The usual route for an accountant and professional wanting to move up the career ladder is to become a manager and leader.
Some do this easily. Some get by. Some struggle.
Of course very little of your professional training equips you for managing and leading.
Equally there really is no manual that equips you for success.
Yes there’s plenty of advice around. What I’ve noticed over the years that a lot of it is contradictory.
Over the years I’ve learned that you can dress things up as complex. Alternatively you can keep it simple.
Management is essentially about:
To do that you need to:
Equally leadership is essentially about:
To be able to do that you need to:
In truth leadership and management is both rewarding and challenging. What you will specifically do will depend on the circumstances. On the other hand it doesn’t need to be complex, so focus on keeping it simple.
Since 2006 I’ve worked with in excess of 8,000 accountants and professionals in workshops, seminars and one to one helping them land their next jobs and become better leaders, presenters and business partners. Before that I spent 25 years in accountancy climbing the career ladder from Payments Clerk to FD. I’m a CIMA Fellow, Certified Professional Coach and Team Coach Facilitator.