Matt Criss: Forget the Grind; Grow Intentionally | Gear Up For Growth

Stop drifting and start leading.

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Gear Up for Growth
With Jean Caragher
For CPA Trendlines

In a high-stress profession like accounting, intentional growth isn’t just helpful—it’s necessary. In this episode of Gear Up For Growth, business coach and author Matt Criss joins host Jean Caragher to share how accountants can build resilience, reflection, and renewed purpose by growing with intention.

Gear Up for Growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and efficient growth in today’s competitive landscape. More Gear Up for Growth here | More Jean Caragher here | Get her best-selling handbook, The 90-Day Marketing Plan for CPA Firms, here | More CPA Trendlines videos and podcasts here

As the author of Conscious Growth, Moss Adams executive Criss brings decades of insight and a refreshing perspective: that growth shouldn’t be accidental. In this inspiring conversation, Criss dives deep into the principles behind his book and shares how CPAs and firm leaders can grow consciously—not just to advance their careers but to lead more fulfilling lives.

Criss’s book was born not in a boardroom but on a beach in California—during a coaching conference that included grueling early-morning workouts with Navy SEALs. That experience and the sense of empowerment that followed prompted him to write down the lessons he had gathered over years of workshops and coaching sessions.

“We’re often just going through the motions—working hard, but not really aware of where we’re growing,” Criss tells Caragher. “Conscious growth asks: Are you aware of where you’re headed? Do you have a plan? Are you inviting others in?”

A recurring theme throughout the episode is intentionality. Criss explains that much of our internal dialogue—our feelings, worries, and stressors—goes unchecked. Without processing those thoughts and developing a clear strategy, people risk stagnation and burnout.

“If you’re doing the same tasks over and over for six months without any reflection or change, you’re likely to end up bored, cranky, or disengaged,” Criss says. “The key is to stop drifting and start designing your path forward.”

He outlines a four-step framework:

1. Say it.

2. Write it down.

3. Tell someone.

4. Visualize the outcome.

“Just saying something doesn’t make it happen,” he adds. “But when you write it down, share it with someone who will hold you accountable, and actually picture the outcome, your chance of success jumps dramatically.”

Criss also speaks to firm leaders who feel burned out trying to “drag” their teams toward success. He suggests a mindset shift—from mentoring to coaching. Instead of telling people what they should do, leaders should ask what team members want to accomplish and how they can support that.

“You’ll burn out fast if you’re always pushing others to grow. Instead, ask where they want to invite you in to support them,” he says. “Empowerment over pressure is the key to sustainable leadership.”

Firms that want to foster a culture of conscious growth don’t need a massive overhaul. Criss recommends a simple weekly practice he calls 3-2-1 Reflection:

• 3 wins from the week

• 2 things you’re looking forward to next week

• 1 person to share this with

“This small act of reflection shifts your mindset,” says Criss. “It builds gratitude, and gratitude leads to generosity. That’s the kind of mindset that makes great teams and trusted client relationships.”

Not all growth is easy; Criss doesn’t shy away from that truth. Drawing from lessons he learned from Navy SEALs, he highlights the importance of “embracing the suck.”

“It’s not about pretending everything is perfect,” he explains. “It’s about choosing to grow through the hard stuff and rewiring your brain to find purpose in the pain. That’s where real strength comes from.”

Above all, Criss wants listeners to walk away with this: If you’re not carving out time to reflect, you may miss the very moments that define your growth.

“People say they worked hard but can’t say what they accomplished or learned. That’s a missed opportunity,” he says. “With just five minutes of intentional reflection each week, you can grow more, lead better, and live with deeper purpose.”

