1 00:00:05,590 --> 00:00:07,120 Welcome back to Count Me In, 2 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,760 IMA's podcast about all things affecting the accounting and finance world. 3 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:13,330 This is your host, Adam Larson, 4 00:00:13,830 --> 00:00:16,490 and we are now starting episode 170 of our series. 5 00:00:17,270 --> 00:00:19,610 The guest speaker you will hear from today is Alissa Vickery. 6 00:00:20,780 --> 00:00:22,640 Alissa is the Chief Accounting Officer for FLEETCOR, 7 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:25,920 a leading global provider of global business payment solutions, 8 00:00:25,921 --> 00:00:27,680 headquartered in Atlanta. 9 00:00:28,340 --> 00:00:32,680 Alissa also serves as senior vice president of accounting and controls where she 10 00:00:32,681 --> 00:00:36,840 has oversight over external reporting, technical accounting and internal audit. 11 00:00:37,460 --> 00:00:42,190 Her leadership has helped FLEETCOR join the fortune 1000 list and the S&P 500 12 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:46,390 index. In this episode, she talks about purpose driven leaders, 13 00:00:47,170 --> 00:00:48,070 Alissa shares, 14 00:00:48,071 --> 00:00:51,990 many of her personal experiences and growth and development opportunities for 15 00:00:51,991 --> 00:00:56,190 aspiring leaders. So to hear more, let's head over to the conversation now. 16 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:06,620 So we were talking very briefly before we started recording here a little bit 17 00:01:06,621 --> 00:01:08,140 about leadership and there's, you know, 18 00:01:08,141 --> 00:01:11,020 a particular topic that we're going to focus on in today's conversation. 19 00:01:11,580 --> 00:01:15,700 I first want to start off by asking you who are purpose driven leaders? 20 00:01:17,250 --> 00:01:20,140 Well, I mean, I think perhaps everybody has a different opinion here, 21 00:01:20,141 --> 00:01:20,974 but for me, 22 00:01:21,170 --> 00:01:26,130 purpose driven leaders are leaders who are really interested in 23 00:01:26,150 --> 00:01:26,731 powering productivity, 24 00:01:26,731 --> 00:01:31,690 both for the company as well as the growth of the employee. So, 25 00:01:31,850 --> 00:01:34,130 you know, everybody has a benefit from it, 26 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:37,970 but I think if you can execute as a purpose driven leader, 27 00:01:37,971 --> 00:01:42,770 then you can ultimately transform some competent employees into 28 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:48,040 super high performing stars of your management team and 29 00:01:48,041 --> 00:01:51,120 perhaps warrant their, their next progression into leadership, 30 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:55,000 whether it it's at your company or into their next role. 31 00:01:56,810 --> 00:02:00,190 So as far as what those individuals need, you know, 32 00:02:00,190 --> 00:02:03,270 I think a lot of people are always as working on their own leadership 33 00:02:04,180 --> 00:02:05,820 development, those who obviously want to climb the ladder, 34 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:09,460 but as far as skills or key activities, 35 00:02:09,461 --> 00:02:11,300 that purpose driven leaders really partake in, 36 00:02:11,301 --> 00:02:13,580 what are some of the things that you recommend or you often see? 37 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:18,220 So, I mean, for me personally, I think it's been a bit of a journey, 38 00:02:18,490 --> 00:02:21,500 purpose driven leadership isn't on accident. It, 39 00:02:21,501 --> 00:02:25,490 you have to be the very conscientious of how the 40 00:02:26,931 --> 00:02:31,730 words that you use and the behaviors that you exhibit then drive behavior 41 00:02:32,050 --> 00:02:35,530 of your team. And I don't just mean sending an email, you know, 42 00:02:35,531 --> 00:02:36,251 10 o'clock at night. 43 00:02:36,251 --> 00:02:40,690 I mean truly taking an interest in those individuals and 44 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:46,000 their career progression as well as what's happening with 45 00:02:46,001 --> 00:02:46,441 them personally, 46 00:02:46,441 --> 00:02:50,760 because it is the whole person and remembering that these individuals, 47 00:02:51,010 --> 00:02:53,760 they are human beings, they have lives. 48 00:02:53,790 --> 00:02:57,240 And I think if the current environment has taught us anything, 49 00:02:57,241 --> 00:02:58,800 it's that it's 50 00:03:01,490 --> 00:03:03,840 not a one sided story, right? 