Career Success For Accountants

Making An Impact At Work

Everyone starts somewhere in their career.  For me it was at the very bottom as a Payments Clerk in Glasgow earning £1,500 a year.  Although most start of the bottom, there is often a huge variation between those who go on to achieve the success they want and those that struggle.

 

One thing I am very clear about that there really is no instant success formula or blueprint that somehow takes you from base 1 to base 10 in one step.  The reality is that career success is achieved over the long term.

 

While achieving the success you desire might well be a long term project, what you do along the way makes a big difference.  So what impact are you having at work right now?

 

When we are busy it is very easy to get into doing mode.  By that I mean we think that we are making an impact because we are getting a lot of stuff done.

 

Now let’s not pretend that getting things done is not important.  It clearly is.  Otherwise your job would not exist.

 

On the other hand when we measure our impact in terms of what we are getting done, it is easy to lose sight of whether what we are doing is really making a difference or having any impact on short, medium and longer term performance.

 

Most of us if never take time to stop, take stock and think about whether our contribution is as good as it could be.  I am sure like most professionals you face the struggle of too much to do and too little time.

 

Yet it is at these times you get greatest value from stopping and considering whether you are making the impact you want. More importantly to discover whether the impact you are having is being valued by your customers (internal or external) and those that you report to.

 

So how might you make a greater impact at work?

 

Find Out What Matters

 

Most have a job description, objective setting sessions and appraisals so one might assume that what matters is blindingly obvious.  Yet when I have asked clients to define their 5 most important results, they struggle.  Even more alarming is the disconnect between what they think and what their boss thinks, even with a good appraisal system.

 

Start To Think About Allocating Your Time Differently

 

In any role there is the work that needs to be tackled now.  We might call this the maintenance aspect of the job.  There are also projects which might not be going to deliver immediate results but are critical in the medium term.  There are also staff who really determine whether you are successful or not.  You need to make time to train and develop them.

 

The point is that if you only ever focus time and energy on the maintenance aspect of the job, you probably are not seen as someone who can initiate change and improvement. So if there is the chance for promotion chances are you will not be identified as the person who has the right qualities and attributes.

 

Play To Your Strengths

 

You might think that you can be great at everything.  The truth is you can’t.  We all have areas in which we excel and areas where we struggle.  You want to discover what those areas are.  Once you do you want to play to your strengths and do what you do best.

 

I for example was never brilliant with spreadsheets.  There were others on my team who were.  It would have been easy to be stubborn and try to become brilliant in this area.  Yet I knew that it was far more beneficial to me and organisations I worked for to focus on what I did well.

 

Keep Developing

 

The challenges facing organisations and those working in them are not getting easier.  What this means that if you are going to be an asset and make an impact you have to keep developing.

 

It surprises me just how many people from professional backgrounds who often have access to no or low cost professional development do little or nothing in this area. The reality is you never know it all.  None of us does.

 

The Bottom Line:  There are never any guarantees in terms of career.  At the same time there is an awful lot you can do to stack the odds in your favour.

 

Duncan Brodie helps accountants and professionals achieve more career success.  Learn more here

About the Author Duncan Brodie

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.

Previous Post It Takes More Than Being Good At The Numbers Next Post 6 Reasons Why You Won’t Get Results Working With A Career Coach

Leave a Comment:

45 comments
Nvrtfx says 10 August 2023

order fenofibrate 160mg tricor cost buy tricor 160mg generic

Reply
Hzfvct says 20 August 2023

purchase tadalafil pill order viagra 100mg sale sildenafil 100mg oral

Reply
Wnvpms says 20 August 2023

buy zaditor cheap purchase geodon for sale buy tofranil generic

Reply
Wkewpb says 22 August 2023

minoxytop ca order tamsulosin 0.2mg without prescription buy ed pills usa

Reply
Zpmuug says 23 August 2023

precose 50mg ca buy fulvicin pills for sale fulvicin pill

Reply
Xblmlb says 26 August 2023

aspirin cheap aspirin 75 mg cost order generic imiquimod

Reply
Wzdqtk says 28 August 2023

dipyridamole over the counter buy generic felodipine buy generic pravachol 10mg

Reply
Ugfgnt says 28 August 2023

order generic melatonin 3mg norethindrone us buy danazol online cheap

Reply
Kejzhs says 31 August 2023

dydrogesterone 10mg sale buy januvia 100mg online jardiance cheap

Reply
Srfmhc says 1 September 2023

buy florinef generic buy bisacodyl online cheap loperamide online

Reply
Ahubha says 4 September 2023

order prasugrel detrol pills buy cheap tolterodine

Reply
Hpqyds says 4 September 2023

etodolac 600 mg without prescription purchase monograph online pletal 100 mg price

Reply
Ryfiul says 7 September 2023

buy ferrous paypal buy ascorbic acid 500 mg pills betapace 40mg generic

Reply
Hvgysz says 9 September 2023

order pyridostigmine 60mg pills feldene 20mg usa buy rizatriptan without prescription

Reply
Ubxzls says 10 September 2023

enalapril 10mg pills casodex 50 mg over the counter order lactulose for sale

Reply
Nleler says 13 September 2023

zovirax uk rivastigmine 6mg us buy exelon 3mg generic

Reply
vipps accredited online pharmacy says 14 September 2023

canadian internet pharmacies

Reply
Ssqvwu says 15 September 2023

buy cheap generic premarin viagra 50mg uk buy sildenafil

Reply
Tlzscm says 15 September 2023

omeprazole 10mg drug cheap metoprolol 50mg lopressor over the counter

Reply
canada rx says 15 September 2023

canada pharmacy online
https://canadianpharmacyeasy.com/
[url=https://canadianpharmacyeasy.com/]drugs without a doctor s prescription[/url]

Reply
Nerreg says 16 September 2023

brand telmisartan buy micardis 20mg sale molnupiravir 200 mg without prescription

Reply
Npvogi says 18 September 2023

cialis 20 mg price viagra overnight delivery buy sildenafil online cheap

Reply
Iocexn says 18 September 2023

cenforce 100mg ca buy aralen online cheap buy generic chloroquine over the counter

Reply
Tikmmp says 21 September 2023

modafinil drug brand phenergan buy prednisone 20mg generic

Reply
Enitbg says 22 September 2023

order omnicef sale order metformin 1000mg generic buy lansoprazole 30mg online

Reply
Rsuufp says 24 September 2023

order isotretinoin 20mg for sale oral azithromycin order zithromax 500mg

Reply
Abkdlo says 26 September 2023

buy azipro online azithromycin 250mg cheap order neurontin 600mg online

Reply
Esjlal says 26 September 2023

cost lipitor 20mg buy atorvastatin 80mg generic purchase norvasc pill

Reply
Uyqdqq says 28 September 2023

casino online games best real casino online lasix ca

Reply
Tabqxd says 29 September 2023

pantoprazole sale order phenazopyridine 200mg sale order generic pyridium 200 mg

Reply
Rjuxdw says 29 September 2023

casino online real money real casino games purchase ventolin inhalator online cheap

Reply
Gbwouz says 1 October 2023

hollywood casino ocean casino online stromectol otc

Reply
canadian meds viagra says 1 October 2023

canadian pharmacies review

Reply
Vqsaeg says 2 October 2023

buy amantadine 100mg pill buy tenormin cheap buy avlosulfon pill

Reply
canadian pharmacy 365 says 2 October 2023

best canadian online pharmacy reviews

Reply
Yugmln says 3 October 2023

online casino for real money best online gambling sites buy synthroid 100mcg online

Reply
Add Your Reply

Popular posts

It Takes More Than Being Good At The Numbers
 Career
Oct 07, 2014
Career Success: I Am At My Best When
 Career
Nov 29, 2013
How To Overcome That Fear When Presenting At Work
 Presentation Skills
Jun 22, 2022
Team Success: How To Create A Clear Purpose
 Teams
Jan 07, 2010