CELEBRATE!!

The Importance of Celebrating Your Achievements in Public Accounting

A coach ramble today about the importance of celebration.

In public accounting, summer is typically the time for promotions, often right around July 1. If you check LinkedIn, you’ll see many folks announcing their achievements of becoming partners, principals, directors, or managers. It’s a time to celebrate these wonderful accomplishments.

However, while public accounting firms excel at giving promotions, they often fall short in celebrating them. Let me share a personal story to illustrate this point.

A Missed Opportunity for Celebration

When I was promoted to partner many years ago, I was sitting in my office when I heard my name announced over the PA system. I marched down to the partner meeting, walked into a standing ovation, received a few hugs, and then we went straight into a 90-minute partner meeting. Afterward, I simply returned to my office and resumed work. The celebration was brief and quickly overshadowed by…work.

A Surprise Celebration

Two months later, I was standing in my kitchen, washing dishes while my wife was getting ready for a date night. I saw a limo pull up outside our house. The window rolled down, and a beer can flew out, landing on our front yard. I was annoyed and called out to my wife, telling her some a$$hole just threw a beer can in our yard. I watched as another beer can launched from the limo, and now I was pissed.

I stormed outside and pounded on the limo window. The window rolled down to reveal a crew of my best friends. They had shown up to celebrate my promotion to partner. That unexpected celebration, orchestrated by my friends and my amazing wife, brought a sense of closure and made the achievement truly worthwhile. It struck me deeply how important it is to take a moment to celebrate.

Don’t Miss the Celebration

Life moves fast. As Ferris Bueller famously said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Don’t miss the celebration. Whether you’re the one who got promoted, secured a new client, or landed a new job, take a moment to celebrate. We work hard to achieve our goals, and once we do, we often rush to the next task without giving our accomplishments their due recognition.

The Power of Celebration

Celebration is not just about having fun; it serves several important purposes:

• Motivation: Celebrating achievements can boost your motivation to accomplish more.
• Team Building: It helps build stronger, more cohesive teams.
• Culture: It positively defines your company culture.
• Recognition: It acknowledges and honors your hard work and success.

How to Celebrate

Celebrations can take many forms. Go on a date night, enjoy a steak dinner, take a weekend getaway, or even buy yourself something special. The key is to take that extra time to make your accomplishments feel worth it.

Spread the Joy

If you know someone who should be celebrating, share this message with them. Send them a congratulatory note, or better yet, rent a limo, show up at their house, and start chucking beer cans on their lawn.

Thanks for reading, and cheers to your accomplishments!

Doug, The CPA Coach