2018 marked the second year of ENGAGE, the AICPA’s megaconference in Las Vegas, NV at the MGM Grand. This megaconference spanned the week of June 9-14 and combined seven AICPA conferences. This was the first year the EDGE Career Development conference was combined with AICPA ENGAGE. Congratulations to I2L team member, Lindsay Stevenson, chair of the EDGE planning task force, and the entire task force for leading the charge on creating a phenomenal conference experience this year!

Read on to learn some of the nuggets of wisdom the I2L team provided to ENGAGE attendees:

  • Sarah kicked off the EDGE conference with the keynote, An Invitation to Play in the World of Possibility. She invited participants to access the Dimension of Possible – the place where fear is no longer the enemy, and love reigns – by holding a beginner’s mindset, dreaming boldly and incorporating the magic of play into their lives. The presentation ended with a live, interactive opportunity to play in the Dimension of Possible…through group dance!! Who says accountants don’t know how to have fun?! Check out the video of the group dancing above!
  • Brian talked about getting naked (without having to take your clothes off!). Naked leadership is being transparently vulnerable for the sake of moving others forward. Removing the masks we wear in the workplace (for example, feeling like we have to know all the answers, or being afraid to ask for help) enhances connection, trust and innovation in our teams. Participants even practiced “getting naked” with each other through various interactive exercises!
  • Donna led a session on de-blurring the line between what’s urgent and important and Achieving Your Highest Priorities in today’s time sensitive world. Accomplishing everything you want in life takes dedication, discipline, staying focused on meaningful pursuits and prioritizing what is most important versus acting on in-the-moment urgencies. We often concern ourselves with getting everything completed; otherwise we think we’ve failed. Donna reminded us that the true goal isn’t to get everything done, but to get the important things done, prevent burnout and experience more contentment.
  • Lindsay talked about building meaningful interactions that engage team members and empower success in Igniting Inspiration: How to Inspire Collaboration among Teams. Using Management by Sticky Note (a proven process developed by the Business Learning Institute), four generations of leaders collaborated to identify how we can make the profession even better than it already is. A few laughs and a lot of sticky notes later, it was clear that making accounting sexy and focusing on success skills were top of mind for attendees!
  • Finally, Lindsay and Sarah were interviewed on VoiceAmerica live radio by the Radical CPA, Jody Padar, and discussed the Dimension of Possible and how to inspire others through coaching. You can listen to the recording here.