before you know now we're in the sales department doing high performance team training and helping teams be better. And then we impact the entire culture of the organization.
00:25:29
Speaker
There is nothing that makes me feel more rewarded. Like it is literally a endorphins going off all over. And I feel so good about that work and feel very blessed to be able to impact companies and individuals in that way. And so i will say working for a company is wonderful and working as a business owner and having a team is wonderful too.
00:25:55
Speaker
And the last thing I will say that a lot of people don't expect When you own a company and you start hiring both and independent contractors and employees, the weight is heavier.
00:26:09
Speaker
And that weight comes from, oh it's not just my family I'm supporting. It's other people's families. They're telling you about their children's aspirations and dreams.
00:26:20
Speaker
They're telling you about going to buy prom dresses. And so we got to close this deal so we don't have to let anybody go. And those are the things that people, that not even entrepreneurs, we don't even talk about that enough.
00:26:32
Speaker
That's the other aspect of it. You know, the thing that's on my mind and it's just given all the stuff that's going on in this new market and this new landscape in the world that we live in.
Empathy in Workplace Management
00:26:43
Speaker
And I think about human capital and I'm talking about in the very generic sense of human capital and how important that we get it right across all genders and all you know backgrounds. I mean, how important is it that we understand and get it right as it as it relates to human capital? And the reason I ask this question, Janine, because things are moving so fast.
00:27:03
Speaker
And we need talented folks. And we all need to be on the same page and working together. Is there something that you do? I know it's probably something in the book. I know there's something that's going on. What do you think about when you you think about how important it is that we get the human capital equation the right way in order to be successful moving forward?
00:27:21
Speaker
You know, I think it's important because people come into the workplace with family trauma, past workplace trauma, and i and I'm using the word in not in a ah a generic sense, like real hurt and traumatic experiences that sometimes impacts how they fully show up and contribute in the workplace.
00:27:44
Speaker
There's a significant amount of distrust among humans at work. And so Chris, this question um actually is making me feel a sense of like like real heart emotion.
00:27:57
Speaker
And I think this is so important. And one of the exercises that we do in some of our workshop, especially we're talking about um cultural, like being culturally um aware of who's on your teams and things, is that we actually have them tell their stories.
00:28:14
Speaker
So I was working with a group. It was a mixed group of people from different companies, different public accounting firms. They happen to be mostly from Canada and the Midwest.
00:28:26
Speaker
And because I know those areas very well growing up in the Midwest, I know that there's a lot of cultural significance that I don't always experience in the South and the Southeast.
00:28:37
Speaker
And what I mean by that is that I knew that the people in the room, not only because of their names, but because of where they live, that they could identify with being Irish, German,
00:28:49
Speaker
whatever, but any of these things, right? Canadian, they could identify with their cultural identity. And we did an exercise that talked about, had them talk about their cultures and really like, who am I culturally and what's important to me?
00:29:07
Speaker
And there was a unified string of similar experiences and similar desires. But outside of that conversation,
00:29:19
Speaker
The world will tell you that we have nothing in common and we are constantly worrying to see who's going to be on top. And this is why the human experience is so important.
00:29:30
Speaker
People are coming to work because they want to provide for their families. People are coming to work because they want to have a better quality of life. People are coming to work because they feel the pressure of taking care of the past generation and the next.
00:29:45
Speaker
People are coming to work because they bring their human experiences every single day into the workplace. They had a bad night. They have a parent that's sick.
00:29:55
Speaker
They have a kid that got in trouble in school. We all have the same experience. And that's why we need to get it right. And I think if we remember that, so you're not just the partner over audit.
00:30:08
Speaker
You're not just the AP manager. You're not just the payroll clerk. You're Chris. You're Janine, you're Sandra, you're Josh.
00:30:19
Speaker
You are human every day. And if we can remind ourselves of that, profits would soar.
00:30:30
Speaker
Bonuses would be record-breaking. ah People could bring home their salary in bonus and everybody could eat if we remember that.