51 00:03:03,841 --> 00:03:07,760 I think in the time of the great resignation, we, 52 00:03:07,761 --> 00:03:11,640 as leaders have been pushed harder than we probably have, 53 00:03:11,641 --> 00:03:16,320 in the history of our careers to try and make sure we engage at a level 54 00:03:16,321 --> 00:03:18,240 that's meaningful, that's personal, 55 00:03:18,241 --> 00:03:21,430 while not forgetting that individuals still want the progression, 56 00:03:21,431 --> 00:03:23,230 regardless of whether we're sitting in the office together, 57 00:03:23,231 --> 00:03:24,350 or we're still sitting, 58 00:03:24,490 --> 00:03:27,590 in our home offices trying to muddle through and get it done. 59 00:03:28,570 --> 00:03:32,110 You know, that's a great point because leadership, 60 00:03:32,311 --> 00:03:36,110 and I've had a few of these conversations over the last, going on two years now, 61 00:03:36,111 --> 00:03:40,580 but leadership itself has changed right? Based on the work environment, 62 00:03:40,581 --> 00:03:43,900 everything else that we've experienced. You know, my next question, 63 00:03:43,901 --> 00:03:48,060 it could be a little bit more historical as far as traditional purpose driven 64 00:03:48,061 --> 00:03:48,800 leadership, as you've said, 65 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:52,700 getting to know people face to face maybe a little bit more from the virtual 66 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,900 component now, depending on your experiences over the last couple years, 67 00:03:56,210 --> 00:03:59,850 but when people are conscious and they are purpose driven leaders and they're in 68 00:03:59,851 --> 00:04:04,730 these efforts, what are some of the outcomes, you know, tangible or intangible, 69 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:05,491 that, you know, 70 00:04:05,491 --> 00:04:10,130 the organizations that they're working for can really expect to see as more 71 00:04:10,131 --> 00:04:11,690 leaders are empowered? 72 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:15,450 Yeah, I mean, I think from, from my experience, 73 00:04:15,451 --> 00:04:19,930 it drives a culture where you have excellence, intentionality and discipline, 74 00:04:20,100 --> 00:04:20,933 and 75 00:04:22,870 --> 00:04:27,840 ultimately those trajectories will drive better results 76 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:31,520 and more complimentary outcomes that support the overall business objectives 77 00:04:31,521 --> 00:04:36,480 that we're hoping to achieve as we try to 78 00:04:36,660 --> 00:04:41,590 execute on strategy as we collectively consider the projects that 79 00:04:42,780 --> 00:04:46,870 we take on, it's not just what happens in our department that that matters. 80 00:04:47,090 --> 00:04:50,430 It's, what's happening beyond that. It's what's happening beyond, 81 00:04:50,490 --> 00:04:54,150 traditional finance and accounting into the legal and regulatory aspects, 82 00:04:54,151 --> 00:04:55,950 the stocks compliance aspects, 83 00:04:55,951 --> 00:04:59,950 it's bringing it all together so that you truly understand the bigger picture so 84 00:04:59,951 --> 00:05:03,180 that when we go to execute as a broader group, 85 00:05:03,230 --> 00:05:07,140 that we truly are much more effective as a 86 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:11,500 team. You know, I think you also fundamentally, 87 00:05:11,501 --> 00:05:15,780 if you are quite intentional with this leadership and 88 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,020 with the cross-functional and working environments, 89 00:05:19,050 --> 00:05:21,060 both professional and personal, 90 00:05:22,270 --> 00:05:24,730 you end up with a truly authentic comradery, 91 00:05:25,610 --> 00:05:30,330 which I think ultimately produces a more loyal and effective 92 00:05:30,331 --> 00:05:34,730 workplace. So, when I say loyal, I mean, you know, I've been very, 93 00:05:34,731 --> 00:05:38,410 very blessed that I haven't lost any key members of my team 94 00:05:39,571 --> 00:05:42,440 over the shorter course, which I'm very, very proud out of. 95 00:05:43,681 --> 00:05:47,600 I don't know if it's anything specific individually that we, 96 00:05:47,601 --> 00:05:49,400 that we do as a group, 97 00:05:49,401 --> 00:05:54,000 but I have to believe that acknowledging that we spend a lot of time together 98 00:05:54,090 --> 00:05:55,760 at the office. Right? 99 00:05:55,761 --> 00:06:00,400 And having things that we do as a group, sometimes silly perhaps, 100 00:06:00,401 --> 00:06:02,000 like dressing up for Halloween. 101 00:06:02,090 --> 00:06:06,040 So every year certainly pre COVID we had, 102 00:06:06,041 --> 00:06:08,080 we put together a slide deck actually, 103 00:06:08,081 --> 00:06:10,320 and come up with a theme for the entire group. 