In First Person

Cristi Tilden: Supervisors- The Go-To People

When starting a full-time job, you start to develop an understanding of how people manage differently.  This coming August will be a year since I’ve started at BBD. and I have seen that each person has a different personality and style.  Three of the supervisors I have worked under are Mike Haubrich, Melissa Dunn, and Ben Hoover.

Each supervisor has a different approach to the way they oversee staff. Some are more laid back and some are very organized and prefer work done in a specific way. It’s a good learning experience to see the different styles and to see the way they handle situations and problems. I get to see them interact with clients and hear how they talk on the phone with clients. Every work-related question and problem I face, I can approach them and they will have an answer or some solution. They are the go-to people!

I can say that there is one thing that all my supervisors have in common and that is that they are fun to work with. I never feel uncomfortable or awkward asking questions. That is really important to me, especially in accounting where there is such a learning curve.  So, if you’re about to start a full-time job or ever get the opportunity to work at BBD-- keep your eye on your supervisors and managers, you will surely learn something! I know I have!

Sam Dillman: How I Became Managing Partner During My First Year at BBD

I remember peaking into the “Managing Partner of the Week” raffle bag at our annual Christmas party and seeing the numerous tickets which had been dropped in there.  I dropped mine in, turned to my girl friend, Erica, who straight out said, “You’re going to win that.”  What was funny at the time was that I actually believed her.  I always have a knack for getting the lucky draw with something.  The only time my Mom gambles is when I’m leaning on the slot machine.  She thinks I am the luckiest.  Then the time arrived to draw the names and what do you know?  Mike Boyle, our managing partner, says, “I don’t believe it.”  Now when I heard him say that I imagined the name Rosemary, our firm accountant, would be called.  Mike had just thanked Rosemary for all she has done, so the “I don’t believe it” line made me believe Rosemary’s ticket was in his hand.  It was actually my name he called.  Everyone looked to the other side of the room from where I was sitting like there was another Sam at BBD I did not know about.  I turned to Erica; she just nodded as if to say “Yes, I was right” and that is when I began to brainstorm.

Now, plenty of ideas came to mind when I received this prize.  Some were too extreme to follow through with, but at the same time I wanted to take advantage of this.  I wanted to have fun with it.  I immediately knew a pizza party and dress down day had to be two of my initiatives.  It was only proper to dedicate it to the Flyers for their game seven.  Of course, I received many emails to expedite salary increases, and I wish I could have tackled every decision my way.  I signed an expense report for Bobbi, and then I was told at home by my family that it was fake and it was only meant to entertain me.  All fun and games at home, but I still enjoyed adding my signature.  Of course, the best part was the big corner office.

The corner office is that known item in a business environment.  Everyone knows what the corner office means.  While Mike was leaving for vacation, I was coming in with my fish tank.  I mean I had to give the fish some light.  It’s pretty bright in the morning too before the sun goes behind the nearest buildings.  Sometimes I would just find myself looking out the window.  I’m sure our partners and others who have windows like that have gotten used to it, but it was new to me.  I was disappointed I did not see a window washer.  Do not worry; this was not hours upon hours of day dreaming.  What can I say?  It was nice. 

All in all, my experience as managing partner for a time was great.  It was unfortunate that I lost a day with Good Friday and a half day with going to the Phillies game, but I definitely enjoyed the time that I had.  I enjoyed all the stares as people walked by noticing me instead of Mike sitting in his office.  I enjoyed all the little things from swinging a mini golf driver to staring out the window at the Parkway during the sunny morning.  I enjoyed the visits and recognition that comes with sitting in that office.  It was a great feeling and I could only imagine the true feeling of accomplishment felt by those who are the real owners of those offices.  It is only a goal that I can strive to achieve some day with lots of hard work. Hey, I have a week under my belt already.

Frank Rongone: The Value of Teamwork

Throughout my educational and professional experiences, my preferences have always been working on projects and jobs with a team, rather than individually.  In many different ways I have found that collaborating with others can truly provide benefits in accomplishing the task at hand.  Being a newcomer to the BBD staff, I was afforded the opportunity to work on, not one, but two different teams.  This has allowed me to rapidly gain valuable insight that I might not have been exposed to otherwise if I was limited to working on only one team.

Quite honestly, I was nervous at first about having to report to multiple managers, working on twice as many jobs and finding a way to balance my time between the two teams.  These issues, however, are no longer a concern and, in fact, all three of these “concerns” have actually served as a growing experience for me.  Reporting to different managers has allowed me to become familiar with and adapt to different management styles, which is critical to success when working under people.  Working on more jobs has also been helpful in that I have become familiar with certain auditing procedures that apply when particular circumstances exist.  Every audit that I work on follows the same general framework, but what I find most interesting and learn the most from are the scenarios that are unique to each job.  As far as balancing my time between these jobs though, I have learned three important things need to happen to do it well: frequent communication with managers, efficiency, and prioritizing work.  

Like I originally said, what I like the most about teamwork is that it allows for collaboration.  This has continued to prove true in my experiences at BBD.  I have found that if youhave a desire to learn, most people want to teach you what they know.  Through working with different people on different teams, I have been able to receive insight through multiple perspectives which has allowed me to craft the knowledge into a way that I best understand it.  No two managers will ever explain something the same way, and by hearing different explanations with the same meaning, I find the parts in each that I best identify with and form that into an explanation that makes the most sense to me.  I couldn’t think of a better environment to be in to grow and advance in my career!