CPA Practice Advisor - 17

THE LEADERSHIP ADVISOR

A Different Kind of Value:

Defining Your Professional Purpose
HAVE YOU EVER thought about the difference between the words "value" and "values"?
AMY VETTER, CPA.CITP, CGMA

Mindful Technologist &
Keynote Speaker
@AmyVetterCPA

If you're laughing and thinking, "Yeah, it's the letter 's'," well, you're not wrong, but that's
not what I mean.

When we talk about "value," a
word we usually use in a professional context, we're usually referring to providing benefit to clients.
"Values," on the other hand, are the
ideals we hold near and dear, and
we often only discuss those outside
of the workplace-and that's a
shame. Given that more than half
of employees report feeling less
than engaged at work, it's high
time we start asking how we can
bring values into the workplace and

WHAT DO YOU VALUE?

create a clearer sense of purpose in
our firms and in ourselves. When I
say a purpose-driven workplace, it's
not a matter of doing only what you
most enjoy. Finding work to match
your values doesn't have to come
in the form of finding your "dream
job." Bringing your values into your
work, rather, is about finding ways
to align both what you do and how
you do it with what matters to you.
When you discover a greater sense
of purpose at work, you will be more
motivated, feel more fulfilled, and
perform better. So let's get started.

are something deeper. You really
have to look inside yourself and ask
what you care about. Don't be afraid
to consider big, lofty, abstract ideas.
For an excellent list you can use as
a jumping off point, check out this
article (https://bit.ly/2Hmvf4g).
Once you created a list of values,
it's helpful to rank them or give
them star ratings for importance.
Do you, for example, care more
about autonomy or recognition?
Usually, the more autonomy you
have at a job, the less likely you
are to receive public recognition.

It's hard to go about developing
a great sense of value in your
career if you don't take the time to
investigate what those values are.
While your professional values don't
have to be exactly the same as your
personal ones, they shouldn't be far
off. The biggest mistakes people
make when creating a list of values are being too concrete and too
superficial. Identifying passions and
hobbies is a worthy task, but values

Reflecting on your career in this
light, which most people have never
done, can help give you a fresh
perspective.

MICRO- AND
MACRO-PURPOSE
Your values manifest in work in all
sorts of ways. On a small, granular
scale, ask yourself how your daily
tasks reflect values. If collaboration
is important to you, you'll probably
be much happier working on a tight-

knit team than being siloed in your
own office. People who like an everchanging task list probably don't
want to be at a firm that performs
a narrow range of services. Those
who want a predictable, steady
workflow won't enjoy a start-up,
but those who want to be a part of
building something may love it.
As an accounting professional,
you're at a great advantage in terms
of finding meaningful work. What
we do is truly important to our
clients, so you'll never feel like your
job is inessential. Accounting firms
come and all shapes and sizes, and

FEBRUARY 2020 ■

you can help build a firm in your
image. You can serve clients whom
you admire, like my recent podcast
guest Marin Bright of Smart Meetings. She talked about her love for
hotels and hospitality, which drove
her passion in her business to serve
those industries. Even though she
doesn't work directly in a hotel, she
has had a chance to specialize and
make it part of her career, which in
turn helps her to create more value
for her customers. In Accounting

we have the exact same kind of
opportunity when we specialize in
niche areas that we are passionate
about and when working with those
clients it doesn't feel like work.
While occasional listlessness at
work is something everyone experiences, you shouldn't struggle to
ask yourself why you're getting up
in the morning. If you do, perhaps
it's time to look inside and ask what
your values are. From there, you can
start to find them in your career-or
start crafting a career path where
you can. ■

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