104 00:06:10,321 --> 00:06:15,240 And then we would encourage or coax or force individuals to participate outside 105 00:06:15,241 --> 00:06:18,710 of our team who were sort of like our immediate surrounding so that we could 106 00:06:18,950 --> 00:06:21,870 produce a really neat theme in terms of our dress up. 107 00:06:22,290 --> 00:06:27,070 So my favorite one was we all did Harry Potter and it's a great 108 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:30,950 group ensemble, right? And then another year we did the wizard of Oz, 109 00:06:31,230 --> 00:06:34,350 another great group ensemble. And of course, I always dress up as the villain, 110 00:06:34,351 --> 00:06:36,950 like I'm the wicked witch of the west, I'm Bellatrix Lestrange. 111 00:06:38,021 --> 00:06:42,860 And I embrace my role fully. And I think that human aspect, 112 00:06:42,861 --> 00:06:47,660 bringing that to the workplace and truly having fun with it and walking 113 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:52,100 around the corridors here in downtown Atlanta or Midtown Atlanta and people 114 00:06:52,340 --> 00:06:56,420 seeing us dressed up as a group be like, oh my gosh, that's amazing. And, 115 00:06:56,421 --> 00:07:00,370 you know, I would tell you, it doesn't happen right across every group here. 116 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:04,410 It's a handful of teams. And, quite frankly, 117 00:07:04,840 --> 00:07:07,290 it's something I look forward to every year. I think the team too, 118 00:07:07,310 --> 00:07:10,730 because this year we're like, do we dress up it's COVID year, 119 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:14,890 it's sort of hybrid. I said, well, if you guys want to come in, 120 00:07:14,891 --> 00:07:15,571 we're all for it. 121 00:07:15,571 --> 00:07:19,280 And so we kind of put it together that a little bit at the last minute. 122 00:07:19,281 --> 00:07:23,440 And you know, it's something we sort of all sort of enjoy doing as a group. 123 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:25,920 You know, I would say that's one example and obviously, you know, 124 00:07:25,921 --> 00:07:29,640 doing holiday parties and being very purposeful about choosing times to be 125 00:07:29,641 --> 00:07:31,280 around each other, obviously, 126 00:07:31,281 --> 00:07:34,920 to the extent that we're comfortable doing so in the current environment, 127 00:07:35,260 --> 00:07:40,030 but having those meaningful opportunities to be around 128 00:07:40,031 --> 00:07:44,670 one another's, spouses or partners, because again, you know, I'm sure, 129 00:07:44,850 --> 00:07:47,630 my husband hears about my teammates and coworkers all the time. 130 00:07:48,210 --> 00:07:51,390 And so it's really meaningful, I think, to bring him into the fold. 131 00:07:51,810 --> 00:07:55,830 And I have to believe for my team members and our broader finance group, 132 00:07:56,431 --> 00:07:57,670 they feel a bit of the same way. 133 00:07:57,671 --> 00:08:01,100 So it's really nice to be able to bring everybody together and, you know, 134 00:08:01,101 --> 00:08:02,900 have a festive beverage and celebrate. 135 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:09,140 Thank you for sharing that. Those are great examples. 136 00:08:09,141 --> 00:08:10,260 And you know, 137 00:08:10,261 --> 00:08:14,700 it's funny because our team here at IMA specifically the education team, 138 00:08:14,701 --> 00:08:18,820 Halloween's a big thing for us as well. You know, it's, I have young kids, 139 00:08:18,850 --> 00:08:21,770 so the last couple years I haven't participated, I've been home with the kids, 140 00:08:21,771 --> 00:08:25,170 but I know our team, they dressed up as, 141 00:08:25,171 --> 00:08:27,650 everybody on the team was Flo from progressive. 142 00:08:28,370 --> 00:08:29,203 Ah, so good. 143 00:08:29,390 --> 00:08:32,730 Men and women alike. So, you can imagine the fun that they had with that. 144 00:08:32,731 --> 00:08:35,330 And there have been a couple other things in the past, as well, 145 00:08:35,470 --> 00:08:38,050 but I appreciate you sharing that because you know, 146 00:08:38,170 --> 00:08:42,080 I posed the question from an organizational perspective, as far as the benefits, 147 00:08:42,081 --> 00:08:46,240 I did want to follow up with taking a step down and taking a look at the team 148 00:08:46,500 --> 00:08:48,720 function, you know, so you certainly address that. 149 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:52,720 I do want to just get your opinion on purpose driven leaders, 150 00:08:52,740 --> 00:08:53,920 getting to know their team, 151 00:08:53,921 --> 00:08:57,640 but also empowering them to become leaders of their own. 152 00:08:57,641 --> 00:09:00,520 Maybe it's succession planning within the organization, you know, 153 00:09:00,550 --> 00:09:04,360 maybe it's for their own personal development as a purpose driven leader. 