When it comes to working in finance, whether as a finance director, accountant or financial controller, there are certain habits that will universally help to see your career sky-rocket into success.
These habits are not just a case of being up to speed on all the latest accounting standards, developments in tax legislation and knowing about the important changes occurring within the finance industry – although these are all important qualities.
It is about you as a person, and the way that you operate within the business – ensuring that you pick up habits that will see your work make a real difference. So what are they?
1. Teamwork makes the dream work
Accounting and finance isn’t a one-man operation and it is important that you work to recruit the best staff for your business and build credible finance teams. Your team will make or break your success, and how you treat them will likewise be reflected in your results.
Although there are many ways of managing staff, treating employees with respect will always pay the greatest dividends. It’s nice to be nice and doing good to others will always come back around. It helps to create a cohesive team who are all working together for the greater goal and, in return, you will see your status within the team elevate.
It is also important that you work to create a strong network of support professionals outside your business too, strengthening relationships where possible. Network, attend meetings and functions, invite people to your workplace for informal chats – keep building your circle and looking for the strengths each new connection can bring.
2. Communication is crucial
It may seem very straightforward to stress the importance of communication, especially when we all speak orally on a daily basis and fire off hundreds of emails hourly. However, there is a huge difference between average or below par communication and excellent communication. It will significantly help you to work successfully in your team and ensure the smooth running of your business if you can communicate effectively and consistently.
Often, people don’t realise the damage their silence, messy e-mails or confused messages can bring. It’s key that you focus on how you get your point across, taking into account other people’s views and opinions and ensuring that you keep everyone on your team in the loop at all times. Communicate in clear, succinct and transparent ways. It will help to boost relationships and build trust. When you see good qualities in those you work with, mirror them and they will no doubt react favourably.
3. How you solve problems matters
Every workplace will face problems, but being able to resolve them effectively is key. Part of this is through having a good risk management structure in place so that you have a solid and unified strategy for dealing with such situations. Being able to address how and why something has happened will help to stop it from occurring again. It will also help with knowing what these problems may be before they happen, so that you can put practices in place to cover for all eventualities. Equally important is being able to report these issues, ensure all the team is aware of the strategy and ensuring that once problems have arisen, nothing digresses into something far more costly or serious. Having a unified response will help the team significantly in being able to respond efficiently and make diligent decisions rather than taking a rash and reactive approach, which tends to be when errors or further issues occur.
At BTG Recruitment we are experts in accountancy and finance recruitment, in fact it is the only thing we do. For help and advice on building a credible and effective finance teams or advancing your accountancy career please contact me or one of the expert team here at BTG on 0115 960 7000.
