How do you as a leader or manager of an accounting firm connect in a deeper, more meaningful way with your team? How do you ensure that this connection has a positive impact on the way in which team members behave and on their motivation, their drive and their willingness to see your firm succeed? How will this influence the amount and quality of the work they do and the level of care they show for that work?
There’s also a question to be addressed regarding how you connect in a deeper way with your clients, so that they want to work with you more often and take more action based on the insights, guidance and advice you can share with them.
In my conversation with Karen Eber, you'll hear about the importance of the power of stories in connecting in a deep and emotional way with your team, and in a deep and emotional way with your clients, so that you get the results you and your firm deserve.
Karen talks about how there is power in both data and stories, but connecting data – the numbers – with stories results in greater power and a deeper connection that will make a positive difference to every meeting you have with team members, either one-on-one or as a group, as well as every meeting you have with clients.
So why not join Karen and I on this HumaniseTheNumbers.online podcast, or go to your favourite podcast platform – Apple, Spotify, Google – and hunt out the podcast discussion with Karen Eber.
The Solution:
Data can be shared quickly, but that doesn't mean that it is understood.
We’re all guilty of sharing a lot of data very quickly, but not always knowing the understanding or connection to it.
In the meetings I've been in it’s a barrage of data at once.
You don’t talk through all of it, there is way too much to focus and attention, people only disagree or speak up so many times and then the meeting ends and you feel good because you've spoken and you've said what you wanted, but you don't necessarily know if what you have said has been understood or the connection has been formed in the same way.
So, what we think might be quick might not really be quick and might not be achieving what we want.
SHOW NOTES
Connect with Karen
Connect with Paul
Resources relating to this podcast:
This whole Podcast is about stories and there importance in business, not just because people remember stories more than data but because people connect with stories more.
Karen Eber talks about meetings - meetings that are a download of information and data are forgotton almost as soon as the meeting is over, but meetings where the essence of that same data is communicated using stories ensures that the people in the room have a much greater emotional connection with what is being said.
There are a couple of Bitesize Business Breakthrough reports that demonstrate the power of stories, from a marketing point of view and from a clients point of view by ensuring the client is the hero of your story.
Click the buttons below to access both these reports, there are some powerful insights on the difference that a well crafted story can make to your firm.
TED TALK
How your brain responds to stories - and why they're crucial for leaders
During this podcast Karen Eber tells a brilliant story about Maria and Dottie - this story is about the importance of human connection. Here is a link to Karens fantastic TedTalk on the importance of stories and how the brain responds to them.
How do the world's best leaders and visionaries earn trust? They don't just present data - they also tell great stories. Leadership consultant Karen Eber demystifies what makes for effective storytelling and explains how anyone can harness it to create empathy and inspire action.
BRAIN FOOD
Here is a link to a section of The Eber Leadership Groups website called Brain Food - This is a collection of media appearances, blog posts, YouTube channel and tools. Scroll or search by keyword to find a brain spa of information on Culture, Leadership, Teaming and Storytelling.
Click the button below for more.