Episode 29: Being Ambitious Accountants With Clear Vision (In Demand Part 3)
Sam covers another characteristic of the In Demand Accountant: being ambitious. This is so important, especially at this time when many of us are feeling fatigue and the fallout from the last three months implementing the government stimulus package and responding to COVID-19.
It starts with getting clarity around your vision and values, and is a key piece of being an In Demand Accountant going forwards.
Sam explains some of the blocks accountants have around getting clarity on their goals and vision and the questions you need to ask yourself to overcome that, plus what we as an accounting industry can learn from the younger generation about life and work. Sam also explores why you and your staff need ‘mistake safe zones’, what she actually means by mistake, and the three elements to making it happen.
Listen to an excerpt
What we cover in this episode
Why it’s more important than ever to remain focused on your goals and vision for the future
Sam’s vision and how the ‘how’ has changed but not the ‘what’
Some of the blocks accountants have around getting clarity on their goals and vision
The questions you need to ask yourself to find clarity about your future vision
The reason we need to start accepting some discomfort on this journey as ambitious, In Demand Accountants
What we as an accounting industry can learn from the younger generation about work and life
The power of letting things happen as opposed to pushing through all the time
Why you need to give your staff and yourself permission to make mistakes (and what we mean by ‘mistake’)
The 3 elements to making a ‘mistake safe zone’
The economic and efficiency benefit of admitting mistakes
Tips and tricks for creating a ‘mistake safe zone’
Quotes
“We’ve really stood up for our clients and I truly feels we’ve also truly assisted the Australian Government in getting some of this stimulus package down…[Accountants] really are the heroes and the stability underneath the business community.”
“We're in a moment in time at the moment. Things will return to prosperity, who knows what our new normal will look like, but that's okay, that's what change is all about. But it's really [important] to keep clear on where you actually want to go and not get distracted from that vision.”
“These are the five questions [to help you get clarity on your future vision]: What am I doing in my days? What are my clients saying about me and what are my staff saying about me? How am I feeling? What have I done to get there? and What have I achieved?”
“We [as an accounting industry] need to learn something from the current generation of workforce coming through and actually sit a bit empathetically with them as well and actually learn that they want a bit more choice, a bit more balance between work and health…to work smarter, not harder.”
“If [your staff] don't think for themselves, and that's a very big one that I hear when I'm working with firms, you really need to think, is this something to do with me? As a brave leader, we really need to have given them the safe space to make mistakes and not always save them from making the mistakes, [which is] taking their ability away to learn.”
“Admitting and talking about your own mistakes holds so much power as a leader. But it's super hard for us to do, particularly in perfectionist professions… In fact, if anyone tells you it's easy, turn off immediately. But we have to get comfortable in the discomfort. It will be your superpower with your teams and your clients and frankly, anyone you deal with going forward.”
Bonus material
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