Some Might Call it Backfilling, But I Call it Enlightenment

Written By: Dr. Rich Houston, Director of the Culverhouse School of Accountancy

I considered calling this “Channeling Columbo” instead of the title above. Perhaps you’ll see why.

The shampoo instructions “lather, rinse, repeat” are excessive, like pouring chocolate milk into Cocoa Krispies. How do you expect to distinguish the taste of the Cocoa Krispie-produced chocolate milk from that you mixed into it?

Some great things that students wrote:

• Growing up I always viewed myself as shy and thus always believed that I was an introvert. However, as I think about it, I was not necessarily shy; instead, I was selective in who I showed my social side to.
• Why waste time envying or wishing you had someone else’s success, when it’s not even what you really want?
• "Make the day; don't let the day make you" is a good reminder to take charge of your life instead of just going along with or reacting to whatever happens. It’s easy to get caught up in all the random things that pop up, but when you seize control of your schedule and focus on what really matters to you, everything feels more manageable.

We had an outstanding speaker in class this week, someone who was extremely insightful and inspiring. Our guest, a highly accomplished Big 4 partner, paid me compliments in class, which meant the world to me. An article I assigned this week contains life advice, including the following:

• “Denying or deflecting a compliment is rude. Accept it with thanks.” A student wrote: I’ve always thought that brushing off compliments was a way to be humble, but now I see compliments as gifts. When we deflect them, we’re essentially rejecting someone’s kindness, appreciation, admiration, or attempt to connect.

I read this advice a year or so ago, took it to heart, and altered my behavior. Past me would have cracked some sort of stupid joke to deflect the compliments, something I have done more than I’d like to admit. I now see doing so as tantamount to an insult and something that if done in public embarrasses the complimenter. If you don’t already, I suggest that you accept compliments with grace while opening yourself to the possibility that those who praise you may in fact have a point.

This week I revisited my first accounting job interviews. At that time (1982), it was the Big 8 rather than the Big 4—I interviewed with all eight firms and received no offers. Everyone around me was receiving them, so I was embarrassed and devastated—it negatively impacted how I saw myself and shattered my confidence. Shortly after graduation, I secured a job with a local accounting firm in Nashville, a city that I had never set foot in. It ended up being the greatest experience I could have had, and I would not be doing what I do now had I not ended up there. I owe them a great deal.

I bear no resentment about the offers I did not receive. I have learned that recruiters are very good at what they do and realize that the Big 8 recruiters were right—I was not right for them, and vice versa. The following relate to this experience.

• Our speaker advised us to “Remember who you were when,” meaning that we should never forget our experiences and how they impacted us. He stated that, in doing so, we will always be able to relate to, understand, help, and mentor those coming behind us as they encounter the same feelings, frustrations, and challenges as we did. He asserted that if we remember when and why we needed help and when others helped us, we will be inclined to think less about ourselves and more about serving others.

I will never forget the emotions I felt going through my initial job search and I try to use those memories to guide and comfort those going through similar trials. If you also have had recruiting-related challenges that you ultimately learned from, please leverage your experiences to help those having similar struggles with the process. For example, next time you attend a recruiting event, find someone who appears uncomfortable or scared, talk to them, and introduce them to others. It will mean the world to them and potentially change their life.

• My class read an article this week that discussed the “end of history illusion,” a psychological bias that causes people to expect to experience little change in the future, even though they recognize that they have changed significantly in the past. In other words, we tend to think that our personalities are fully formed.

When I was 21 and going hitless in my initial job search, the idea that I would lead a life in which someone of our visitor’s stature would talk to or about me as he did would never have occurred to me. However, I changed into someone for whom this was possible. I know that you are capable of the same and I hope that you enjoy the ride as much as I have.

Oh, just two more things. The way that the voice in my right hearing aid says “right” when I put it on is identical to how the singer of the Supertramp song Bloody Well Right says it.

Enjoy the first day of Fall and may the temperature be with you.