154 00:09:04,361 --> 00:09:08,240 You know, like I said, just a quick follow up. How do you kind of balance that, 155 00:09:08,241 --> 00:09:09,520 you know, 156 00:09:09,590 --> 00:09:13,920 understanding that empowering others and creating new 157 00:09:14,530 --> 00:09:17,230 leaders? It actually, I don't want to say hurt you, 158 00:09:17,250 --> 00:09:20,830 but you know puts you in a tough spot, down the road. 159 00:09:21,380 --> 00:09:24,790 Yeah. It's not untrue, right? Your 160 00:09:26,540 --> 00:09:31,430 objective is to help people grow, whether that's professionally, 161 00:09:31,431 --> 00:09:31,730 personally, 162 00:09:31,730 --> 00:09:35,500 truly understanding what their goals are and their objectives and understanding 163 00:09:35,660 --> 00:09:38,340 how all the pieces come together. 164 00:09:38,341 --> 00:09:42,180 I think having a sincere level of empathy for where they are, 165 00:09:42,181 --> 00:09:44,540 because everybody's at a different season in their life. You know, 166 00:09:44,541 --> 00:09:47,140 some have grown kids, some have no kids, 167 00:09:47,390 --> 00:09:52,300 some have young babies and where you are personally oftentimes drives the level 168 00:09:52,301 --> 00:09:55,100 to which you can press the pedal. 169 00:09:55,221 --> 00:10:00,010 I have a team of all women, which I kind of love, that wasn't on purpose. 170 00:10:00,011 --> 00:10:03,890 It was just, you know, it is who was the best fit for the 171 00:10:05,390 --> 00:10:10,210 role. But I think it's created this really unique environment in 172 00:10:10,940 --> 00:10:13,810 which we're sort of all there for each other, certainly professionally, 173 00:10:13,811 --> 00:10:15,850 but on a personal level, you know, 174 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:18,600 since everyone is in a bit of a different season, 175 00:10:18,850 --> 00:10:22,360 we're there to support each other in a very unique way. But 176 00:10:24,910 --> 00:10:25,601 back to professionally, 177 00:10:25,601 --> 00:10:28,840 it's having that empathy and truly understanding what people's objectives are 178 00:10:28,841 --> 00:10:31,520 and understanding that those objectives may change over time. 179 00:10:31,521 --> 00:10:36,240 And so when we're setting, our professional bonus objectives for the year, 180 00:10:36,241 --> 00:10:39,510 which are often times project and initiative driven, 181 00:10:39,670 --> 00:10:43,110 the first question I ask is, what is it you want to 182 00:10:44,711 --> 00:10:48,030 accomplish professionally over the next one to three and then three to five 183 00:10:48,031 --> 00:10:52,030 years? Is there something you want to go work on as part of setting this, 184 00:10:52,220 --> 00:10:55,150 these objectives that would help you get to that, 185 00:10:55,450 --> 00:11:00,340 those ultimate longer term or midterm objectives and what can I do to 186 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:02,580 help you? And you know, 187 00:11:02,581 --> 00:11:06,140 it's funny if you don't ask that question very often and then you ask it out of 188 00:11:06,300 --> 00:11:09,300 the blue, like people are almost taken aback sometimes. 189 00:11:10,130 --> 00:11:13,380 It's something I will be honest. Like I've not always been great at it. 190 00:11:14,450 --> 00:11:15,900 I've had to work on it. 191 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:20,010 I have my own professional coaching that I go, 192 00:11:20,011 --> 00:11:24,370 that I work on and go through and to try and ensure that I'm focused on the 193 00:11:24,371 --> 00:11:28,810 right things that I identify my own blind spots so that when I bring that to the 194 00:11:28,811 --> 00:11:32,330 group, as a leader, that I'm helping them to, 195 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:37,490 I'm almost like, what do you call it? Sharing and passing it down. Right. 196 00:11:37,491 --> 00:11:40,000 Because I don't want to be the only one that benefits from the fact that I've 197 00:11:40,001 --> 00:11:41,760 had this leadership development training. 198 00:11:41,761 --> 00:11:46,760 I want them to participate in it and go the next level or, pass it on. Right. 