Jordan Tepfer Coaching and Consulting

Here’s my silver lining of the pandemic:

When everything was shut down and people weren’t gathering, it gave us time to self reflect and clarify what really matters to us.

For me, it made clear how important relationships were (like the one with the little guy in the photo) and how misaligned the way I was living and working was with that value.

If it wasn’t for such a unique set of events like the pandemic and shutting down, I genuinely don’t think I’d be doing what I am today.

There’s still much work to be done, but the path I’m on now is aligned with what I truly want my life and my family’s life to look like.

For that, I’m grateful for the pandemic for being the catalyst to set all of these changes for the better into motion.

It’s never too late to change.

(This photo was taken in Sedona, AZ where my sister-in-law just got married. Congrats Lisa and Michaelangelo!)

I burned out from self-improvement books and podcasts. Reading and listening about all the things I “should” or “need” to do before taking action.

They made me feel like I was never ready and needed to put all of these things in place before starting.

*At a certain point, you just need to do it.*

Uncertainty may be uncomfortable, but it will always be there.

Generally speaking, you already have what you need to start.

It’s not going to be perfect, and there will likely be better/more efficient ways than the way you’re doing it.

But, what’s the alternative?

*Doing nothing--never taking action.*

And we tend to think we have to do things on our own.

But, why? To make things harder than they need to be? (I’m guilty of this)

Working with a coach not only gives you a true partner through the process, but it also quite often is the difference between doing something and *not* doing something.

Visit www.jordantepfer.com to learn more.

Congratulations to all the CPAs and CPA firms who just endured another tax season. Now, let’s ensure those famous last words - "it'll be different next year," actually come true.

I can just picture my wife’s eye roll everytime time I said that to her and nothing really changed😬. And I cringe thinking about it, too!

To CPA firms - let's take some of the burden off of your shoulders and give employees the support, resources and autonomy to focus on the areas that will make the biggest difference for them, individually.

At a certain point, the best you can do is help employees help themselves.

To CPAs - there's no need to "hope" things will get better. Regardless of the situation, with the right vehicle *you* can make it happen.

Visit www.jordantepfer.com for more information on 1:1, group and teams coaching.

The takeaway? In-person collaboration is greatly preferred by Gen. Z employees (born after 1999), but they want the autonomy to make the decision themselves as to whether they work in-person or remotely.

One of the tricky parts, as we all know, is that autonomy must be earned by way of performance because if the business fails this is all moot!

A touching response I received from a new client this week when asked, “what prompted you to reach out to me?"

www.jordantepfer.com

My oldest son’s been making some interesting wardrobe choices for daycare lately 😂:

-capes
-gloves (while inside)
-neck warmer thing (while inside - see photo)
-tank tops (while inside- see photo)
-shirt on backwards
-pants rolled up to show his super hero socks

Needless to say, most kids in his class aren’t wearing these things. But, kids his age are innocent and don’t let what’s going on around them influence their decisions nearly to the extent adults do.

Which leads me to my point:

If your company’s culture is lacking, or isn’t the ideal fit for you—that’s okay! It doesn’t have to be, nor will it ever be “perfect.”

We have WAY more autonomy and control than we think. We’re not at its mercy nearly to the extent we sometime tell ourselves we are.

Will it require some courage? Absolutely!

But if you’re waiting on your organization or your superiors to be what you want them to be you’re only holding yourself back.

So, vent about your company’s culture and superiors—get it out of your system. You’re probably right! They’re learning and trying to figure things out just like you!

But once your done with that, recognize that all you just vented about probably doesn’t prevent you from doing the things you want to do.

Get a little creative, have some courage and keep moving forward!

I guess sometimes we just need to follow our kids’ leads🫡.

www.jordantepfer.com

Have you ever thought about what separates your "good" workdays from your "bad" or "blah" ones?

From those items, what ones do you have control over, and would you WANT to ensure are part of most of your workdays, if you’re being practical/realistic?

This should not be additive—"to-do” lists are already too long, and it exhausts me even thinking about doing that.

Here’s my list (in no particular order):

1. Physical activity:

Lifting weights/biking/running, ideally, even if it’s only 15 minutes (trying to avoid an “all or nothing” mentality). The big thing is that it happens, to any degree—it doesn’t have to be perfect.

This one is a bit additive in that it requires an additional activity, but it has a huge impact on my mood, focus, etc.

2. Moving forward despite uncertainty:

This could apply to so many things, but that's kind
of the point. This might be:
- reaching out to a prospective client
- acting on my intuition
- hitting “send” on an email, instead of hitting “save” to mull it over later

Doing this feels like growth to me—professionally and personally. Quite frankly, it makes me feel more alive.

3. Social connection:

Again, this could be so many things. This is almost always accomplished from my 1-on-1 coaching sessions.

But, when I don’t have calls, my work environment, itself, can accomplish this. My ideal work environment is a Starbucks-type atmosphere where there's a lot going on, but people aren't speaking directly to me. I really don’t like working in isolation.

4. An intentional block of uninterrupted time for focused work (no phone!):

It’s shocking how much you can get done with uninterrupted time, vs. time filled with interruptions and distractions (many of my own doing (e.g. my phone). Some days this might only be 30 minutes, but I’m shooting for at least an hour. Any amount of this helps me feel productive.

If those 4 things happened on MOST of my working days for the year (which is totally reasonable), it would likely be an incredible
year. And this is completely within my control!

I'm genuinely curious, what are 1 or 2 of yours?

The 4 most impactful issues for CPA firms per the 2022 AICPA PCPS Top Issues Survey are shown in the graphic below.
 
My two takeaways:
 
1.     Employee attraction and retention have been 1 and 2 since 2017.
 
But it's different now because firms have made so many employee-friendly changes with policies and benefits that they've exhausted many of their options. 
 
Once you get to a certain point (and I think we’re about there), all you can do is give employees the resources and empower them to help themselves.
 
There's also increased competition, as many employers are offering 100% remote positions. So, the firms that used to compete locally, now compete nationally. And if you don't offer 100% remote work, your talent pool is only local, but your competition is national.
 
2. Coaching addresses ALL of the top 4 issues

(How does it address compensation?  Coaching is part of the total
rewards package, and it improves performance leading to greater compensation)
 
Empower employees to help themselves, and not just at the most senior levels because it’s too late by then.
 
With the demands of the industry, so much is already stacked against them—give them the customized support they need to be successful.
 
Give them an independent outlet to speak openly and honestly.
 
Give them the resources to identify and focus on what they need most and build on their strengths. 
 
You can view the full survey results here: https://lnkd.in/gfC2RTMQ

www.jordantepfer.com

What’s preventing you from having the confidence you want in the workplace?

Join me for a free, interactive virtual workshop on 11/9 from noon-1pm EST where we’ll explore what that is, what it’s costing you, and how you can embrace the confident approach that’s right for you.

This is for ANYONE—all industries, experience levels, titles, etc.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwkd-CvpzsqGtWFVwOHs5Ux5yaG40YhJEYc

See you there!

What’s preventing you from having the confidence you want in the workplace? Join me for a free, interactive virtual workshop on 11/9 from noon-1pm EST where we’ll explore what that is, what it’s costing you, and how you can embrace the confident approach that’s right for you. This is for ANYONE—all industries, experience levels, titles, etc. Link to event in bio. See you there! . . . . . #confidence #confidencebuilding #workshop #freeworkshop #mindset #workplacewellbeing #success #enjoylife