00:30:42
Speaker
And if I was on social media, I would say, in my opinion, in my opinion, you know, appreciate that to be true. I appreciate you being so transparent about that, because I do believe that that is the case. It is all a wellness. It is all making sure that we're supporting one another the right way.
00:30:59
Speaker
It is listening. It is being compassionate. I mean, all of this is important. And I want everybody to be successful. It is just necessary for it to happen. yeah okay What's that one takeaway, Janine? Because we're almost out of time.
00:31:13
Speaker
And going have you back, by the way. I'm just sorry. This is the prelude. We're going to have her back. We're going to talk about some other stuff if she'll have us back, you know, in her life. But what's that one takeaway? What's that one takeaway for you ah that you want to leave the audience with as it really could be unstuck, unstoppable, whatever you want it to be?
00:31:31
Speaker
I mean, what's that one takeaway? feel so limited by one, but um I think my biggest takeaway, I'm i'm just going to close out with this human experience.
00:31:45
Speaker
I think people need to lead with what they want. If you want great leadership, if you want empathy at work, if you want to be to to grow and develop and work on challenging projects, as a leader, be that.
00:32:02
Speaker
Provide that experience to other people. you know and And I think that would help because you're not the only one. If you want quick feedback that's actionable and supportive, give it So you know be who you wanna be. When I was a kid, because we're gonna go back to you know how I introduced myself. i'm a I'm a church kid. i grew up in church. I've always, I believe in faith for myself. And what I learned is that everybody I worked with
00:32:33
Speaker
has some sort of faith story. Everybody I've worked with, I'm not saying everybody does. But when I was a kid in Sunday school, at the end of Sunday school, my grandmother would have us all quote, if every Sunday school member was just like me, what kind of Sunday school would this be?
00:32:53
Speaker
And in one of my workshops, I have them quote the same thing, but we insert the company's name. I mean, think about that. If everyone was just like me, what kind of workplace would it be?
00:33:07
Speaker
What kind of community would this be? What kind of neighborhood would this be? And I think that's what I want to leave people with. Think about that. Are you exemplifying the sort of humanity that you want to live in both privately and publicly?
00:33:31
Speaker
It's been an absolute pleasure having you on the podcast. I mean, you are a well-decorated individual, a fantastic human being.
Closing Thoughts and Contact Information
00:33:39
Speaker
I'm happy that I know you and I've learned every time I've sat down with you, you've shared something with me that resonates. So I really do appreciate you.
00:33:47
Speaker
um And I know the audience thanks you. So thank you for being making the time and being being on the podcast. And then I'm going to turn. ah Is there anything you want to say before I i turn to the camera and and kind of close us out?
00:34:01
Speaker
The last thing that I will say is thank you. Thank you so much, Chris, for having me. I am excited about this this podcast and the title of the podcast is just so future focused.
00:34:15
Speaker
um And I think it's something that is really powerful for the accounting profession and the public accounting profession. So thank you for having me. If you want to connect with me, you can hit me up on our website at everyday-lee.com.
00:34:28
Speaker
or unstuckandunstoppablebook.com. There's a way to get in touch with me. And I just look forward to, um yeah, next time I get to see you, Chris. Thank you. All right, fantastic.
00:34:39
Speaker
You know, in closing this out, I want to say this. It is highly important. One, to go unstuck and unstoppable because I think it's a fantastic read. ah There's so much in there when we start talking about coaching and and mentors and what it takes in order to get to that next level.
00:34:54
Speaker
You may not even know that you're stuck. okay You may be trying to build out a plan and figure out what those steps are. I'm certain ah you'll find it in Unstuck and Unstoppable. yeah know Just be mindful of you know we're all human. We're all trying to figure things out. I'm just excited to be on a journey.
00:35:10
Speaker
you know, with everyone, all of the audience, as well as, you know, those that know me personally and my own family. I mean, I just enjoy ah being on a journey and being challenged. So thank you for tuning in and looking forward to seeing you again on another episode of Balancing the Future.
00:35:27
Speaker
And keep in mind that this is a recorded podcast. If you want access to it, there's a link in the show notes below and it's available to you. So thank you and enjoy the rest of your day.