199 00:11:46,761 --> 00:11:51,680 And encourage them to think about what incremental 200 00:11:51,681 --> 00:11:56,280 credentials you may want to gather or what additional classes that you may 201 00:11:56,281 --> 00:12:01,080 want to participate in that will help you along your path to ultimately being, 202 00:12:01,081 --> 00:12:04,400 I don't know the best technical accountant or, Hey, 203 00:12:04,401 --> 00:12:09,400 I want to become a certified stock comp 204 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:14,790 expert. So what, what are those incremental things that I can do to help 205 00:12:15,730 --> 00:12:18,790 support your career? And then also gauging, you know, 206 00:12:18,791 --> 00:12:22,510 what is your satisfaction level right now? And again, 207 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:27,390 the answer changes every time you ask. So I ask you about once a month, 208 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:28,231 but, 209 00:12:28,231 --> 00:12:32,470 where are you professionally and personally right now on a scale of one to 10, 210 00:12:32,471 --> 00:12:36,420 10 being a, I'm so excited that I'm doing cartwheels down the hallway, 211 00:12:36,421 --> 00:12:40,300 one being I'm crying in the fetal position. Right. And, 212 00:12:40,621 --> 00:12:44,860 you'd be shocked how those answers one shift, 213 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:49,540 but two how much one will impact the other. Right. And so I think it 214 00:12:51,981 --> 00:12:54,810 makes the personal aspect, that much more vivid, 215 00:12:55,390 --> 00:12:58,090 but I think where your question started, 216 00:12:58,390 --> 00:13:02,490 and I apologize if I've gone on a tangent is how can I end up ultimately 217 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:04,090 it's obviously a benefit, 218 00:13:04,270 --> 00:13:07,930 but it can produce an outcome where you lose an individual. Right. 219 00:13:08,470 --> 00:13:10,090 so I had this one woman 220 00:13:11,740 --> 00:13:15,760 who worked in my group for the past seven years, an excellent employee. 221 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:17,353 She was 222 00:13:18,940 --> 00:13:23,440 someone I could always lean on and look to, if I had an issue, I would 223 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:29,360 pose it to her. She would break it down and then she would go execute. 224 00:13:29,361 --> 00:13:32,400 And then she would come back to me with all the things that she had discovered 225 00:13:32,401 --> 00:13:36,750 and work through. And then she would, you know, 226 00:13:36,751 --> 00:13:39,910 she asked me yeah. To provide her feedback along the way, obviously, 227 00:13:39,911 --> 00:13:43,270 but she was just someone you could count on. 228 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:49,920 I knew from, I would call it halfway through our first year, working together, 229 00:13:51,700 --> 00:13:54,650 performing this kind of project work was perhaps not her passion. 230 00:13:55,710 --> 00:13:59,640 Her passion really was around fraud examination. 231 00:13:59,740 --> 00:14:03,400 She was a CFE by trade, had done this in her past life. 232 00:14:04,180 --> 00:14:08,640 I had the benefit of picking her up as a team member through an acquisition. 233 00:14:08,641 --> 00:14:10,960 And so we sort of shifted her role, 234 00:14:10,961 --> 00:14:15,560 but ultimately her career objective was to get back into 235 00:14:15,790 --> 00:14:20,030 something more attuned to fraud, examinations, underwriting, 236 00:14:20,110 --> 00:14:21,830 credit risk. 237 00:14:21,831 --> 00:14:26,510 And ultimately there was a 238 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:28,590 position internally that opened up, 239 00:14:28,660 --> 00:14:33,510 where she was obviously the right person for this role. 240 00:14:33,511 --> 00:14:34,344 And she 241 00:14:39,341 --> 00:14:41,340 brought it to my attention said, Hey, 242 00:14:41,420 --> 00:14:45,580 I would like to consider this opportunity. And I said, 243 00:14:46,220 --> 00:14:48,660 I think that's great. Why don't you tell me more about it? 244 00:14:48,690 --> 00:14:49,620 Tell me about the leader. 245 00:14:50,050 --> 00:14:53,400 Tell me about what it is you're hoping to achieve with this. And 246 00:14:54,990 --> 00:14:57,640 when she explained it all I said, I think you should go for it. 247 00:14:58,220 --> 00:15:00,200 And so she interviewed, 248 00:15:00,460 --> 00:15:03,880 she talked to the process and then she came back to me and she was genuinely, 249 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:07,040 I said, has mixed emotions, right? 250 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:11,350 Because I think she truly enjoyed working with our team. 251 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:15,470 She truly enjoyed the opportunity. She had to grow in FLEETCOR. 