Episode 2 - What is the Gift and Why is Alison Having A Ball
Alison's Bio:
Alison Ball is the Director of Marketing and Influencer Strategy for Liscio, Inc.
She is passionate about helping firms to differentiate themselves by providing Client Experience 2.0TM to their clients. Before joining Liscio in August 2020, Alison spent 15 years leading accountant influencer programs at Intuit, and prior to that she was an accountant herself. In her spare time, she grows amazing backyard vegetables and loves hiking in the San Francisco Bay Area. She believes that life is too short to spend it with mean people, and any day she can help someone else be successful is a good day indeed.
Alison's Links:
Website:
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisonball/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/iamalisonball
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/alison_having_a_ball/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/lisciocx
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxCox0tSTjHMAgjeJ2FULNA
Show Notes:
Some things you can control, and some things you can't
Intuit decided to end the 15 year relationship they had with Alison.
Alison does not remember being afraid. She was curious.
This is very "interesting!"
What will happen next?
So many people came out of the woodwork
Keith (Alison's Partner) told her to write all of these names down, so that any time she's feeling down, she can look at them.
My "Gary V" experience came along when I was ready to listen.
Things happen to you at the right time, you just may not know that it's the right time until later.
Misty points out - the community is so important.
Sometimes it takes something significant to shake our foundation to get us to change our perspective.
"I've always known on some level that I've had lots of reasons to keep pushing on."
Alison doesn't have any magic, and she DOES have fear.
You have to have trust in yourself.
In a negative experience, she always looks for the gifts. What did you learn?
Winston Churchill said, "If you're going through Hell, keep going!"
Don't stop!
Alison was a little concerned about ageism. Then she thought - if they don't want someone like her with "MORE" experience? Then it's not the right fit.
Alison is a breast cancer survivor!
She asked herself, what can she learn from this?
What is the gift?
Do a Journey Line
I have done this as part of a grief recovery process when I lost my 3 dogs in less than 11 months, and then I thought I might lose Artemis while she was well under a year old.
Alison's Journey line started when her son was born in 1993
Draw a line.
Above the line you put the things that brought you joy.
Below the line you put the things that zapped your joy.
Sometimes you simply learn that you don't want to "do that" anymore.
How did Alison learn to look for the gift?
Alison shares that this was definitely something she developed.
At #16:40 Alison shares the story of how from the age of 2 she already wanted to have a plan for everything.
Alison had to unlearn this. She was 2, but many adults still want everything to fit before they make a move. Most of the time, half of it doesn't fit. Sometimes you have to make it up as you go.
When it came to a cancer diagnosis, Keith said, "you only focus on the next thing."
In recovery from drug addiction we are told, "just do the next right indicated thing..."
Years ago I heard a guy talk about "surrender" where he gave a powerful description of what surrender looks like. When (s)he surrenders, the soldier sits down and awaits instructions.
Sometimes this is what we have to do, and sometimes the right answer is we do nothing.
Lean tests - try something, gather data / feedback, then shift as needed. This is what Intuit does.
Misty asks, "How about pivoting within your new role at Liscio?"
Liscio was a gift!
Liscio is a new category of app.
We all know the paid of accountants who struggle getting documents they need from Clients, and Liscio fills this need where no other app really does.
Alison says they run lots of tests all of the time to see how people will react.
For example, advertise a webinar before the content is written. Then if they get registrations, they can go create it.
How did you go from a 10,000 person company to an under 100 person company?
Reality is that even at Intuit, Alison never worked with more than maybe 30 people at one time. So it isn't that much of a shock.
If you are making a big change like this, make space for delayed emotions. She still sometimes reacts when she sees people say negative things about Intuit in social media, but she's getting better about it.
How did you land at Liscio?
Alison was considering working as a consultant, and started moving in that direction. But ultimately she decided that she prefers to work as a collaborative team. This is Alison's example of knowing what her ideal job looks like (see Episode 1 with Misty).
One of Alison's prospects was Discord. She knew she wasn't going to get it, based on ageism.
Joe Woodard introduced Alison to Chris Farrel, CEO of Lisio (whom I will be talking to in an upcoming episode).
The Keyboard Warriors!
Don't let them get to you.
Be about kindness, and don't make time for mean people.
You don't know what someone is going through, so be compassionate. But if someone consistently presents in this manner, you can't help them!
Here's how to turn it around on the "Keyboard Warriors"
Listen to my story at #36:13
Use "social media Jiujitsu" - turn it around on them.
Alison has a better way. She is a ninja when it comes to compassion.
You pick the things you take with you
When things changed up in the UK, Alison reached out to Jim McGinnis (who worked at Intuit at the time) and asked about coming back to the US. She chose her next pivot.
Alison Having a Ball and The Vegetable Farm
Alison was actually chosen to join a team to work on the Intuit Vegetable Garden.
When she was a kid, she grew up on a farm, but couldn't appreciate it because she would see bugs on the vegetables, and that would freak her out.
After the Intuit Experience, she asked Keith to build her a vegetable farm. Now she LOVES it, as you will see if you follow her on Instagram.
Showing your other dimensions is important - it helps you stand out, so that people can get to know you.
Who is Alison's favorite Muppet?
Animal!
Why?
(s)he's hilarious. (s)he lives their truth always.
I forgot to ask this of Misty in her episode so....
Gonzo! Because he embraces his differences!
Per Alison, Gonzo recently came out as non-binary!
Oatmeal Raisin or Chocolate Chip?
Alison says, "don't make me choose!"
Misty says, "Chocolate Chip."
