The Change Your Mindset Podcast

Welcome to the Change Your Mindset podcast, hosted by Peter Margaritis, CPA, AKA The Accidental Accountant. Peter is a speaker, expert in applied improvisation and author of the book 'Improv Is No Joke, Using Improvization to Create Positive Results in Leadership and Life'. Peter's new book, Taking the Numb Our of Numbers: Explaining & Presenting Financial Information with Confidence and Clarity will be published in June 2018.

S6E16: How to Future Proof Your Accounting Career with Bill Sheridan

“Accounting is not just about money, it’s about what I do to make other people’s lives better.” Bill Sheridan

Bill Sheridan is a knowledge hunter, content curator, and lifelong learner. As chief communications officer for the Maryland Association of CPAs, he created and co-authors the association’s acclaimed blog, CPA Success; produces the MACPA’s “CPA Spotlight” podcast; and manages the association’s member communications and numerous social networks. Bill regularly speaks at national conferences on the future of the accounting and finance profession, the strategic uses of social media, and the evolution of communication, collaboration, and education. He delivers frequent presentations on behalf of the Business Learning Institute and is a certified Insights to Action strategic facilitator. He is inspired by and in awe of his wife, Alison, and their daughter, Molly. They live in St. Louis, Mo.

As accountants in an ever-changing world, we need to know the facts, but the one thing we need in order to remain relevant is to learn people skills and go beyond what we know to who we are working for and with. Building better relationships and anticipation of changes that happen with people.

Knowing where we are in the technological scene, sooner or later, we will be using it to crunch numbers in the accounting scene. As accountants, we will have to develop necessary skills that machines cannot duplicate and do, making us relevant in changing times.

You can catch Bill on his socials:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/billdsheridan

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S6E15: The Future of the Accounting Profession with David Peters

“Our value as CPAs goes beyond giving out facts in any situation. They act as the voice of reason and turn ideas into reality.” David Peters

David R. Peters is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) with over fifteen years of experience in financial services. He was formerly the Chief Financial Officer of Compare.com and has been a financial advisor since 2015. He holds master’s degrees in accounting, business administration, and financial services and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Financial Planning & Retirement Income at The American College. He is currently a continuing education instructor for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Surgent, and Kaplan Professional, and the President and owner of David Peters Financial Group Inc, Peters Tax Preparation & Consulting PC, and Peters Professional Education LLC.

People dealing with complex financial jargon that they don’t understand need someone to simplify the information and give sound advice, and that is what David believes CPAs are. There is a level of trust that one needs in order to put your life in someone else’s hands.

As a person, you can learn the words of anything, but you need to go beyond the words and actually communicate in a way that makes sense to the people in the room with you, and it leads you as an accountant to go beyond your normal facts and learn something new.

He brings on board his experiences and what he believes is the future and progression of CPA as a whole. More and more, the accounting profession is coming off from just a room of accountants to meetings with different individuals who have different functions in an organization. The accountant needs to begin to evolve and adapt to be able to cater to the needs of all these people.

You can catch David on his socials:

https://www.davidpetersfinancial.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-peters-financial/

https://www.facebook.com/davidpetersfinancial

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBLKAMd0JeKpm6Y9rv4_oLQ

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1185392

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S6E14: Leading with Significance with Joey Havens

“It’s not about how good your culture is, how good it needs to be to move forward.” Joey Havens

Joey Havens, CPA, is currently serving HORNE as the managing partner of strategic growth. Joey actively challenges the mainstays of business culture and strategic planning. He advocates for a faster approach to growing leaders using a holistic approach and intentional sponsorship. Joey is an active member of CPA Practice Advisor’s Top 30 Thought Leaders, where he works with other accounting professionals to help lead and shape the industry. Joey is a frequent presenter/teacher/facilitator on creating a culture of belonging, strategic planning, and leadership development and loves to teach young professionals the “ABCs to Outstanding.” He currently serves on the board of The Mustard Seed, a Christian community for adults with developmental disabilities, and Empower Mississippi. He is a past board member of HORNE LLP, Friends of Children’s Hospital, JDRF, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the AICPA Women’s Initiative Executive Committee.

Joey believes in working at an organization’s culture as the soul and core. Culture is the soul of the organization; it’s the people, their language, it’s the behaviors we allow over time and accept them.

He brings to the table more than 30 years as an influencer. He shares his experiences about organizational culture, what he has learned, and how culture influences the growth of an organization, whether positive or negative. How autonomy works in the organization and how to use it to increase the culture.

You can catch Joey on his socials:

https://joeyhavens.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeyhavens

https://www.instagram.com/joeydhavens/

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S6E13: Creating Magic with Lee Cockerell

“The whole world is in the mode of we have to control everything, what we do, the money, the people, the situations.” Lee Cockerell

Our guest today is Lee Cockerell, the former Executive Vice President of Operations for the Walt Disney World® Resort. One of Lee’s major and lasting legacies was the creation of Disney Great Leader Strategies, which was used to train and develop the 7000 leaders at Walt Disney World. Lee has held various executive positions in the hospitality and entertainment business with Hilton Hotels for 8 years and the Marriott Corporation for 17 years before joining Disney in 1990 to open the Disneyland Paris project. He is now dedicating his time to public speaking, authoring a book on leadership, management, and service excellence titled, Creating Magic…10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney. which is now available in 13 languages, and his latest book, The Customer Rules…The 39 Essential Rules for Delivering Sensational Service.

Leadership is about learning, unlearning, and relearning what is out there, taking in what you were taught, and having the capacity and mindset to make up your own mind in any situation. Every situation is different, but how we handle it tells much about who we are and what we want to accomplish.

When dealing with people, understand that they come from different backgrounds, have different stress levels, and know how to balance them. Being professional is knowing what you are doing, learning how to better it, and how you carry yourself.

You can catch Lee on his socials:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leecockerell/

https://www.facebook.com/createmagic/

https://www.leecockerell.com/

https://twitter.com/leecockerell?lang=en

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S6E12: The Spirit of Emotional Intelligence with Ruben Minor (previously released on 5/9/2022)

“The beauty of good leadership is that you can have an excellent platform to impact someone that you may never know how so.” Ruben Minor

Our guest today is Ruben Minor, president of RAM Consulting Group. This organization focuses on speaking, training, and coaching individuals and groups regarding leadership, team dynamics, relationship building, diversity, equity and inclusion, fundamental business philosophies, and business and personal branding. Ruben has a rich and resourceful network of professionals across the business spectrum, ranging from influential political figures to educational leaders and entrepreneurs. 

Ruben leverages his network to make more meaningful connections for his clients and business partners, evolving into lasting, mutually beneficial relationships. Ruben also served this country for 15 years in the US Navy as a supply Corp officer, is a John Maxwell certified professional speaker, trainer, and coach, and is intimately engaged in the community, serving as president of the Council for the village of Galena. Reuben enjoys spending time with family, history movies, and hiking and, as a side note, is a professional speaker. 

Corporations have learned a lot post-COVID, as employees have realized that they do not have to face toxic work environments. Unfriendly cultures have existed for decades and are therefore not expected to change overnight. It will be a constant, intentional effort by those in leadership, and making sure that they’re keeping in step with the culture in the corporate community. 

The beauty of good leadership is that it can have an excellent platform to impact someone you may never know how to. 

Click to Download the Full Transcript PDF