252 00:15:16,570 --> 00:15:21,270 After she had talked to the executive, hiring for the role, 253 00:15:21,890 --> 00:15:24,230 she came back to me with extremely mixed emotions, 254 00:15:24,231 --> 00:15:27,870 because I think she has genuinely enjoyed working with our team, 255 00:15:28,530 --> 00:15:30,790 the growth opportunities it provided for her. 256 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:36,540 And I would say the amount of institutional knowledge that this woman has over 257 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:37,460 how things work. 258 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:42,580 And this is something that I cannot stress enough and is so hard to 259 00:15:42,581 --> 00:15:47,060 replace like seven years in an environment with, you know, 260 00:15:47,140 --> 00:15:51,340 a highly decentralized business model with leaders all over the world and 261 00:15:51,530 --> 00:15:55,850 knowing who to go to for whatever they ask is. 262 00:15:56,430 --> 00:15:59,370 And I just told her, I was like, I think that you're gonna regret this. 263 00:15:59,390 --> 00:16:03,410 If you don't take it. I think that this is the one you've been waiting for. 264 00:16:04,230 --> 00:16:08,890 And she goes, but I'm going to leave you in a little bit of alert. I'm like, 265 00:16:08,891 --> 00:16:11,930 it doesn't matter. I was like, we'll work it out. 266 00:16:11,930 --> 00:16:13,720 And so a little bit behind the scenes, you know, 267 00:16:13,921 --> 00:16:16,040 I'm talking to the other executive, obviously I'm like, 268 00:16:16,041 --> 00:16:19,200 there are certain things that can't drop, and you know, 269 00:16:19,201 --> 00:16:21,640 working through the transition, but, you know, 270 00:16:22,140 --> 00:16:25,600 I'm so proud of her and I'm so proud of the story for our company, 271 00:16:25,670 --> 00:16:30,400 because I think building a culture where you help people achieve their 272 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:34,110 ultimate career objectives, or at least their next career objective, right. 273 00:16:35,430 --> 00:16:38,790 I could have lost her to any other company outside of FLEETCOR, 274 00:16:40,610 --> 00:16:42,430 but finding a place for her here, 275 00:16:42,431 --> 00:16:46,310 where she's able to use the value and the institutional knowledge she's built. 276 00:16:47,050 --> 00:16:47,910 And quite frankly, 277 00:16:48,010 --> 00:16:51,790 the rapport she's built throughout the organization and taking it to this new 278 00:16:51,791 --> 00:16:56,460 role where I know she's gonna be a superstar and already is, I'm just, 279 00:16:56,840 --> 00:16:59,940 I'm so proud of us for, for making it happen. I really am. 280 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:06,180 Good for you, you know, personally. And from my perspective, 281 00:17:06,181 --> 00:17:09,900 and I was going to say, you beat me to it. It's a great story, 282 00:17:09,901 --> 00:17:11,420 because oftentimes you hear things like this, 283 00:17:11,421 --> 00:17:15,490 or maybe you read about it and you can't make that personal connection. 284 00:17:15,491 --> 00:17:18,330 So how true is it really does that kind of leader really exist, 285 00:17:18,331 --> 00:17:22,090 who is going to give me that opportunity, but to hear that it happens, you know, 286 00:17:22,120 --> 00:17:25,530 it gives people an idea of, you know, there's the old saying, people don't, 287 00:17:25,531 --> 00:17:27,370 you know, just leave jobs, 288 00:17:27,371 --> 00:17:29,610 they leave managers or they leave leaders or whatever it is. 289 00:17:29,611 --> 00:17:32,930 So it gives you an opportunity to really, you know, 290 00:17:32,931 --> 00:17:37,440 aspire if you are in a situation to find somebody who supports you like that 291 00:17:37,441 --> 00:17:42,160 along the way. So great story. I appreciate you sharing that with us. And, 292 00:17:42,540 --> 00:17:45,120 you know, I think, like I said, we going back a minute, 293 00:17:45,121 --> 00:17:47,960 we started at the organizational level, then the team level, 294 00:17:47,980 --> 00:17:50,680 now we're kind of talking about the individuals really breaking it down. 295 00:17:50,740 --> 00:17:53,480 So as far as from the individual now moving forward, 296 00:17:54,270 --> 00:17:57,080 what does an individual, you know, 297 00:17:57,140 --> 00:18:01,520 really need to do in order to become these purpose driven leaders? And, 298 00:18:01,700 --> 00:18:04,960 you know, I know you mentioned some leadership coaching and development. 