IFO Blog You have to laugh

June 28, 2013It was a Friday, the end of a busy week just before our annual Fusion conference with an abundance of deadlines, goals, budgets, and other stressors. In order to explain how busy we get in the days and weeks leading up to Fusion, I often compare it to the holiday season in the retail world, where I spent some of my early working years. Or to the days leading up to April 15 for tax professionals and others in financial operations who deal with those filing deadlines.So much of what we do all year comes together at Fusion each year. Preparing for it, we focus on delivering the absolute best experience possible for those who attend and leveraging all the great educational and networking opportunities to develop content all year for our entire community. Everyone on our team kicks it into high gear, all while continuing to provide our usual services and products like this magazine.We love it, but it's an intense time of year, and we do feel the pressure. You know what's a great stress reliever? Laughter. That's why I especially appreciated an email with a link to funny video about - of all things - the drive to be paperless. Let's just say it involved bathroom humor, and you can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRDSj62tlvQThe same day I received an email about a clever marketing approach for the accounting firm KatzAbosch, whose name is often mispronounced. The correct pronunciation sounds like "CatSayBosh," so the firm launched a website picturing cats saying "bosh" and an animated video featuring cats instead of accountants. That's because, as the firm's marketing director, Graham Dodge, explains, "market research shows that people prefer cats over accountants nearly 1,000 to 1. ... It's a no brainer."OK, so neither of these made me laugh out loud, but they did provide a smile and a chuckle to lighten up a challenging week. I especially appreciated the accounting firm's willingness to poke fun at itself and the image some people have of accountants. For the record, it hasn't been my experience that folks in accounting or financial operations are a bit dull or stodgy. In fact, I'll bet some of you have a story or two about how humor has helped you get through a tough workday or just added to your enjoyment of your job. Send your brief, funny stories to me at laureen.crowley@financialops.org and if we decide to publish yours, we'll send you a $50 gift card. And who knows? You just might be sending a smile to some of your peers right in the middle of their most stressful time, and making their workday a little bit brighter.