Are You a Leader? Honing The Skills that You Need to Succeed in Accounting

Accountants aren’t generally thought of as natural leaders, but Lewis Daidone argues that strong leadership skills are essential to a successful accounting career.

What makes a great leader? Opinions differ—many believe charisma or charm is crucial to leadership; others think confidence and authenticity are the most important qualities. Whichever components ultimately form the building blocks of your particular leadership style, it is incredibly important to communicate, in words and actions, your ability to effectively lead, manage and take control whenever the situation demands it. Here are three ways you can convince your audience, interviewers, and team members that you have the skills to provide firm and valuable direction, even in the most difficult circumstances.

Look the Part

Whether it’s fair or not, humans are heavily influenced by perception. The way you carry yourself when you enter a room can convince an audience of your capabilities, even if you haven’t said a word. While having a clean and professional appearance is important, the way you walk, gesture, and make eye contact can positively or negatively influence those around you. If you aren’t confident in your ability to present yourself or command a room, it could be helpful to spend a session with a career coach.

Speak with Confidence

Have you heard yourself speak? If not, have a friend record you the next time you have a conversation so you can listen to the way you communicate. Is your voice tentative? Do you pepper your phrases with “like”, “ummm”, and “kind of”? These are little tics that diminish the authority of your message, and tell the listener that you aren’t entirely confident of the message that you are trying to convey.

Write with Style

When you communicate through email or text message, craft your words carefully. This is especially important for accountants when they have to communicate concepts that might be unfamiliar to clients or colleagues in different parts of the organization. Make sure your written communications are easily understood, concise, and to the point.

While leadership comes naturally to some people, with some practice and a little effort most people can improve their leadership skills and their opportunities for promotion and advancement.

Lewis Daidone is a Certified Public Accountant and a consultant to tech companies and financial services firms.

Afraid of Failure? Don’t Be.

In the following article, Lewis Daidone discusses the value of making (and learning from) the occasional mistake.

When we’re new to a job, we very often live in fear that we’ll mess up something important. It’s natural. Even though no one could reasonably expect a novice to handle everything with total ease and 100 % accuracy, we still expect ourselves to perform to absolute perfection. Here are a few things to remember if you’re wracked with anxiety over the possibility of making a mistake.

No risk, no reward.

It’s a cliché, but it’s nonetheless true. If you don’t challenge yourself and put yourself in a position to succeed, your career will never develop and blossom. Remember: the most successful people didn’t achieve success because they never experienced failure; they just didn’t let failure get in their way. They owned their mistake, learned from it and then never made that same mistake again.

Fix, don’t fixate.

Dwelling on a mistake only makes you reluctant to try again. Try to reframe your approach to dealing with failures. Don’t let the embarrassment become the primary focus, shift your energy towards what actually went wrong, and address it directly. Also, don’t forget that you’ve undoubtedly learned something new during the process, which will benefit you in the long run.

Take the high road.

As soon as you realize that you made a mistake immediately bring it up to your supervisor. Timing is everything and waiting and hoping that your error may go undetected is not a viable, or ethical, solution. Then own it. Resist the urge to absolve yourself of responsibility or make excuses. It not only inhibits your ability to learn from the process, it can diminish you in the eyes of your team members and supervisors. If you own up to your mistake and eagerly move forward, it proves that you are the kind of person who can be trusted.

Lewis Daidone is a Certified Public Accountant and a consultant to tech companies and financial services firms.

Working Remotely? Here’s How to Maximize Efficiency

In the following article, Lewis Daidone offers tips for increasing focus when working from home. Lewis Daidone is a Certified Public Accountant and a consultant to tech companies and financial services firms.

On the face of it, working from a home office seems like a luxury. You don’t have that horrible commute, you don’t have to adhere to a dress code, and you have more flexibility with your schedule. However, sometimes it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. When your home is your office, you can never seem to entirely get away from your job, and it can be difficult to work through some distractions (when a pipe suddenly bursts, you don’t just call maintenance—it’s a problem you are forced to deal with). If you struggle with staying focused while working in your living space, here are a few tips that might help you get back on track.

