Stay Inside Your Comfort Zone

If I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times, "Step outside your comfort zone." This may be one of the most overused business cliches. What does it mean, anyway? There's a lot written about it, but very little research. One of the more authoritative sources, Alasdair White writes, "The origin of the phrase ‘comfort zone’ is very hard to track down and everyone has a personal definition and understanding of the term." Here is my definition and understanding developed primarily from running track and cross country in high school and college.

Comfort zone is a range of performance that is the most productive over the longest period of time. As one moves from one level to the next, the comfort zone both increases and expands. Levels can be either time or expertise. Activities that were challenging at level one become boring at level three.

My comfort zone ranges from contentment to challenge. I am most comfortable when I am continually challenged both personally and professionally. That's why I love working for a fast-growth small business. It's why I blog. Challenge consists of life-long learning, problem solving, creativity, and personal growth. Contentment are those times when I sit back and enjoy my successes. It's important to reward oneself after new levels of achievement. Contentment also consists of planned relaxation such as weekend activities, vacation, and daily renewal.

I termed the area outside the upper-end of one's comfort zone burnout. Performing at the leading edge of the comfort zone will lead one outside one's comfort zone. This results in positive growth. However, if one performs outside of one's comfort zone too long, one risks burnout. One must either move back into the comfort zone or move the comfort upward. Conversely, if one performs at the lower range of one's comfort zone, one risks boredom and stagnation.

Let me expand a little on burnout because I anticipate some disagreement. "No pain; no gain" some might argue. A running analogy is best to explain myself here. I love speed workouts and pushing my muscles to go faster and faster. These workouts are challenging. After running as fast as you can for 200 or 300 meters, muscles start to burn. Although this burn 'hurts', it has not moved to the point of pain. Pain is the point at which one is injured. Picture the sprinter who pulls up in the middle of a race after pulling a hamstring. That is how I define pain.

A personal example of the frivolity of going outside one's comfort zone is singing. Singing in front of a large group of people is certainly outside my comfort zone. Furthermore, it is outside the comfort zone for the people hearing me sing. It's painful. It bears no fruit. These two examples represent the two methods of going outside one's comfort zone: pushing oneself too far too fast or engaging in activities that do not support personal and professionally.

On the other hand, building an HR department from scratch was at the leading edge of my comfort zone. Although HR may be outside my comfort zone, finding the most qualified HR director, organizing a department, and optimizing work flow are fun and challenging. I grew tremendously from the experience.

In conclusion, each person has an individual definition and understanding of comfort zone. "As we move closer to the edges of that zone we begin to feel a bit shaky and unsure of ourselves. But those edges are where we grow. And by stretching those boundaries we increase our ability to receive." (51 Ways To Expand Your Comfort Zone) What is your comfort zone?

What I Expect When You Interview

We posted a job opening on Easter weekend. Conventional wisdom says this was not best practice because readership is down on holiday weekends and we would get fewer responses. Well, we have received over 400 resumes!

I am a big believer is setting expectations. How can I criticize you for doing something wrong if I never told you up front what you should do? I don't like surprises. So here is what I expect when you interview with me:

• Dress professionally - Our dress code is business casual, but I expect you to over dress. I will not be wearing a tie, but I won't be wearing a golf polo shirt either. And please take it easy on the cologne or perfume.
• Smile - when we shake hands, I expect a big smile, a firm hand shake, and a 'very nice to meet you'.
• Be yourself and relax - generally, I can assess skill based on work experience, references, and aptitude tests. I am looking to see if you will fit in with our team day-in and day-out.
• Research the company - please spend a little time on our web site. Know the landing page and About us page narratives. Check out our Locations page. Be ready to interject your new knowledge at the appropriate point in the interview.
• Research me - it is no longer enough to just research the company. In this conversation age of personal branding, Google me. Read my blog. Connect with me on LinkedIn. Follow me on Twitter. Get to know me before you meet me.

Now, here is what you can expect from me:

• No stupid questions - I won't ask you stupid questions like, "If you were a fruit in the refrigerator, what would you be?" Yes, I was actually asked that in an interview.
• No canned questions - I don't have a script that I follow. Your resume is my script because it outlines your story. I want to hear your story. I am looking for how your past experience prepared you for this position.
• Conversation - I like a conversational interview. I like an interview that has a nice ebb and flow between speaking and listening.

The bottom line is that I want you to succeed. Unfortunately, we only have one position open. That means I am going to have to say no to more people than I say yes to. I hate that. It always seems to come down to two or three really great candidates and making that final decision is always difficult.

3/30/2013 Update: I now asked canned questions. I will asked the same ten questions to each candidate. This gives me a static baseline to compare answers. This enables me to be more objective. My interviews are now a mix of conversation and Q&A. There is still a lot of subjectivity in the interview process. Job seekers finding the right company and companies finding the right new hire is all about fit and timing.

My Blog's Elevator Pitch

I signed up for ProBlogger's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge. The challenge for Day 1 was a difficult task because I had never set out to define a purpose for this blog. The challenge was to write an elevator pitch for my blog.

“An elevator pitch is an overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The name reflects the fact that an elevator pitch can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (for example, thirty seconds or 100-150 words).” - Wikipedia

One of my goals for this year was to write one blog post a week. In my first blog post this year, I wrote my goals for this blog. This was a good start towards an elevator pitch, but it really did not narrow the focus so that readers who stumble upon this site would know what they are getting into and whether to subscribe.

So here is my first attempt at an elevator pitch:

CFOs are more than just the finance and accounting professionals in their organizations. They are trusted advisers to management, mentors to peers, and coaches to team members. In other words, CFOs are integral leaders. Leadership is a skill that can be learned, practiced, and improved.

