How to Prepare For Feedback Conversations In our previous article, we explored the power of self-awareness. This week, we dive into the art of navigating tough conversations and exchanging feedback with clarity and care. Giving and receiving feedback are deeply intertwined with self-awareness and emotional intelligence in the workplace. Before stepping into any feedback conversation, preparation rooted in self-awareness is essential. Understanding our own emotions, triggers, and behavioral patterns helps us approach feedback calmly and confidently. Self-aware leaders consider the recipient’s emotional state, while emotionally intelligent individuals manage their reactions, viewing feedback as an opportunity for growth rather than criticism. More importantly, when feedback is exchanged within a culture of trust, it fosters constructive dialogue, vulnerability, and mutual respect, thereby…
Why Rest Never Feels as Restful as We Expect If rest were simply the absence of work, most of us would feel better than we actually do. You might return from a two-week holiday spent “switching off” and doing very little, only to feel mentally foggy, restless, and already craving the next escape. Yet, after a demanding session of a challenging hobby such as mastering a complex musical piece or training for a marathon, you often feel an unexpected sense of calm, focus, and clarity. We live by a rigid binary: grinding through work, then collapsing into leisure to “refill our tank.” We’ve been taught to think about our energy like a battery: work drains us, leisure recharges us. When…
Why Are Accounting Firms Still Lagging in Tech Adoption? In our previous article, we highlighted how accounting is shifting beyond compliance toward a more strategic role. Yet, digital transformation is where the sector risks falling behind. The reality is that the pace of digital adoption is far from uniform. While other industries have embraced automation and data analytics, accounting often remains anchored to legacy systems and siloed ways of working. This week, we want to find out: what’s holding accounting back from digital transformation? From cultural resistance to the complexity of integrating new technologies, we’ll unpack the challenges and highlight why people remain at the heart of digital transformation. Technology in accounting is moving fast but many firms still struggle…
Cultivating Cross-Cultural Talent: Learning from Lori and Caleb’s Global Internship Journey in Singapore For most students, a summer internship is a stepping stone to gain hands-on experience and build a resume. For Lori Olga Agbabian, a business student and Caleb Benjamin Kawano, a mathematics major student from the University of California, Berkeley, their six-week internship with Advenz in Singapore became something much more a rare chance to live and work in a region they had never set foot in before, to challenge their worldviews, and to grow professionally in ways that surprised even themselves. This was their first time in Asia. And what started as a professional internship quickly transformed into an experience of personal discovery, cross-cultural appreciation, and insights…
The Business Doctor Who Brings Companies Back to Life Walter Simson’s career didn’t begin with corporate rescues. He was once a banker at Chase Manhattan Bank, now part of JPMorgan Chase, with a clear trajectory in finance. But a family emergency shifted his course, a call from his father, who owned a commercial printing business in New York and was battling serious vision issues. Walter took a temporary leave to assist, expecting it to last three months. It stretched into three years and set him on a new, unplanned path. “You can't be a turnaround manager until you've done a turnaround,” Walter reflects. That first experience became his unexpected gateway into a career he has now pursued for over four…
