What’s the Best Professional Advice You’ve Ever Received?

The New York Society of CPAs asked and members answered.

Reflecting on my last 24 years as a CPA tax practitioner, I’ve received a lot of advice. Still, the best advice I’ve gotten takes the form of a quote: “Fail to plan, plan to fail.” While this advice is the best I’ve received on a professional level, I feel that it also holds great significance for life in general. When my mother told me, “Don’t waste time worrying about things you cannot change” when I was young, I think she, in her own way, was trying to tell me the same thing — to set a course and move forward.

– Paul D. Deckman

The best professional advice I’ve ever received came to me from a former manager. What he told me was to always respect and appreciate your staff, never expecting them to do something that you, yourself, would not do. In other words, treat your staff as you’d like to be treated — a principle that many of us are taught but do not always practice. This is a simple idea that, when practiced regularly, yields great benefits. I’ve found over the years that people want to feel appreciated — something that comes with being treated with respect.

– Jeffrey M. Yonkers

So, what’s the most valuable piece of professional advice you’ve ever received? Tell us here in Comments.