10 Key Takeaways

1. Conscious growth means growing with awareness and intention. Many professionals go through the motions without reflecting on how they’re growing or why. Conscious growth flips that script by asking: Do you know what you’re learning? Are you evolving on purpose?
2. The brain is wired for negativity—intentional reflection rewires it. Criss explains that without deliberate effort, our minds gravitate toward stress and dissatisfaction. Practicing gratitude and reflecting on wins helps reset our mental outlook and prevents burnout
3. Simple frameworks create real change. The 4-step process—Say it, write it down, tell someone, and visualize it—can dramatically increase follow-through on goals and personal growth initiatives.
4. Leadership is about invitation, not pressure. Leaders shouldn’t drag their teams toward growth. Instead, they should ask where they’re invited to support others’ goals. Empowerment is more effective than micromanagement.
5. Five minutes of reflection each week can shift your mindset and culture. It also helps individuals and teams build gratitude, clarity, and momentum.
6. Intentional growth builds both professional and personal resilience. The same tools that help leaders coach their teams can also help them be better spouses, parents, and friends. Growth doesn’t stop at the office door.
7. Growth isn’t always comfortable—and that’s a good thing. Drawing from his experience training with Navy SEALs, Criss promotes the idea of embracing the suck—facing challenges head-on and letting them build strength, grit, and character.
8. Reflection leads to gratitude, which leads to generosity. This cascade helps turn good leaders into great ones. It fosters a mindset of service, humility, and value creation for others.
9. Generational mindsets need to evolve. Clinging to “how we’ve always done things” creates disconnects. Conscious growth encourages openness to new ideas and adapting to changing times and team expectations.
10. Growth isn’t something you ‘have to do’—it’s something you ‘get to do.’ Reframing personal development as a privilege rather than a task infuses the process with energy, curiosity, and motivation.

 

Transcript
(Transcripts are made available as soon as possible. They are not fully edited for grammar or spelling.)

Jean: Hello. Thank you for joining “Gear Up for Growth,” powered by CPA Trendlines. I’m Jean Caragher, president of Capstone Marketing and your host. Today’s guest is Matt Criss, executive business coach at Moss Adams, and author of “Conscious Growth.” Matt’s here to help us rethink how we approach success, leadership, and life. And not just chasing bigger goals, but growing in a way that’s intentional and meaningful. Matt, welcome to “Gear Up for Growth.” 

Matt: Thank you very much. Glad to be here. 

Jean: So let’s start. And, of course, I’m very curious about your book. And great title. What inspired you to write “Conscious Growth?” 

Matt: Yeah. Well, again, thanks for having me. Yeah. The title, it was interesting as I looked over just, you know, thoughts and ideas around once I had written it, what would make the most sense. And what I realized was a lot of times we’re just kinda going through life or going through work, and, you know, day after day, and we’re not really necessarily aware of where we’re growing, or what we’re learning, or where we’re spending our time. So the title kinda resonated once I had written the book because are you aware that you’re actually growing? Do you have a plan, etc.? And what really helped me write the book was I was at a coaching conference a few years back, and I was working out with the Navy SEALs on the beach, Laguna Beach down there in California. They said, “Hey…” Because it was like a two-and-a-half-day conference. And they said, “If you wanna get up with us the next morning, we’re all meeting at 5 a.m. We’re gonna jog a mile down to the beach.” 

There’s, like, 80 participants, at the conference, and I think about 55 or so chose to take the adventure. And so we went down. And I mean, carrying people on your back and, you know, doing all these crazy tests and sand everywhere, and you’re just, like, by the end going, “What just happened here?” But I was so empowered by them that actually I started writing the book from that experience, and just started to kinda feel energized. Because I knew I had a bunch of different ideas, and thoughts, and all the meetings that I’ve had and workshops all over the world. A lot of good stuff that I’ve taken in. But I wanted to get it on paper so I could actually share it with others, and start to show that growth can be actually a much simpler thought once we recognize a framework, and a process, and we invite some other folks in, and start to kinda get things moving. So, yeah, it was great to write it, and I’ve gotten a lot of great feedback. And I’m excited to… I already have books two, three, and four kinda written out as well. So moving and grooving on my end. 

Jean: Oh, my gosh. Okay. So you’re consciously growing, Matt. Right? And you may have done a bit of this already, but how do you define conscious growth? And how is it different from just growth or success? 

Matt: Yeah. So when you look at our brains, when…so first of all, most of the things we say every day are to ourselves. So the words that we say, “Hey. I feel like this is happening. I don’t think this person likes me. I don’t think my boss likes me. I think it’s gonna rain today.” We say, think, and feel all the time. And so that’s our emotional part of our brain. And so a lot of times, I call it like the water balloon, and it’s back there just filling up, you know, just on the old hose spigot filling that water balloon up. And then just the littlest thing can just wipe us out, and you’re like, “I can’t believe they just bit my head off for something like that,” or I did that to someone else. Like, “What is going on there?” We’re not processing information to the logical part of our brain to kinda get a lot of that stuff out of there. So the conscious growth part is actually…when I talk with people, it’s like, “Hey. Do you know where you’re growing? Do you have a plan for what you’re learning, or are you simply just, you know, doing tasks, getting the job done?” And then, you know, I would ask you, Jean, as you go six months, and you’re doing the same thing over and over work wise, you know, and you’re not changing, how are you feeling after six months? What would you say? What’s your response? 

Jean: Oh, boy. Well, you know, one of my newer projects is this podcast, and I am very excited about it. This is what gets me going. Right? And I would think, you know, a way of switching it up is, I feel like I’m talking to people as guests on this show about topics that I may not be known for. So I feel like I’m going beyond boundaries that I may have placed around myself for a very long time. 

Matt: That’s great. Yeah. And that’s part of learning. But if you were doing the same job over and over for six months, how would you start to feel after a while if you didn’t change? 

Jean: Well, if you didn’t change, wouldn’t you just be bored? Or… 

Matt: That’s one thing. 

Jean: …dissatisfied, or maybe a little cranky? 

Matt: So then every Monday, you wake up, you’re bored, dissatisfied, and cranky. And then you start your week and stress yourself out on your emails and everything else. So if there’s not a plan, you’re just kinda going, as I say in the book. And if there is a plan, you know, I kinda talk through a strategy which we’ll get into from a process standpoint to help it make it practical for people. But if you don’t know, like, where you have been growing, and what you have been learning and someone asks you that, it’s a great opportunity to be like, “What am I doing? Why am I doing this? What am I working towards? And have I brought the right people in and the right strategies in to make sure I can do this for a long time if that’s what I wanna do?” 

Jean: Right. So you talk a lot about intentionality. What does living or leading intentionally look like? 

Matt: Yeah. I think the key part, the starting point, if you’re a leader, especially over teams or organizations, the leader sets the depth is what I like to say. So if you find that all we’re talking about is football or, you know, whatever, you’re kinda missing the point or missing the boat, if you will. So you’re down there in Florida, so it made me think of a boat. But, you know, it is that concept of you’re missing the point here. So if you’re not being intentional as a leader, you’re sort of saying, “I have this figured out. Why don’t you go figure it out too?” Like, that’s one mentality. The other one is, “I’m a hot mess. I don’t know what I’m doing in half these things. And here’s where I’m trying to get better.” And when leaders can do that, they’ll build that trust a lot quicker with their employees, with prospects, clients. You know, it gives you a real chance to kind of dive in there and show the humility, you know, that you’re you’re still growing. You’re still learning. 

One of my inspirational guys is John Maxwell. And, you know, he tells the story when he went to his 50-year reunion. So he’s 68. You know, from 18 to 68, he goes [inaudible 00:07:12] 50-year reunion. And he goes, “All I saw was a bunch of old people. And they were all talking about diet, and taking medicine and pills, and, ‘How much is my coffin gonna cost.'” He goes, “I am not gonna live that way.” He goes, “I’m constantly gonna grow, look for new opportunities, challenge myself, bring in people to hold me accountable into things and areas. And not just be like, ‘Well, I guess I’m done. Or I guess this is it.’ I’ll just do this for thirty years and hope I’m not dead when I’m done doing it, and then hopefully retire somewhere.” 

Jean: So these comments bring to mind perhaps the baby boomer or older generations in accounting firms who have the attitude of, “This is the way I learned, and this is the way we did it. And this is how I got ahead, and you need to do the same thing.” And they’re not acknowledging the differences in the generations and the ideas that younger generations can bring to the table about how they work and what they work on, right, and choices they make. 

Matt: Yeah. I mean, if you look across the organizations in general, right, like, there’s a lot of that where, hey, I was out of this area, and I built my practice, and everybody came to me in that town, and it was great. But competition changes, offerings change, times change, you know, AI and all the technology stuff going on. I mean, there’s a lot of different things that if we’re not constantly saying, “Hey. What needs to change?” Right? “Where do we need to focus?” My biggest phrase on that is, “For things to change, I need to change. Not someone else, or the scenario, or my town, or whatever.” I always look at myself. I was even in a golf tournament over the weekend, and I was against other people. But the guy goes, “Hey.” He goes, “You’re kicking our butts right now,” in that group that I was in. And I go, “I’m only in competition with me.” And they they’re like, “Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Whatever.” And I was like, “No. Every 30 days, I’m trying to beat myself and get better, and figure out where I can do that more effectively.” So it’s an interesting dynamic that helps you look at things, you know, intentionally. 

Jean: Right. Right. So in your experience, what are the biggest barriers to conscious growth, and how can people overcome them? 

Matt: Yeah. I’ll give you an example. Like, we’ll just walk through just an easy example. And I’m sure you’ve said this before. Other people you talk to, people all the time say, “Hey. After work today, I’m gonna go for a two-mile walk.” Right? So okay. That sounds great. At 9 a.m. I’m drinking my coffee, and I’m excited. And then all of a sudden, it’s 05:00 and, you know, I’m like, “Oh, I don’t know if that makes sense much more. Maybe I’ll go sit on the couch, and watch Netflix, and drink wine, and wait for somebody to bring me some dinner or something like that.” So our brains kinda go, “I know you said that, but we’re not doing that.” 

So our brain is actually our biggest enemy when it comes to change. And when you look at the brain, what’s interesting is it’s wired to the negative. So that’s why when you talk with people, right, all the time, when you study a little bit of this stuff, if I went to you and said, “Hey. Tell me all the things that are wrong.” You’d say, “How much time do you got? I don’t like this. This isn’t working well in my work. Hey, I don’t like working with this person.” Whatever. So we’re always kinda looking at things incorrectly, the wrong way. Versus if I said, “Hey. Tell me all the things that are going well,” which is actually where I’ve started all my coaching conversations over the years. “Hey. What’s going well? What’s been happening over the last 30 days that you’re excited about?” Like, we have to actually intentionally turn that dial to the positive. Otherwise, we’re gonna view the situation incorrectly. We’re gonna be negative towards our spouse, our coworkers, our bosses, our prospects, our clients because we’re not thinking of that right. 

So I shed that context out there from the brain to hear that. We come back to the walk. If you actually want that walk to happen, the first thing you do is you say it. So I’m gonna go on a walk after work. But the chances of achieving that are actually, studies show, very, very low because we say things all the time, as I said earlier. So if we say it, then we write it down. So that’s step two. So I’m giving just a practical process here, as folks are listening to this to say, “Hey. If I actually wanted to achieve more things, what’s a framework I could follow,” which you could implement anything into this. So it’s prospects, clients, you know, leading your coworkers, leading at home, whatever that looks like. So you say it. You write it down. Then you tell somebody. I say, “Hey, Jean. I’m gonna go on a walk today at 05:00 after work,” which is kind of a scary thing to say because now you’re like, “Oh, she knows.” So I don’t wanna be a liar the next day when you say, “How was that walk?” “Oh, it was great,” even though I didn’t even go. You don’t wanna do that. 

And then you also don’t wanna be like, “Yeah. Maybe I’ll go next week. But, hey, thanks again for asking me. Please hold me accountable because I need your help to hold me to actually walk.” Like, that’s kind of embarrassing. So there’s say it, write it down, invite someone in, which I talk about in the book, inviting people in, and then look at the actual scenario, like, rehearse. Where am I gonna go? What streets am I gonna walk on? Am I gonna go to a park? You know, what does that look like? How fast of a mile do I wanna walk? The more we can engage intentionally with that thinking, the chances of achieving success, study showed about 85% plus if you just say it and write it down, tell somebody, and then visualize where you wanna go. So following that process is extremely helpful for making changes in your leadership, in your sales, in your growth, both professionally and personally. 

Jean: Right. So, you know, that inviting somebody in, that is powerful. Right? Because then you think, “Oh, man. I’m really on the hook for this now because I told someone what I was gonna do, and now I need to do it.” You know? So it’s not just, you know, letting yourself down. It’s almost like you’re letting that other person down if you don’t do it. 

Matt: Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, I use that technique with, “Hey. I wanna be a better husband, better father, better leader, better sales,” all of that. So when I tell people different things, like when I wrote this book, I was writing a book, “Hey. How’s the book going, Matt? Hey. How’s the book going, Matt?” “Hey. Listen, I should not have told you. I wasn’t selfishly telling you so I could sell a bunch of books, but I did tell you because I knew this practice, and I wanted to practice that process because I’m not just gonna tell other people to do it. I’m gonna do it too.” 

Jean: Right. Gosh. We could talk so much about just that one point. Right? So clearly… 

Matt: I could say in the chapter in the book, like, that’s where I learned, you know, hold and held for numbers. Like, “Hey. You’re held to…” You gotta make this many dials, or follow-up this many clients, or whatever that looks like. Right? Like, that’s hold and held right there. That’s pretty simple. Your metrics, KPIs, everybody kinda is okay with that. But when it comes to professional growth, a lot of times you’ll see, you know, as I’ve seen 20 plus years with leaders, it’s really difficult because they’re kind of doing all that pushing, and they’re acting like a mentor. So, like, “Hey. What do you wanna do? What can I help you with? How can I push you along? How can I get you to the finish line? What’s the next step?” And they’re doing a lot of the energy, and then hoping that the other person is gonna, you know, step up and move it along. 

And what happens a lot of times is you can get frustrated because you start to look at them with the wrong lens because that’s more of a mentor type lens versus in coaching, you can empower and inquire and ask and get them to push it down to, like, the one yard line, if you will. And then you can then use the energy to push them into the goal line. But if it’s the other way around, you’re gonna burn out quick as a leader, and you’re gonna be really frustrated because you’re practicing this concept of trying to hold and you push everybody along instead of the invitation of, “Where would you like to invite me in to become better in this area? What would that look like for you?” Versus, “Here’s what you need to do, and here’s how I can help you. And let me push you along. And I’ll sign you up for classes, and I’ll do this.” And then they don’t do it, and you’re like [vocalization]. 

Jean: Right. 

Matt: One more of those interactions, and I want them off my team and somebody else’s team. I can’t do this anymore. 

Jean: Right. So it’s like you’re creating the plan for somebody else, and they haven’t bought into this. So it’s almost like you’re setting yourself up for failure, as opposed to having that conversation about how you could best be helpful to that other person, be more successful, or experience whatever sort of growth that is, whether that’s sales growth in their firm, or something personally, or at home. All these concepts are the same. 

Matt: Yeah. No. You’re exactly right. And even that example I gave earlier about say it, write it down, tell somebody, and then look for what that looks like. I’ve gotten letters from spouses that want, you know, the person said, “Hey. Thanks for taking them through that. The shed finally got built after three years.” 

Jean: Oh, my goodness. Well, that must be awesome feedback that you get. Right? Because you know that that’s heartfelt. 

Matt: Yeah. That’s from the heart right there. 

Jean: Right? Oh, my goodness. How can firms foster a culture of conscious growth for their teams? 

Matt: Yeah. And so I was practical, like I said earlier, follow these four steps. It’s gonna work. I promise. Same idea here. What I see a lack of in organizations in general is reflection. So something I write about in the book is, you know, reflection is crucial to growth, you know, both in sales, service of clients, prospects, whatever. If you don’t look back and say, “Okay. What are some wins?” Right? Because back to the brain, we know what’s wrong. We didn’t hit our number. This didn’t happen. Everything’s in the red in the emails, you know, all that stuff. Versus, okay, let’s take a step back. What were three wins from the week? So that’s where I start with folks is I say, “Hey. Over the next four Fridays, every Friday, I want you to take five minutes, you know, beverage of choice. It’s Friday afternoon. Get your little tea going, coffee, whatever you want, and say, okay. Three wins from the week.” 

So I call it three, two, one. It’s pretty simple. It’s you look back over the week, three wins from the week, two things that I’m looking forward to next week, and then one person to tell. So it can start to foster sort of that more positive, purposeful, intentional mindset, and also shift in the organization because people start to go, “Okay. Wait a second. Okay. Three wins from the week. Let’s see. Well, I didn’t boil the ocean, so there’s no wins because everything’s wrong, and I didn’t do it right.” Hold on. Did you lead someone well? Did you have a great client conversation? You know, like, big, small [inaudible 00:18:36] individual. I always use those four buckets. That way, it’s like, “Oh, did any wins happen that were big, small on the team or with me?” You’re gonna find three if you actually are willing to do it. 

So then the two. Two things I’m looking forward to next week. “I’m just looking forward to happy hour. What are you talking about? I’m not looking forward to next week. Next week is more emails and more stress and more drama.” Okay. Hold on. So it teaches your brain to look ahead and actually look for pockets that you enjoy or that you’re excited about. Right? And this is something I talk about with people with, like, their strengths. We’re not necessarily using our strengths because we’re focused a lot on our core work, which we need to do or we don’t have a job. But there are windows that we can build in where we…you know, if you really love developing others, and you’re like, “Okay. Do I have any meetings set up next week with anybody from my team that I can just pour into, speak into, you know, challenge them, develop them, whatever? Oh, I do. I’m meeting with Jody on 02:00 or Jesse over here,” or whatever. Great. That’s awesome. You know? That’s exciting. 

So two things you’re looking forward to, a great client opportunity that’s coming up, whatever. And then one person to tell it with. Back to the invitation. Tell somebody else. And I’ve had people do this where…and I’ve been telling them, like, I’ll pick the grumpiest person that I know, and I’ll share that with them. So that way, they can look at this and go, “Hey. Why are you doing this?” And then they start to realize, “Maybe I should do this too because this whole angry, frustrated, you know, thing ain’t working for me. Maybe I need to think about doing this too,” because reflection leads to gratitude. It always does because you’re able to look back and appreciate things. So when you can train your brain to do that, you will start to enjoy your work a little bit more. Like, it’s still work. Everybody knows that. Work is work. But if we can enjoy it a little bit more, and then find some pockets for strengths and use those more, we’re gonna go through that 30-year process of work or whatever for most of us and be like, “I got a lot out of that,” versus, “I was just trying to get out of that.” 

Jean: Right. You know, what you are saying is so important for CPAs and accountants because accounting can be a really stressful profession, for many reasons. And every firm needs more people. You know, there’s things going on, you know, in the marketplace and in the economy that makes the accounting profession even more stressful. But it also requires the discipline for them to actually set aside that time. Like, even if you’re talking five minutes, right, like you mentioned, they still need to be disciplined in carving out that five minutes. 

Matt: Yeah. I mean, that’s why I don’t say an hour. 

Jean: Yeah. Yeah. Because everybody would be like, “Forget it.” 

Matt: Yeah. Because people leave a good meeting with an executive coach, like, “I’m fired up. Let’s go. I’m gonna do all these things.” Hold on. Five minutes. Like, I can do five minutes. By the way, it’s a good little brain shift too, you know, out of our…all the work we’re doing and everything else. Step out, take those five minutes, and just process for a moment. You know? And it’s a lot easier once you do it and realize, “Oh, this is five minutes.” It’s actually kind of enjoyable because otherwise, you’re like, “What did I do the last six months? I worked.” 

Jean: Right. You know, well, I’ve worked with a lot of CPA firm partners, you know, over the years, but I remember one in particular, and he was very disciplined about his marketing and business development. And he did not…of course, these were the days where, you know, you actually networked in person. You know, like, you met people for lunch, you know, and breakfast and all. And he did not allow himself to go home on Fridays until he had his networking lunches and all booked for the next week or two. And this way, he always had somebody to meet with and some place to go instead of finding himself in a position to be available for lunch, but then he doesn’t have a plan with anybody. So I think even though you’re talking five minutes, I think it takes the same kind of discipline or maybe just a regular note in their calendars. You know, like, “Hey. This is the time for me to just sit back and let’s think about these few questions.” Because I also was very interested in hearing you say that the brain is wired for negativity. Am I saying that right? 

Matt: Yeah. 

Jean: Yeah. So that’s yet just another thing to overcome, you know, to focus on happy news and optimistic things. 

Matt: Yeah. You know, I write about in the book, this is just another theme. You know? But a lot of times, it’s get to versus have to. And you hear that sometimes, you know, whether it’s on LinkedIn or whatever. Like, “Hey. You get to do this.” But I write about it intentionally in the book because when you’re going to decide to work on something for your own professional growth, it can’t go on your to-do list of all the other things you need to do for, you know, clients and follow-up and, you know, cancel out this and move this around or whatever. It needs to be something I get to do. You know? I get to take five minutes every Friday and be strategic, right, and reflect a little bit, be strategic about where I’m headed next week, and where I can spend time. And so we’re always so tactical in everything, you know, just in the weeds. And so when you’re able to step out, you know, even every 30 days from a coaching standpoint, right, you step out for 30 minutes, and you’re like, “What the heck’s going on? What are my goals? Am I working towards those?” And that’s a great process to do. So, yeah, don’t start your day till it’s finished is always my motto. Meaning, have it built out. And same thing with your week. Just like that gentleman you mentioned earlier, he was planning out his next week. That’s great. 

