“On the field of SELF stand a knight and a dragon. You are the knight. RESISTANCE is the dragon. — Steven Pressfield, author of Do the Work! Overcome Resistance and Get Out of Your Own Way.
What is the work?
Leadership.
Leadership in these rapidly changing times was the subject of last night's dinner with the Moss Adams senior manager team hosted by office Managing Partner Steven Keene at Season's Rotisserie and Grill in Albuquerque.
Here are a few of the nuggets from last night:
There are three kinds of leaders: Those who get results, those who develop people, and those that do both. — Paul Stahlin
Will Avgerakis shared his perspective, saying the best leaders are often the best storytellers: They are memorable, relevant and impactful.
Gretchen Pisano closed with this: It is not what you know but how you think that will make the biggest difference as a leader. How you engage others in a flexible and future-thinking mindset will be the keys to becoming a remarkable leader.
We recanted how a lot of serendipity connected us and converged here in Albuquerque. We were brought together by the AICPA's CPA Horizons 2025 Project and the future forums scheduled for tomorrow. The back row of this photo shows Will Avgerakis (head of AICPA creative team), Gretchen Pisano (Horizons co-facilitator with me), yours truly, and AICPA Chairman Paul Stahlin. The host, Steve Keene, is in the second row, second from left.
What I found interesting is that the flip side of resistance is assistance. The right people (and resources) seem to show up when you are prepared and open to it. Is there such a thing as planned serendipity? Last night was an example of that serendipity in action.
Peter Drucker once said, “The best way to predict the future is to create the future.” The CPA Horizons 2025 Project not only helps us figure out what we want as a profession in the future but helps you prepare for the future. If you are prepared, you will be able to find opportunities and leverage your strengths instead of reacting from a place of fear and weakness.
The best way to create the future is to prepare for the future. How are you preparing?
Finally, as Gretchen and I always say, a leader's job is to provide hope and inspiration to those they lead and work with. May you provide hope and inspiration to someone today!
Go out and do the work!
Resources:
- Here are some resources we talked about last night and in our Horizon's Future Forums.
- An interview with Paul Stahlin on the new normal.
- CPA Horizons Project — futurist interviews and trend reports. (The videos are some of Will's great work!)
- Do the Work! by Steven Pressfield (free on the Kindle).
- Managing in Turbulent Times, by Peter Drucker (one of Bob Bunting's recommended reads).
- Leadershift, by Emmanuel Gobillot.
- TED Talks
- FastCompany Magazine
- Wired Magazine
- Harvard Business Review
- Faith Popcorn's Brain Reserve