Advice for a Successful Career in the Accounting Profession

CHAPTER TENDeveloping Your Communication Skills

Key Takeaway

Successful accountants need to be able to communicate well, both when speaking and in writing. Invest the time to develop your communication skills!

How effectively do you communicate? I ask this question because during my career I encountered many accountants who were very bright, hard‐working, and technically proficient but who never achieved their full potential because they were not particularly good communicators. Well‐developed communication skills are important in achieving your career growth objectives and a lack of these skills can be a limiting factor in career advancement.

It’s especially important for accountants to be able to effectively communicate the results of their work: findings, conclusions, recommendations, etc. In fact, one criticism I occasionally hear about the core assurance and tax services provided by the profession is that they are “commodities,” implying that there is little or no difference between the audit report or signature on a tax return of one firm or practitioner compared to another. A great way to address this concern is being able to effectively communicate the results of your work by sharing observations, insights and suggestions with the individuals who engaged you (or those you work for). This will both differentiate you from others and demonstrate your value. To do this effectively ...