Thursday 26 July 2018 was a wonderful day. Yes, I know it was the day the heatwave broke, and thunder and rain returned to the UK, but I had one of those truly uplifting days at work.
You see, I attended the first of AVN’s Strategic Development Group meetings. The day was designed to meet several objectives:
- To help AVN develop new resources for members
- To identify key factors that will impact on our future
- To start to write an agenda for future research projects, helping to direct the wider conversations within the profession
Emma has asked me to summarise not so much what content came out of it (that’s for her and her colleagues to do), but my thoughts on what I got out of the day.
Firstly, I met some truly inspirational and entertaining people. One was a recent prizewinner, another a founder member of AVN. The fact that Chris is still there after 20 years says a lot about the benefits he is receiving.
Secondly, I got some great ideas to implement in my own practice. My core strength tends to be in taking ideas and developing them, rather than being the initiator. So I find working with forward-thinkers really helpful. We had fun along the way, shared some anecdotes and “horror stories” (think recruitment and you’ll be able to guess the subject matter!)
Thirdly, I got a free lunch, and at least two blogs out of the process of ordering a takeaway meal! (Find me on LinkedIn if you want to read those blogs).
But what I really want to say is this….
Working with other business owners (whether accountants or not), really fires me up. I get to see and hear their ideas and frustrations andcontribute towards the solutions. I become inspired and energised around others (I’m an extrovert), and always come away with a list a high level, future focussed action points.
The last 12 months have not been an easy time for my practice. We had to ditch some truly disruptive team members, and it has taken us a while to regain the joy we had before we made our recruitment mistakes.
July 26 2018 was one of the days that helped put us back on track, and I would encourage any of you who feel isolated, frustrated or just ground down to attend an AVN event and seek out those who can inspire and lift you. Running a business is a lonely place, and the AVN family can feel part of a team that is truly making a difference.