I admit that I have been known to keep a shirt, coat, pants or tie that according to CeCe look “dated.” Our conversation usually goes something like this:
CeCe: You can’t wear that, it’s completely out of style!
Me: Well you liked it just fine when we bought it, it’s in great shape and it’s comfortable.
CeCe: I don’t care, you are not wearing that!
And that’s usually the end of our discussion. I then proceed to change clothes because, you know, I really wanted to wear something else anyway.
“Dated” is a word I hate to hear but when I look at how our profession and our firm is serving clients, it is the first thought that I have. We have become so emerged in our compliance mindset and historical perspectives that we are not anticipating the future or having conversations with our clients that are relevant. In many cases we are using technology and software that simply doesn’t have the capabilities or power of the emerging technologies. As a whole, we look and feel dated.
When was our last strategic conversation with our client? When have we discussed or used new technology to provide them insights? When have we met with the C-suite to discuss future trends? How much input have we had in their growth plans? Do we even know their strategies for moving forward? When have we collaborated with them to redefine what the reality is based on the current technology transformation? This affects every business, so are we in the discussions or are we showing up as “dated?”
By the way, when I shared this picture with our firm, someone commented, “I bet Joey still has that shirt.” They know me too well. Actually, CeCe sent it to Goodwill with a lot of my other comfortable and perfectly fine clothes. Is it time to send some of our current client meetings to Goodwill and generate some current and future services that impact our client’s journey forward?