299 00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:08,870 I don't need your personal specifics or anything like that, but you know, 300 00:18:09,140 --> 00:18:11,910 some things that maybe people should be aware of that they could, you know, 301 00:18:11,911 --> 00:18:13,550 take a look in the mirror and focus on. 302 00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:18,070 Right. Well, and so may, maybe I'll take a minute to rewind and just 303 00:18:19,590 --> 00:18:23,870 kind of give a little bit of my background and perspective, just so that it, 304 00:18:23,871 --> 00:18:27,070 because I'm sure there are leaders out there who rationalize and work through 305 00:18:27,210 --> 00:18:28,230 things in a similar way. 306 00:18:28,710 --> 00:18:32,980 But I spent almost 10 years in public accounting at, 307 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:37,580 two of the largest accounting firms in the world and the amount of 308 00:18:37,581 --> 00:18:40,300 professional growth opportunity. 309 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:44,500 And I would just call it forced training and forced personal improvement that 310 00:18:44,501 --> 00:18:48,100 those firms encourage you to go through if you plan to progress. 311 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:50,370 And I would say having natural progression, 312 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:56,170 it's funny how when you leave that environment and come to the private side, 313 00:18:56,830 --> 00:19:00,970 trying to replicate that is quite difficult and, 314 00:19:01,660 --> 00:19:04,570 kudos to the professional services firms for the programs that they've 315 00:19:04,571 --> 00:19:05,404 established. 316 00:19:06,540 --> 00:19:11,070 But I came from those big firms and effectively was a department of one 317 00:19:11,340 --> 00:19:15,990 when I joined FLEETCOR in charge of quite a bit. And just trying to get it done. 318 00:19:15,991 --> 00:19:20,750 And so I think sometimes we as professionals go 319 00:19:22,250 --> 00:19:26,820 through seasons where we sort of forget all of that mentorship and 320 00:19:26,821 --> 00:19:30,980 training that we received along the way and it's good, bad, 321 00:19:30,980 --> 00:19:35,570 and different, we've become a product of our environments. 322 00:19:35,790 --> 00:19:39,410 And so for me as FLEETCOR has grown into this S&P 323 00:19:41,970 --> 00:19:46,130 500 company and inherently has grown our groups and departments and teams, 324 00:19:46,350 --> 00:19:48,370 to reflect the risk and 325 00:19:50,850 --> 00:19:53,440 size appropriately pivoting back to sort of where we came from. And remember, 326 00:19:53,441 --> 00:19:54,800 you didn't get here alone. You 327 00:19:56,441 --> 00:20:00,840 didn't achieve the level of success nor the level of executive presence and the 328 00:20:00,841 --> 00:20:04,960 ability to execute on really hard stuff, quite frankly. 329 00:20:05,660 --> 00:20:10,240 And so making sure that we're building teams up and mentoring those individuals 330 00:20:10,260 --> 00:20:11,240 and finding their niche, 331 00:20:11,430 --> 00:20:15,390 because when you go from a departmental one is something much larger and trying 332 00:20:15,391 --> 00:20:19,750 to identify the right resources. Like I'm always trying to hire my weakness, 333 00:20:20,170 --> 00:20:24,270 because I know fundamentally that person brings something to the table. 334 00:20:24,271 --> 00:20:26,110 That's more than I can offer. 335 00:20:26,111 --> 00:20:29,550 And so they have something to teach me was I certainly have, 336 00:20:29,551 --> 00:20:33,900 I'll call it the executive level mentorship that and bring to the table and 337 00:20:33,901 --> 00:20:36,620 hopefully help them to grow as well. And I think fundamentally, 338 00:20:36,621 --> 00:20:40,740 if you're able to do this effectively, you're likely to retain your employees. 339 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:44,220 You're likely to organically help identify 340 00:20:45,380 --> 00:20:48,440 what those opportunities are for their growth. 341 00:20:48,441 --> 00:20:53,080 And then fundamentally I just produce an output that is that much 342 00:20:53,500 --> 00:20:56,840 more meaningful that people feel like they actually were part of something and 343 00:20:56,841 --> 00:21:01,720 they did some really solid work and it wasn't just for, 344 00:21:01,721 --> 00:21:05,520 you know, the big company, but it was, it helped them grow as well. Right. 345 00:21:05,820 --> 00:21:08,870 So always looking for those opportunities for growth. 