The Dalai Lama said “It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.”
We all know that feeling of being overwhelmed by what lies ahead. We get better, as we get older, at remembering that we have overcome things that once scared the hell out of us. We got really good at some of them. We know that when someone says “follow your passion” it’s linked to overcoming adversity along the way.
Thing is though, if you’re reading this you’re probably someone that enjoys challenges and conquering fear. Entrepreneurs are built like that. They know that if you run from the monster it gets bigger. From when you were little, each time you overcame a challenge you got more ambitious.
What’s this got to do with company finances? Well, not all people are wired like you and, if you need their skills in your team, you need to support them and let them experience some wins.
I was inspired to write this because I constantly come across people in accounts that think their job is to perform tasks with skills that they learnt long ago. As if, like a bricklayer, they did an apprenticeship and learnt it all then. Truth is, bricklayers never stop learning, why should accounts.
Worse still, most accounts people will be the first to tell you they have got to the limit of their skills and offer up their head. Bricklayers keep learning because each building job is different and, usually, undertaken by changing groups of people. They cross pollinate. You need to provide some of that stimuli to your accounts people is a safe way. Not paintball!
CPA Australia offer some excellent training, your staff don’t have to be a CPA to participate. Seriously, for a lot of accounts staff just getting out of the office is expansive. One warning, beware the inclination to software training, try to stick to expansive topics, ones that will encourage your people to participate more widely in the organisation.
Photo by Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash