I’ve built an entire media ecosystem talking about how much I love technology — and yet, my favorite place in the world doesn’t have internet.
Nearly every day, I walk along the gravel roads near my house in Wisconsin and feel comforted by the fact there’s almost no way for anyone to reach me.
There’s just something satisfying about telling anyone who calls that they might lose me at any moment because I’m literally standing in a corn field. (Especially when that person is my adult daughter calling from the car dealership with her 28th question about credit scores and loan terms.)
In a world where I can accomplish practically anything just by typing the right commands on my keyboard, it feels refreshing to go out and stand in the field. It makes me think differently.
What makes a CPA outstanding in the field?
(Do you get it yet? I’m a CPA out standing in the field… Wearing my ADP hat… Anyone..?)
To be truly outstanding in your field, you need to be able to hear the quiet. You need to feel the sun on your face. You need to remember what it means to be a real person with real thoughts that take time to generate and are inherently connected to feelings in your chest, not scrubbed from every corner of the internet and instantly populated.
It isn’t the perfectly programmed AI bot. It’s not the accounting software that makes the tax returns you sell. It’s not even a cup of coffee (with cream) and a standing desk with a walking pad.
I’m not giving up any of those things. But being outstanding in your field takes more than that. You have to tap into that part of you that doesn’t require internet connection.
It’s the instinct to serve, to listen, to solve, to care. It’s your love for the profession, yes, but more than that, it’s your commitment to the people behind the numbers. It takes the kind of curiosity that leans in when a client can’t find the words, the kind that leads to better questions, smarter ideas and solutions rooted in empathy, not automation.
You’re not just a CPA.
You’re a financial first responder. A calm voice in the wild. A steady presence. The person someone calls when their financial world feels too big, too confusing, too overwhelming to face alone.
That part of you — the calm, the clarity, the empathy — doesn’t come from an app. It comes from years of experience. From heart. From time spent standing still, literally or metaphorically, and remembering why you chose this profession in the first place.
So yes, I’ll keep talking about technology. I’ll keep building the future. But I’ll also keep walking through the cornfields. Because that’s where I think best. That’s where I remember that being a great CPA isn’t just about being fast or efficient. It’s about being human.
And the funny thing? That’s exactly what our clients (and yes, our adult children) are looking for. Not perfection, not speed, just someone who’ll pick up the phone and walk them through the numbers, even if the signal’s a little spotty.
Join Me at the ADP AI Forum
This event is your roadmap to building a smarter, more human firm. We’ll talk about how to use AI without losing your humanity, how to turn data into next-level client conversations and how to lead the change instead of constantly playing catch-up.