Have a separate space specifically for work.

Depending upon the size of your home, this might not be entirely possible, but having a space entirely dedicated to work matters is tremendously helpful in minimizing distractions. When you’re working in your space, make sure you insulate yourself from home-related matters as best you can. No television, food, or social media allowed. If you get a personal phone call, remove yourself totally from the work space until it is finished, and only then, return.

Be strict with your schedule.

Cultivate the discipline to start work at a certain time every day, and finish at a certain time every day. It could also be helpful to dress for work—even though you’re only reporting to yourself. As nice as it is to be able to work in sweatpants, if you just spend the day lounging around, your initiative could dwindle—along with your productivity.

Don’t become too isolated.

Try to get out of your house during your break times. Go for a walk, or have lunch in a nearby park. Knowing that you have a break time will help you compartmentalize your work obligations from your personal life more effectively. Spending your entire day cooped up in your own home can upset your work/life balance dramatically.

Working from home effectively takes a surprising amount of discipline, but setting parameters for yourself will help you to effectively meet your professional obligations.

New Grads: Dress For Success!

In the following post, Lewis Daidone discusses how looking your absolute best not only helps boost your confidence, it inspires confidence in others. Lewis Daidone is a Certified Public Accountant and a consultant to tech companies and financial services firms.

Although dress codes have become more relaxed, there are still many firms that will require you to observe certain—possibly fairly rigid—dress codes. Even if you have to wear business professional attire, you can still comply and look unique and stylish, too. When you look polished, well-groomed, and professional, you create an unmistakable aura of success. Here are a few basic tips for looking like a million bucks in the workplace.

Tailor your suits.

Few young people bother to have their suits professionally tailored; you can tell by the boxy, bunching, ill-fitting suit jackets they wear. Both men and women can benefit from employing the services of a tailor – your clothing will look well-made, and you will look slimmer and more comfortable, too.

Keep it conservative, but add a little color

While business attire is meant to communicate proficiency and seriousness, you’re probably not going to be at your professional best if you feel like you’re dressed as an imposter. If you’re concerned about masking your individuality by wearing conservative clothing, you can always add hints of your personal style in the form of one or two colorful accessories, like argyle socks, a brightly colored handkerchief or scarf, or a bold tie-clip.

Try unique accessories.

Having a few elements of tasteful whimsy in your wardrobe actually serves a professional purpose. While strict business professional attire can be intimidating to some (particularly if you’re working with clients), having a few items that showcase your fun side can let people know that you’re open and relatable. Cufflinks; suspenders; a nice, heavy watch; a tie pin—are all acceptable business attire, while simultaneously being great additions for wardrobe personalization.

It might seem obvious, but if you’re going to shine in the workplace, it is extremely important to shine on the outside, too. You will not only look the part, you will feel it, too.

Nailing the CFO Interview: The Day of the Interview

In the second installment Lewis Daidone offers advice for an effective and successful job interview. Lewis Daidone is a Certified Public Accountant and a consultant to financial services firms and tech companies.

The interview process can be stressful; you want to demonstrate your exceptional capabilities while keeping the interviewer engaged. In some cases, too much enthusiasm can affect one’s ability to act naturally. If you’re nervous about being interviewed, these tips might help make it go smoothly.

Dress for success.

It seems obvious, but it is very important to choose your attire based on the office culture and expectations. While you may want to ask about the dress code prior to the interview, it never hurts to appear in a business suit - especially when interviewing with the CFO. Better to be too conservative than appear too casual.

Give yourself a 10-minute cushion.

Although you might be tempted to arrive as early as possible, if you arrive 20 minutes (or more) early, you could give the impression that you are either over zealous or unconcerned about the interviewer’s schedule. Whatever you do, do not arrive late. Arriving late is the most effective way of showing the interviewer that you cannot be relied upon to meet important obligations.

Start the interview the moment you walk into the building.

