Are you waiting to find the perfect tool? I am obsessed with office supplies. Especially organizing materials - like the the ones that come in bright colors and cool patterns at the Container Store. As a hopeless piler and accumulator of paper, I am on a never-ending search to find the perfect container that will finally make me organized.
I've tried every size, shape and ilk of container -- from bright pink boxes to stackable milk crates. I've tried filing cabinets, and fancy clips. I've gotten cute people-shaped pins for my bulletin board and portfolios, binders, and bags. I have had to find a whole new storage cabinet just to store my storage devices. But nothing works.
It seems that my organizational challenges can't be fixed by a tool alone, rather it is my approach to managing information that must change. It is the same with the services we provide to clients. It is far easier to continue to search for the perfect tool, device or spreadsheet than to work on addressing the underlying issue - our fear of not having the answers when a client asks a question.
We have all felt that paralyzing fear of trying something new for the first time and not succeeding when we show it to a client. Our fear keeps us from applying many of the tools that come our way. Training and support help alleviate some of those fears, but ultimately it requires us to take a plunge - to risk not having all of the answers and then learning from the experience. Whether it be a new report, graph, assessment, or $COPE It! software, you have the tools to make a difference for your clients.
Will you be brave enough to try? If not, let me know, I'm sure I have a file somewhere around here that might help.
Geni Whitehouse, CPA.CITP, CSPM is the Founder of Even a Nerd Can Be Heard, an organization focused on communication skills for smart people. With past roles ranging from partner in a CPA firm to leader of the technology practice in a firm, she has a wide range of experiences to share. She is a former software company executive and industry analyst and a two-time graduate of the Jeff Justice Comedy Workshoppe. She is passionate about finding interesting ways to talk about what some might consider boring subjects and has discovered that there is no shortage of material. She is the author of How to Make a Boring Subject Interesting : 52 ways even a nerd can be heard.
