Ten years ago, when I had just become editor-in-chief of Accounting Today and sat down to write my first monthly column, I realized I had no idea how to write a monthly column. Some will suggest that I still have no idea how to write a monthly column, but that’s beside the point; the point is that I was chosen for a role that involved writing a monthly column even though I had never written a monthly column, and had no idea how to write a monthly column. I had read monthly columns, and edited them, but I had never come up with an idea for one, let alone written one out.
Here are some other things that are fairly core to the role of an EIC that I had no idea how to do: manage a staff, set an editorial schedule, oversee a freelance budget, conduct an employee review, represent a publication in front of a major advertising client, speak on an industry panel, and give a keynote speech.
Again, the fact that I still have no idea how to do those things is not the point here; the point is that, like many people, I was chosen for the role of EIC based on a set of skills that bore almost no resemblance to the skills needed for the job itself. I knew how to follow a publishing schedule and hit a deadline, how to find art that enlivened a story, how to write a good (sometimes great) headline, how to coordinate with a production department and a printing plant, and how to proofread with a high degree of accuracy.
And that leads me to my main point: This happens everywhere, all the time, including in accounting — and it’s just as true for accounting firms as it is for accountants. There’s even a phrase for it: “What got you here won’t get you there.” The skills, attitudes, investments and efforts that raised you up to a certain position are often not the ones you need to succeed in the position, or to rise above it.
For instance, the technical skills and heads-down work ethic that got someone to partner won’t help them drum up business, plan a long-term growth strategy, or manage a group of unruly partners. Similarly, the hustle and hard work and willingness to take on any client who can fog a mirror that got your firm to $5 million or $10 million in revenue won’t help you develop the back-office infrastructure, sophisticated service offerings, client experience and marketing strategy that you’ll need to get to $25 million or $50 million.
For firms, this means when you promote people, you need to make sure they fully understand their new responsibilities and have the training they need to succeed at them. It also means matching up your growth goals with the initiatives and strategies that are necessary to achieve them, and not just hoping you can grow by continuing to do the same old thing.
For accounting professionals, it means pressing your firm for details on what they expect from the next role you’re hoping to get, and never getting complacent about building your skill set and learning the new competencies you need to succeed going forward.
If you do, it won’t take a decade for people to find out.
Trust me.