Don’t make the mistake of only treating the interviewer with respect. If you’re unpleasant or rude to the receptionist or anyone else for that matter, word will certainly get back to the CFO.

Be relaxed… but not too relaxed.

You want to be at ease during the interview, but don’t take familiarity too far. Keep your attitude warm, but professionally distant.

In the final installment of this CFO interview series, I’ll give you some tips on making the post-interview period work in your favor.

New Job? Here’s How to Make the Best Impression

It isn’t unusual to have new job jitters during your probationary period. In the following article, Lewis Daidone discusses how you can show your best self to your new colleagues and supervisors. Lewis Daidone is a Certified Public Accountant and a consultant to financial services firms and tech companies.

If you’ve just gotten your dream job at one of the Big Four accounting firms, you’re probably very anxious to make the best possible impression. However, in your eagerness to make yourself invaluable to the firm, your enthusiasm may be misconstrued as being too aggressive and you may end up alienating the people that you want to impress. If you are too introverted you may stay under their radar. Here are a few tips for truly showcasing your talent.

You might not know everything, but use everything you know.

As a new hire, you may be a small fish in a big pond, but that doesn’t mean you have to keep your mouth shut and your head down. There was a reason why you were hired, and you shouldn’t be too timid to contribute if your contribution is well-considered and based on solid experience. Don’t be afraid to take initiative or tackle a challenging task.

However…

Keep your ego in check.

Even though you might have outshone your college peers or former colleagues with your accounting acumen, you’re in a whole new world now. Give yourself permission to adjust to the new culture, and seriously consider the advice and guidance that you receive. Make sure you know how things operate before you try to make changes.

Be accessible.

It’s true—quite a few people who are attracted to the accounting profession have introverted dispositions. Even though it might not be your instinct to reach out to new colleagues, it’s nonetheless a good idea to do so sooner rather than later. You certainly don’t have be everybody’s best friend, but you should introduce yourself to co-workers and colleagues and ask questions about the firm and the company culture.

Yes, starting a new job can be intimidating, but make it a point to become integrated into the company structure as soon as possible. If you’re a relaxed, confident, and reliable team member, you’ll not only be off to a great start, but a great career as well.

Do you Know How to Self-Market?

In the following post, Lewis Daidone discusses how accountants can improve their career prospects with effective marketing strategies. Lewis Daidone is a Certified Public Accountant and a consultant to tech companies and financial services firms.

In general, the qualities that make for a fantastic accountant don’t necessarily apply in the marketing sphere (except when determining marketing budgets). Accountants value the application of logic, while successful marketing is entirely dependent upon the ability to appeal to the often illogical habits of the consumer.

Because accountants don’t typically have the kind of fanciful disposition that can easily create appealing marketing campaigns, they aren’t very successful at marketing themselves to prospective employers and clients. If you have solid accounting credentials, it may seem like a tidy resume and social media page should be enough to broadcast your strengths to your potential targets. Unfortunately, this isn’t enough. Here are a few tips that might help you effectively demonstrate your value.

• Don’t sell your job title—sell solutions. Your knowledge of GAAP isn’t as attractive to potential clients and employers as your history of successfully facing challenges and providing effective solutions. Describe exactly how your ideas and innovations have added organizational value and benefitted previous clients.
• Make your passion for your career evident. Even if you became an accountant because you’re good with numbers and it’s a solid career track, those perfectly reasonable motives won’t sell your ability as much as your excitement about your job and your future will.  

• Emphasize your stellar interpersonal skills. Accountants have an unfortunate reputation for being introverted numbers-crunchers who are happier sitting alone at a desk than giving a presentation in front of an audience. Networking and relationship-building are hugely important professional skills. If you have fantastic customer relationship skills and possess the ability to influence people, you will be an extremely valuable acquisition for any organization.

It seems counter-intuitive to try to make your accounting skills sexy, but if you want to compete, you’ll have to make yourself and your brand irresistible. 

Lewis Daidone, a certified public accountant, works as an investment management consultant with BlackRock.  Learn more about him by visiting this blog.