346 00:21:09,830 --> 00:21:13,070 Yeah. You know, it's a great point. And I just want to, you know, 347 00:21:13,071 --> 00:21:17,070 kind of jump ahead and wrap things up a little bit, by tying it all together, 348 00:21:17,071 --> 00:21:20,150 really for our listeners and everything you just talked about as far as, 349 00:21:20,151 --> 00:21:23,590 you know, identifying gaps and, and trying to, you know, 350 00:21:23,591 --> 00:21:26,150 coach people along the way, particularly, 351 00:21:26,151 --> 00:21:28,340 or specifically to accounting and finance, 352 00:21:28,341 --> 00:21:32,580 the profession itself has evolved so drastically, you know, 353 00:21:32,581 --> 00:21:37,100 over the last few years and everything that's really impacting individual roles 354 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:42,020 and the need for training and coaching and upskilling and reskilling as 355 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:46,820 far as purpose again, and going back to purpose driven leadership, 356 00:21:46,821 --> 00:21:47,261 you know, 357 00:21:47,261 --> 00:21:51,690 what is specifically about purpose that's so valuable to accounting and 358 00:21:51,691 --> 00:21:53,210 finance professionals, you know, 359 00:21:53,211 --> 00:21:57,450 what is it that purpose driven leadership can really prove to be 360 00:21:57,730 --> 00:22:02,010 possibly the difference as the profession continues to adapt and identifies 361 00:22:02,990 --> 00:22:04,930 new needs and skills along the way? 362 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:10,640 Yeah. I mean, I think we're all forced to constantly evolve, 363 00:22:10,700 --> 00:22:11,533 as you said. 364 00:22:12,220 --> 00:22:17,040 And I think being purposeful with how you approach those 365 00:22:17,070 --> 00:22:21,800 changes and providing individuals, the opportunities to really soar, and grow, 366 00:22:21,801 --> 00:22:26,320 and quite frankly, provide them the opportunity to share new ideas, 367 00:22:26,410 --> 00:22:29,830 voice concerns when something doesn't feel or smell right. 368 00:22:29,831 --> 00:22:34,590 Ultimately an enhances our company culture and the business 369 00:22:34,770 --> 00:22:36,030 strategy for driving growth. 370 00:22:36,031 --> 00:22:40,070 I think if we learned anything over the last couple of years, 371 00:22:40,071 --> 00:22:41,870 it's the more things change the 372 00:22:48,111 --> 00:22:48,930 more, 373 00:22:48,930 --> 00:22:53,300 the ability to pivot and the skillset of being able to pivot 374 00:22:54,360 --> 00:22:57,620 is super valuable. And you know, you fundamentally grow a group, 375 00:22:57,621 --> 00:22:59,060 with incremental heads, but, 376 00:22:59,061 --> 00:23:04,060 being able to create growth opportunities for those individuals with those 377 00:23:04,061 --> 00:23:08,020 new requirements. And I have to say, you know, 378 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:13,010 having an open door policy in terms of being available 379 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:17,810 and just giving individuals the opportunity to speak, 380 00:23:17,850 --> 00:23:22,330 because I do think that we become a product of our calendars, 381 00:23:22,331 --> 00:23:25,690 whether we like it or not, especially in the Zoom driven world, 382 00:23:26,260 --> 00:23:27,930 which is necessary because we're hybrid, 383 00:23:29,030 --> 00:23:31,720 but it's created a back clog in terms of, 384 00:23:31,860 --> 00:23:34,440 availability is what I would say. 385 00:23:34,970 --> 00:23:37,160 We're all trying to get certain things done every day. 386 00:23:37,510 --> 00:23:39,640 Sometimes meetings are part of getting it done. 387 00:23:39,641 --> 00:23:42,600 Sometimes meetings are just meetings, right. 388 00:23:42,980 --> 00:23:47,360 But I do intentionally try to make sure that 389 00:23:47,980 --> 00:23:52,600 if it is not immediately a big need, that if somebody need, 390 00:23:52,601 --> 00:23:54,160 if one of my team members needs me, 391 00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:59,760 I will step away from the meeting and have the discussion around whatever 392 00:23:59,761 --> 00:24:01,320 it is. Whether it's, you know, 393 00:24:01,321 --> 00:24:03,960 helping them to move to the next phase of a project address, 394 00:24:05,220 --> 00:24:08,790 some bigger concern that they may have. Right. And just trying to, 395 00:24:08,850 --> 00:24:13,430 to be the leader that I would wanna have, or that I do have now. And so 396 00:24:14,991 --> 00:24:17,430 being cognizant that we all need that. 397 00:24:20,140 --> 00:24:22,590 This has been Count Me In, IMA's podcast, 398 00:24:22,940 --> 00:24:26,220 providing you with the latest perspectives of thought leaders from the 399 00:24:26,221 --> 00:24:28,580 accounting and finance profession. If you like what you heard, 400 00:24:28,820 --> 00:24:31,900 and you'd like to be counted in for more relevant accounting and finance 401 00:24:32,010 --> 00:24:34,420 education, visit IMA's website at 402 00:24:37,660 --> 00:24:37,660 www.imanet.org.