The CFO role varies widely among companies and may include oversight of finance, accounting, HR, IT, operations, compliance, and risk management. I invite CEOs, CFOs, COOs, controllers, HR directors, marketing directors, and other small business leaders to join me in exploring and discussing leadership principles and issues affecting your company's growth.

The Importance of Employee Satisfaction

I'm currently reading The SPEED of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey. He wrote that there was a direct correlation between employee satisfaction surveys and profits at his company. As employee morale improved, so did profits. Just as prosperity can cover a multitude of mistakes, recession can hide poor employee morale. As Amy Johnson pointed out, there’s a pervasive bunker mentality sweeping America. If we are not careful, we may see a mass exodus when the economy turns upward. Here are three benefits of high employee satisfaction.

Increased productivity - I base this purely on anecdotal evidence. I am sure there is plenty of research to support this. When we are excited to get out of bed in the morning and tackle the challenges that lie ahead, we are be more productive.

Better customer service - When you are happy with your team (boss, subordinates, and peers) and with your company's mission, culture, and vision you will be more likely to speak positively about your company. A sales culture naturally springs from a positive attitude as employee look forward to speaking with clients and prospects about how great the company and product or service is.

Increased competence - There is a circular connection between enjoyment and success. We enjoy that which we are good at; and we are good at that which we enjoy. The more we enjoy something, the more we do it; the more we do it, the better we get; the better we get, the more we enjoy it; the more we enjoy it...you get the picture.

Takeaway - Don't neglect your employees for the sake of profits or survival. Each member of you team provides a vital role in the success and profits of your company. Treat everyone with respect. Listen before you speak. Then listen some more. Build trust. Celebrate the joys and share in the sorrows. Don't be afraid to love your team.

LouisvilleSoup: Keep It or Ditch It?

Someone recently commented, "Interesting name for your CPA business". How did you come up with LouisvilleSoup? Basically, Louisville is my hometown and Soup is my nickname. In high school I had about a dozen friends named Mike. Several of us, therefore, had a nickname. Mine was Soup because of my last name. There are a few who still call me Soup.

As the Internet grew and I started registering for more and more sites, it became increasingly difficult to find a consistent userid. I would try every combination of Mike Campbell (mikecampbell, mcampbell, m_campbell, etc.) and began to forget which one I used for which site.

HowManyOfMe.com states there are over 6,000 people in the U.S. named Michael Campbell. According to BabyNameWizard.com, Michael has been the #1 or #2 most popular first name since the 1950s. Campbell ranks in the top 50.

At some point I started using LouisvilleSoup. I found that is was unique and it just stuck. Now that I have become more conscience and focused on personal branding, I am at a crossroads. Should I brand Louisvillesoup and stick with it? Or should I brand my name? Here are some brands I have considered:

LouisvilleSoup - Unique, but does nothing to describe who I am. Louisville is quite obvious, but narrows me to a single location. Soup is abstract and many don't get it, even after I remind them of my last name. I own the domain names Louisvillesoup.com and Louisvillesoup.mobi.

Mike Campbell - I am competing with thousands of people of the same name, some of whom are famous (like the pro golfer and Tom Petty's bassist), and some of whom are in retail and spend a lot of money to promote their web presence. However, I am on Google search page two. Not too shabby for an SEO novice.

Michael Campbell - Very few people call me by my given name. It's really not an option.

Mike Campbell CPA - This really narrows down the name competition. It is not as unique as LouisvilleSoup, and I have only found a handful of other namesake CPAs. The CPA brand is a double-edged sword. I give credit to the AICPA and state societies for making it one of the most recognized brands and for protecting the CPA image as one of trust and competence. However, it may brand me as being in public practice, which I am not. Another major drawback is that GoDaddy has the url mikecampbellcpa.com held hostage.

Louisville CPA - I currently appear on Google page three for this search term. When I rejuvenated this blog earlier this year, I was nowhere to be found. I'm still amazed that I rank higher than most of the top ten CPA firms in Louisville. But, again, I not in public accounting and not looking to brand myself along with accounting firms. Plus, the domain name LouisvilleCPA is taken.

Louisville CFO - I have other plans for this brand. I own the domain name LouisvilleCFO.com. Look for future updates.

Best CFO in the World - That just sounds arrogant. I got the idea from reading Seth Godin's book The Dip. He writes that anyone can be the best in the world if they want to be. I've blogged about this previously. But I do own the domain name.

I threw out this question on Twitter and a few responses really stuck:

ForensicCPA@louisvillesoup I like it, though your current username has a certain geographical charm. How about "louisvillecpa"?10:59 PM Oct 24th, 2008 from twitterrific in reply to louisvillesoup

ismitley@louisvillesoup Doesn't matter too much, really, since you list your name and occupation in your profile info.10:59 PM Oct 24th, 2008 from web in reply to louisvillesoup

JasonBlumer@louisvillesoup I like the reference to Louisville11:06 PM Oct 24th, 2008 from TwitterFon in reply to louisvillesoup

stringsn88keys@louisvillesoup You might ask yourself, is your intent to build an image or build a network? CPA = image, but may limit network, too.10:03 AM Mar 17th from TweetDeck in reply to louisvillesoup

So long story short. I'm going to keep LouisvilleSoup as my Twitter handle and online user ID while using my real name in the profiles. After reading Derek McClain's blog post Google Search Your Name - Do You Really Own It?, I Googled my name plus high school, then college, then companies I've worked for, then CPA. I was on Google page one for each. So, no matter you've met me, more than likely you can find me.