What are the top three skills you need to focus on in tough economic times?
A recent survey by Ajilon Finance found that accountants and CPAs had strong opinions about what “constitutes leadership in this economy.” The top three skills you need to focus on are:
- Doing more with less.
- Motivating the workforce.
- Pursuing growth opportunities.
These are different than the top three skills one needs in a good economy, which, according to the survey are recruiting and retaining top talent (47 percent), pursuing growth opportunities (42 percent) and maintaining a competitive edge (42 percent).
Other key findings of the survey include the following:
Soft skills beat hard skills: According to the survey, 33 percent of accountants feel an ability to inspire and motivate is the most important quality of leadership in the 21st century, followed by communications skills (15 percent) and people management skills (13 percent), all soft skills. In contrast, accountants said hard skills such as global knowledge/expertise, financial acumen and keen decision-making were more rewarded leadership qualities at their organizations.
Training still a non-discretionary expense: Despite the downturn, workforce training remains an important investment for many companies, with 31 percent of survey respondents saying training is a non-discretionary expense at their companies. Other non-discretionary expenses include workforce flexibility (27 percent), succession planning (26 percent), leadership development (25 percent) and enhancing the company's brand (25 percent).
Accountants say they need time, more than anything: “When asked what they need most to be effective leaders, most accountants (29 percent) said more time. Only 14 percent of respondents said more money and 13 percent said more influence over others.”
I was pleasantly surprised by the emphasis on soft skills (which I like to call “hard” or “performance” skills). Did you know that we formed our Business Learning Institute almost 10 years ago just to provide “soft skill” training to CPAs? Visit our BLI Learning Center to look at all of the upcoming BLI “soft skills” courses. Click on this link to see upcoming courses, or this link to learn how to bring these courses to your firm or company.
Speaking of “finding opportunities,” I recommend our course, “Selling for CPAs: How to Use Your Problem-Solving Skills to Promote Pro-Business Growth,” scheduled for Sept. 1 in Columbia and good for 8 hours of CPE.
Can't make our upcoming class? Learn at your desk with the Sept. 1 webcast Trust-Centered Selling,” by BLI instructor Mark Slatin. The 10 a.m. webcast is good for 1 hour of CPE.
What soft skills are you investing in?