Samantha Musser, CPA’s Post

I re-connected with a past coachee last week to learn she had made a brave decision to leave a decade-long stint in a global leadership role to start her own marketing and brand consulting business. The catalyst? A desire to more fully commit her time to her highest priorities. How we spend our time tells everyone around us what matters most to us. Good intentions and values aside, if something is important, it deserves significant time. Our true priorities are reflected perfectly by how we spend our time. The question my coachee kept asking herself: Am I spending the most time on what I say matters most to me? Why do so many leaders find themselves living their lives without time and priority congruence? The answer isn’t typically because they fail to know their priorities or lose track of how they spend their time. Rather, they believe they can play catch-up on their priorities, such as family time or exercise, after they achieve the everyday tasks required to complete their work. They convince themselves that quality time on the weekend or at the upcoming vacation will better match their best intentions (we've all done this!). Unfortunately, the opportunities to achieve harmony between time spent and priorities never fully materializes. They disappoint themselves and those around them with such false choices. The best leaders maintain the discipline to put matters into perspective and commit to the time their highest priorities require. They create a distinct order of what matters most to them and spend their time accordingly. They don’t shirk their responsibilities to colleagues, but insist on reserving the time necessary to achieve their ultimate focus on what they say matters the most. As consultant Stephen Covey liked to say, “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” 

What’s the worst piece of advice I’ve ever received? Such a basic question often inspires similarly mundane or generic responses, but reflecting on this recently made me think about an incident from my past that, had I approached it differently, would have completely altered my career for the worse. Here’s what happened: Only 23 or 24 years old, I was a hot-shot account executive and was just promoted to lead an entire CS team. I had never managed anyone before, let alone a full team of people, and I was in way over my head. Someone told me that since I was promoted internally, I needed to be a hardball, that I needed to slam my fist down so that people would know that I was the boss. Not knowing any better, I went along with it. I was a major jerk to my team. If you want to be that rock star AE that people don’t really like, you can do that. If you’re closing deals, you can get away with it. But I foolishly thought this would carry over into management. Just two weeks later, my team organized a happy hour that I thought was to celebrate my strong stewardship of the team. The complete opposite happened. My colleagues, very bluntly, let me know that I was approaching my new role entirely the wrong way. It completely blindsided me, and I remember going home that night thinking that I had really screwed up. From that moment, I did a complete 180. I immediately started talking directly with my team members, learning as much from them as I could. I was scared that I was going to be let go if I didn’t reverse course quickly. Humility was not a characteristic I had at the time, but I quickly learned to develop it. This turnaround directly led to my next career step, so if you think these things don’t matter, they do. I would not be where I am today if I had stuck with being that hardball and maintained a stiff and unapproachable style to leadership. If I could have told myself one thing back when I was given that terrible advice, I would say to get five more opinions. I made the mistake of listening to one person’s thoughts on how to lead, and it could not have been further from the right thing to do. Effective leadership requires balancing authority with approachability. That fateful happy hour 21 years ago has stuck with me ever since, and it’s a huge credit to how I manage teams today. So, while asking someone about the worst piece of advice they’ve ever received may be a basic question, it’s hard to think of a more impactful one myself, and I think there’s important lessons we can all gather from questions like it.

How one executive pivoted out of a redundant role into a new leadership position that gave her more fulfillment, impact, and revenue. 🚀💼 💡 Are you ready for your “a-ha” moment? Imagine what it would feel like to: ⭐ Confidently make big decisions about your career 💪 like whether to leave the company you've known for the past 15 years that's gotten too toxic since the merger, and jump into something possibly better, but still unknown ⭐ Have your schedule work for you 🍿 Imagine spending your next rainy weekend doing a movie marathon with your favorite humans, instead of spending more time doing work on your laptop - without guilt! ⭐ Make a big leadership decision and not spend the wee hours of the morning second-guessing yourself. 💪 It's okay to drop that big client when you find out their business practices are in complete ethical opposition to your values. ⭐ Focus on “what is” rather than worrying about “what ifs?” These are the kinds of things Noteworthy clients expect us to help them with, and it's easy once they understand what right for them looks like. Every Noteworthy executive starts her coaching journey with a clear process to define what she needs to be successful and fulfilled. With that she can set a clear focus, create meaningful goals, and drive strategic impact in our coaching and in her career. Are you ready for your “a-ha” moment? For one senior finance executive, it meant… 💡 Having the right information to pivot out of a redundant role into a new leadership position that gives her fulfillment, impact, and revenue. 🚀 ✍️ Understanding that in addition to her work and her family, she needed to spend more time doing what fed her soul; creative writing. 👩💼 Finally, mapping out a career that aligns with her needs - success on her terms - no more doubt, no more guilt. Everything is easier when you know what to aim for. 🎯✨ 💭 What's one thing you would do if you had 2 hours just to yourself tonight? 👇 Share in the comments. #executivecoaching #executivewomen #ChoosetobeNoteworthy #StrategicImpact #careerpivot

This week I was asked how I feel about the recently announced changes. Of course I responded in the businessy and enthusiastic way: Looking forward to it! And honestly I am really looking forward to it. But in a way, I am also a bit sad. Last year was one of the biggest years on my career so far with my new role. What we accomplished in service design was just amazing. On the personal side, last year was more on the challenging side. Safe to say, I am not too sad to see the year ended, and that the new year started in a more stable way. Looking back to last year, I learned so much and would like to think I grew as a person and a professional. But I did not just magically realize stuff on my own.🪄 I had a great manager to soundboard thoughts off from. Who encouraged me to take time off when my own world was just too overwhelming. Who took me as a person with a life outside from work. Who jumped into the service design with great interest, even though the train was already in full speed. Who gave me a great life lesson, a new motto, that I'll try to live by going forward: "Every chance is not a possibility" And even though, I am truly looking forward to the changes, I am sad to see that Jussi Murtola will no longer be my manager. I am happy that I'll still have the possibility to closely work with you, but I'll still miss our conversations. Like the one we had before you launched my new motto mentioned above: Sanna: "I love all the new stuff we are able to do! I get enthusiastic and interested easily!" 🤩 Jussi: "And I am easily stressed, so we need to limit your enthusiastic interests"🤯 Oh boy am I glad we had that discussion. I was (am) like a crow with shiny things when it comes to interesting business conundrums. 🐦⬛💎 Thanks for sharing your expertise with me and coaching me forward!💯💥 Many times in companies, the kudoses and open appreciations are focusing more on working bees. Managers are a huge part of why us busy bees are able to work productively, so let's hear it for our great managers. 📣 I would love to hear your thoughts about the great managers and leaders you've encountered! Add your comment below 👇

Are you feeling like spring fever has settled into your office? Don’t be fooled! The problem could actually be that your people have forgotten how their work matters. If you feel like your people are entitled, lazy, or unmotivated… you’ve probably forgotten to look in the mirror. You’ve lost focus on keeping your team motivated and focused on their purpose… the client’s satisfaction, and how to aim higher with every project! It’s your job as a leader to communicate with your team on how they are making a difference to the client to keep them motivated and excited to continue their work. Watching a new Director walk into their performance review with a smile on their face and walk out without a smile means something unexpected happened in that review. This is what happened to Matt. When we met he was more shaken than expected. His boss thought that his team was lacking in their focus and performance. On top of that, the last deadline they missed could not be repeated. Deadlines get missed for a lot of reasons but their missed deadline was because there was confusion on the team, not anything else. Matt was new to his role, and he didn't realize how much he was expected to communicate and learn about his team. After his review, we sat down and discussed what he had wanted and needed when he was on a team. It didn't take very long before the light dawned, and he understood what his role could achieve if he could keep everyone focused and motivated. Seeing him gain a leadership award early in his young career was fun. If you’re struggling to motivate your team, take a step back and look in the mirror. Have you been communicating expectations and how your people’s work matters? #LeadershipChallenge #TheLeadershipChallenge #Motivation #Expectations #Communication #TeamBuilding #LeadershipDevelopment

I'm feeling especially grateful after spending Thursday night in Toronto with 20+ HR Leaders. I got a chance to discuss my upcoming book, "How to Work with (Almost) Anyone” and introduced the group to a concept called Best Possible Relationships (BPRs). BPRs have 3 key qualities: 1. Safe (allowing people to show up as their best selves) 2. Vital (pushing boundaries and promoting growth) 3. Repairable (able to be fixed when things go wrong) Every relationship becomes suboptimal at some point, whether it’s a good one that goes off the rails or one that was poor from the start. When suboptimal happens, most of us don’t know what to do about it. We blame them, or ourselves, or the universe (or maybe all three). We get all the feelings: sad, let down, irritated, frustrated. But mostly we are resigned to the fact that this is what happens: relationships always get a little broken, or a little stale, or a little worse. C’est la vie, c’est la guerre. Carry on.   But it doesn’t have to be like this. Every working relationship can be better! Thank you so much to Frank Congiu and Moses Berkowitz for bringing me to this amazing group. Thank you to Elena Palumbo-Sergnese CTDP, Richard Pinnock, MBA, Dorena Erika Quinn, M.HRM, CDI.D, Marsha John-Greenwood MA CHRL-, Alexandra Hyland, Laura Mably, Erin Gordon, Ella Baroyan, Diana Valler, CHRL, CHRP, Leah Pollock, Giovanna Surian, Leanne Joffre (CHRL), Sue Donnelly, M.Ed., CTDP, CEC, ACC, Eowynne Noble (She/Her), Veronica Amorena, Darcy Legros, Sotos Poulimenos, Mark Luceri, Darrell Zawada, and Amanda Holmes CHRL, MBA for joining us! What do you want to recognize and be grateful for, today? 👇💬 #executivecoaching #positiveimpact #learninganddevelopment

Be Like a Phoenix Everyone faces setbacks, but what truly defines us is our ability to rise again and persevere. In my career too, I've encountered numerous challenges, especially during my first-time manager role, a few decades ago. I was confronted with undue pressure from the reporting manager, leading to difficult decisions. Reasonable expectations are fine, but when they go overboard, it turns into pressure, forcing extra hours and effort to get things done. Through intense negotiations, reconciliations, and the intervention of other leaders, we managed to resolve the situation. But the reality is that expectations and pressures are normal in any organization, we can’t escape them. I think both sides must understand individual roles and support each other without pressurizing. This challenging period became an invaluable opportunity for me. I channeled immense effort into improving processes and supporting my team in achieving our organizational goals, without getting bogged down by individual conflicts. Ironically, the same manager who once created pressure eventually recognized my efforts. What made the difference? It was our unwavering commitment to enhancing the system and fostering team success. The professional world, much like life, is filled with differences of opinion. These differences can arise in families, among friends, or at the workplace. The key is to reconcile these differences through collaboration, whether it be with family members, office leaders, or friends. It's crucial to identify and address the extra efforts needed to balance any shortfalls. Meeting the expectations of those on the other side of the table is essential. These efforts will undoubtedly make you rise like a phoenix. Remember, falling is not a crime, staying down is. Just like a racehorse that stumbles but gets back up to finish the race, we too must rise and continue our journey. I am proud to share this experience, hoping it serves as a useful tip for anyone facing similar challenges. Share your thoughts in the comments. #Leadership #Resilience #CareerGrowth #TeamSuccess #ProfessionalJourney #RiseAgain #PhoenixMindset

With Change Comes Disruption (Part 3- last) When I joined the new company I started experiencing what they call adjustment pains. Below were some of my challenges: 1. Learning and appreciating new systems during the company audit (I joined right at Y/E) 2. Learning to be my own boss with little reliance on the CFO. One day I ran to him to say we have a problem his response was you will figure it out. 3. Struggling to understand my team members personalities and capabilities. 4. Wanting things done in a certain way without acknowledging that its a process and sometimes there ought to be some flexibility too 5. Failing to understand that it was 100% my responsibility to make my relationship with my boss work 6. Unlearning toxic habits from my previous environment Upon starting I recieved this book from the CEO. I felt the book was even more harsh, cause I thought I was not performing to my level best standards according to the 90 day principles and sometimes feedback from my boss was also not so pleasant. But it helped me appreciate career transition even more. In the past months I have been working on creating credibility, building effective relationships upwards and downwards and also adapting my work approach to work with my boss’s preferences. This has greatly made my life easier as now expectations are aligned and wins are being secured. This is a journey of course. Sending grace to everyone who finds themselves in this season. #leadership #growthmindset #adaptation #thrivetogether #CA

Early on in my management career, I had a supervisor who was struggling. Where we worked, the review cycle correlated to our fiscal year, which was the calendar year. The way it worked was that you got your raise based on the previous fiscal year, but you didn't have your review for that year until May. Yep—you wouldn't get your raise or have your review until five months later. In between the end of the fiscal year and the following May, I had started coaching him, and he had started to improve. By the time May rolled around, he had experienced a complete turnaround in his role, and was hitting all of his goals and performance metrics. When I gave him his review, I had to tell him that his small raise was based on his performance from the year before. And then I continued by telling him all the things he had to improve on—but he had already improved. Not the most comfortable conversation, and not the most logical one, either. After I got done explaining what all of this meant, the supervisor looked at me and said, "I've got to be honest. I'm actually pretty demotivated. You're bringing up old stuff that we've been working on together." I couldn't have agreed with him more. And I told him that. I told him that because of the conversation we had, from that point on I'd always give my reviews at year-end, even if raises didn't come out until May. I was a young manager who was managing supervisors. I wasn't looking forward to having that difficult conversation, and so I waited, even though I knew it wasn't the right message to send. It can be so hard to have a tough conversation in the moment, and I tell this story to encourage you to think about the bigger picture. Having the hard conversations can keep you from doing a disservice to the employees who are doing everything they can to improve. #ManagementLessons #HardConversations #IncorporatingFeedback

Do you have 2 minutes to make someone's entire week? Here's a great way people don't usually talk about: Tell their boss they are doing a good job! Praise from a third person can make a huge difference to both an employee and their leadership. Earlier this week someone in my extended professional circle noticed my hard work and went out of their way to tell my boss that I am doing a good job. This was the second time that's happened in 2 months, and both are moments I look back on during the inevitable lows and frustrations of doing important work. Luckily James Bloomfield is a servant leader who immediately told me when he heard that compliment. Even though we we work together closely, he and I still have different roles and don't always know what the other is doing. He has to have a lot of trust in how I spend my time and resources. I know that isn't easy! Knowing that he knows a third person vouches for me gives me confidence in my work AND in my position with my organization. Conversely, a friend was recently let go because she wasn't performing to her boss's standard. The problem is her boss was only looking at certain metrics and didn't understand the impact she was having on her community and how well she reflected on her agency. Could some unsolicited outside perspective have helped? Probably. So give that compliment! Think about who in your world stands out and find a way to praise them to their boss/ manager/ CEO. You never know who really needs that boost of confidence!! #spreadthelove