Jean: Right. Yep. Exactly. Right. Now one of the…I’ll just call them bullet points from the title of your book. You talked about focusing on wins first. Tell us about embrace the suck. 

Matt: Yeah. Yeah. When I was on that coaching conference with those Navy SEALs working out with them, that’s one of their mottos. And I picked it up because I thought, you know, people will say things like, “Hey. How’s it going?” And they’re like, “Living the dream.” And I’m like, “What are you talking about? You’re you’re working, and you’re saying you’re living the dream?” And it’s obviously a very condescending comment that people will make, you know, in the workforce all over the years. All the different organizations. But I think what I learned was things are gonna suck, and that’s okay. And, you know, Jocko, if you follow him at all out there, he talks about this. He’s like, “Hey, your car broke down.” He says, “Good.” “Hey. My wife just left me.” “Good.” 

Like, the mentality and the response is always, “Good,” because it means that you’re gonna go through something that’s not only gonna make you better, but it’s gonna strengthen you for future things that are gonna suck. And you’re gonna start to rewire your brain to not worry so much about things that you can’t control instead of just saying, like, “Hey. Focus on what you can control.” How do I do that? By starting to respond, “Good,” and starting to say, “You know what? I’m gonna lean in. Let this make me better.” Everybody who’s gone through stuff can tell stories, and everybody has a story about where they’ve struggled or where they’ve faced adversity or death or so many things that we all go through. But if we’re not aware of that, we’re not saying, “You know what? It ain’t about happy sunshine and rainbows. It’s about purposeful, intentional living, which means get in the weeds also, and let it beat you up a little bit. And don’t just run from it, but lean into it and let it make you better.” 

Jean: Okay. So I have two more questions for you. You may have answered this first one already, but I’m gonna ask you anyway. If readers could take away one thing from “Conscious Growth,” what do you hope it is? 

Matt: Yeah. I think back to the reflection topic, that’s the biggest thing I see of a need for people all over the years that I’ve been doing this is not knowing where you’re growing and not having a plan for sustainable growth. So when you can understand that reflection leads to gratitude, and then gratitude leads to generosity, that’s the biggest thing you could be using as a framework while you’re working with prospects, clients, because then it’s not about you. You know? The client’s the hero, not you. You know, the person you’re leading is the hero, and their course, and their work, and their career development. Like, they’re the hero, not you. 

So when you can reflect and have that gratitude come in and you’re like, “Man, I’m thankful I went through this,” or, “I learned about this as a leader or working with prospects,” whatever, then the generosity thing comes in, which, you know, just small example, I was out of lunch about a month ago. And I saw a gentleman who looked like he might have come back from whether it was war or something like that, still had his gear on eating lunch with his son. And I just went over and was like, “I’m gonna go buy their lunch.” And so there was this…always, you know, looking for ways to be good to other people really does help you kinda remember, “Hey. This ain’t about me. I can look to add value to have that servant leadership mindset, and figure out where can I add value to this person’s journey.” And living in that space really does help turn that dial from the negative to the positive to say, “Hey. You know what? There’s some things that suck, and I’m not saying they don’t. And I’m gonna engage with them and let them lead in. But I’m also gonna enjoy these moments over here, and make it a more well-rounded view of how I’m trying to approach this.” 

Jean: Right. That’s wonderful. So my last question is a bonus question. So your profile includes that you’ve conducted over 500 workshops across the world. Which country is your favorite? 

Matt: Wow. Well, I would say this. I do like walking around in London. That’s a lot of fun, you know, seeing the different sights and scenes. And if you don’t tighten your shoes, I can tell you, you’re gonna get some blisters. You’re gonna walk…like, I think one day it was, like, 18 miles or something like that. And you’re just all over the place and enjoying everything. But, yeah, I think London is pretty amazing city. 

Jean: Wonderful. That’s great. Well, I’ve been speaking with Matt Criss, business executive coach at Moss Adams, and author of “Conscious Growth,” which I should say is available on Amazon. Matt, thank you for sharing your expertise today. This was one of…just a positive, happy conversation. I appreciate that. 

Matt: Yeah. Thanks for having me. I’m looking forward to staying connected. And anybody that wants to chat anytime, feel free to reach out. 

Posted on May 9, 2025