Great session today at the AICPA Controllers Conference. Thank you everyone for hanging in there during the final session of the day!

1. American Institute of CPAs #AICPAcontrollers
Thought Bridging: Change
Your Thinking, Change
Your Results

2. American Institute of CPAs #AICPAcontrollers
Self Awareness “in the moment”
2

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. . . it’s about the
experience that others
are having.
3
It may be cliché, but it’s really NOT about
you . . .
“I've learned that people will forget
what you said, people will forget what
you did, but people will never forget
how you made them feel.”
- Maya Angelou

4. American Institute of CPAs #AICPAcontrollers
Intellect & Emotion: How are We Wired?

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Intellect Can Clarify Intent

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Emotion Moves Us to Act

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Thoughts ALWAYS Precede Emotions

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Change the Thought, Change the
Emotion

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Change the Emotion, Change the Action

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Change the Action, Change the Result

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90 Seconds
How Long Does it Take for a Strong
Emotion to Pass through our System?

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How Can We Intervene to Change the
Result?
“Between stimulus and
response there is a
space. In that space lies
our freedom and power
to choose our response.
In those choices lie our
growth and our
happiness.”

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The Results ALWAYS Seek to Justify the
Precipitating Thought . . .
I told you I
was right!

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Reptile Brain (Amygdala Highjack) –
Failed Intervention
You see! They really
are out to get me!

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Our Brain is like Teflon for Positivity and Velcro
for Negativity (hat tip to Gretchen Pisano)

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Flashlight Analogy

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Catastrophizing
We’re all going We’re all going
to die!!!!

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Now It’s Your Turn: Individual
Exercise
• Describe a recent vivid event that elicited a
strong emotional response
oThought
oFelt
oActed Like
oResult
• Alternative thought – just as believable as the
original

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Find a Friend: Pair Exercise
• Describe your situation
• Brainstorm some alternative
thoughts – push your partner’s
thinking
• Switch – now it’s your partner’s turn

20. American Institute of CPAs #AICPAcontrollers
Turning Your Brain Back On

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Contact Info
Dan Griffiths, CPA, CGMA is the Director of Strategic Planning at
Tanner, LLC, a Salt Lake City‐based CPA firm with about 90 team
members. Prior to merging his practice with Tanner, he co‐founded
Proficio Services Group to provide strategic & business planning,
leadership development, and business coaching services. Dan is a
graduate of the 2010 AICPA Leadership Academy and in 2011‐2012
served as the chair of the Young CPA Network Committee for the
AICPA. In 2015, Dan received the AICPA Outstanding Young CPA
Award given to one CPA each year under the age of 40. Dan has
also been very active with the UACPA and in 2011 was recognized as
the Outstanding CPA in Business and Management. He was
recently selected to serve as Utah’s elected member of the AICPA
Governing Council. Dan is an avid flyfisher, backpacker, and
gardener. He and his wife Bibiana are the proud parents of four
children.
Contact Dan at: dgriffiths@tannerco.com
Or connect with him on LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/in/dangriffithscpa