may2021 - 15

THE MILLENNIAL ADVISOR
What " Ghostbusters " Can Teach
Us About Conversations
GARRETT WAGNER, CPA
CEO/Founder, C3 Evolution Group
garrett.wagner@cpapracticeadvisor.com
" WHO YOU GONNA call? " Unless you are reading this and under ten years old, that phrase
connects back to an all-time classic 80's movie, Ghostbusters. The iconic images NYC,
the Ghosbusters racing through their fire station headquarters, pilling into Ecto1, and
then racing off to go bust some ghosts. No doubt even reading this right now, the music
is running through your mind and perhaps, just perhaps bringing a smile to your face.
Now is a great time to use this
happy memory and solve one of the
challenges we are facing right now
as we have all shifted into a virtual
and remote workforce. One of the
biggest challenges we all feel is the
loss of connection to those around
us and the challenge is staying
connected with those with whom
we work. As we have discussed in
prior articles, gone are the days of
water cooler conversations or quick
chats in the break room.
Now when you stop to get a glass
of water or coffee, often your only
conversation is with your pet or your
kids as they run around your house
while they are " learning virtually. "
We all feel this over a year into our
new virtual work forces, the loss of
connection with our co-workers and
peers, replaced by isolation at home.
But what can be done to address this
challenge as we are faced with the
possibility of working from home
being the new normal?
This is where the Ghostbusters
come in and that famous tag line
While you will not
be calling the
Ghostbusters, you
will be picking up
the phone.
... " Who you gonna call? " While you
will not be calling the Ghostbusters,
you will be picking up the phone.
To overcome this new disconnect,
you need to intentionally connect
with your peers, do not talk about
work, and embrace the personal
connection. All it takes to overcome
the disconnection is to find a little
bit of time each day.
For me personally, most of my
co-workers live in different parts of
the country and we all feel just as
connected as people who live in the
same city and share the same office.
We can achieve this by embracing
this mantra, plus we are all fans of
Ghostbusters as well.
Being intentional is a key to
many successful habits and here it
plays a major role again. The first
step is to make connecting with your
peers a priority. Each day spend 15
minutes twice a day to call someone
and have a conversation. For these
thirty minutes in total, you will end
up with probably less " water cooler "
chat time than before, so if you are
worried about time, you are still
ahead.
It can be funny, what we used
to think of a nuance, we now look
back and miss fondly. Before you
may have been frustrated by how
often you would talk to a certain
co-worker in the break room, but
now you miss those long rambling
chats.
The second thing to remember
after you make your
two phone calls is to
not talk about work.
So set the ground
rules, you will not talk
about work. You are not
calling two co-workers
to talk about a spreadsheet,
you are calling
them to connect with
them as people.
Finally, enjoy the
conversat ion. Just
like the Ghostbusters
were always having
fun no matter what
happened, it is okay to
take a moment to relax
and enjoy connecting
with someone you
work with. This is one
of those small things
we all took for granted
every day in the office.
We would connect with
others but never took
the time to appreciate
that chance. Practice mindfulness.
Be in the moment.
Millions of people all around the
world have found a way to stay connected
when living apart and we can
follow in their steps by picking up
the phone and being intentional with
how we connect. On the personal
side, one of my co-workers and close
friends moved to Greece last year
and we still chat just as much as we
did when we worked inside the same
office. The only difference, we now
plan out times to talk each week to
stay connected.
Starting right now, think about
who you will call tomorrow and stop
feeling disconnected from your coworkers.
Choose to stay connected
with them and their live as you work
from home without missing a beat.
If that fails, then you can call the
Ghostbusters. ■
MAY 2021 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
15
Columbia Pictures - Delphi Productions - 1984. Official movie image. ©1984 Columbia Pictures, Delphi Productions.

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may2021

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