When we began Intend2Lead, we determined a core part of the change we wanted to make in the profession had to do with fear and love.
Historically the accounting profession has leaned heavily on using people to make profit through the medium of fear – fear of not doing enough quickly enough, fear of making mistakes, fear of bringing your whole self to work which inhibits meaningful connection and fulfillment.
Our work as a leadership coaching company is to help our profession’s leaders evolve more consciously – to lead from a place of love, rather than fear. We are helping organizations foster deeper levels of trust and openness and cultivate stronger relationships with their people and clients to build a stronger, more powerful, and human-centric profession.
To address the challenges ahead in the world and in the accounting profession, we must cultivate new ways of doing things that invite true connection and collaboration.
We must make it safe to bring our full selves to the table, and to share diverse perspectives, opinions, and experiences. The profession needs all of us.
Bringing Our Full Selves
Right now, there is a rising awareness of the lack of love in our teams and our firms.
We see it in the clients and organizations we work with every day – a longing for more connection, for more nurturing work relationships.
A desire to feel connected to what we’re doing. To know it matters and is seen. That we are seen.
Evidence now shows that we perform better, we’re more creative, and we’re more innovative when we have permission to bring our full selves to our place of work.
Our Future Depends on Our Capacity to Love
In this profession, we don’t usually think of ourselves as the starting point. We think about the numbers and productivity, working in teams to hit our goals. We don’t typically think about making sure that one individual person has what they need to thrive.
At Intend2Lead we see leadership as an inside-out game that starts with the questions:
- Who are you?
- What do you love about yourself?
- How can you bring more of yourself to what you do?
- What do you really want – for yourself, for others, for the profession?
At I2L, we see time and again, once someone uncovers the answers to these questions and increases their awareness and appreciation of themselves, they become better leaders. They cultivate a fuller sense of self that shows up at work, which inspires others to do the same. This creates a ripple effect for teams and organizations, and ultimately for productivity and results.
Love Isn’t a Limitation
The accounting profession is at a pivotal point. We need leaders who can better understand themselves, take care of themselves, and be real. Only then can leaders truly understand others and what is needed to tackle our toughest challenges. These leaders see love not as a limitation, as something that exists outside of work, but as something that makes their firm greater, creating an environment of true belonging.
This means leading with more engagement, building mutual trust, creating deeper purpose, and cultivating connectedness. It means no more hiding behind masks, instead, it means being more of who we already are at work. As leaders, we must model this ourselves, which gives others permission to do the same.
People as Profit
Accounting is a profession that often prioritizes billable hours, treating people as vehicles for profit. As firms try to maximize their people’s productivity to enhance the bottom line, they often end up dehumanizing them and burning them out.
This is a fundamental problem that threatens the sustainability of our profession.
Accounting leaders must realize their value reaches far beyond their billable hours. Their most valuable asset is their capacity to develop other people.
This shift can feel very challenging for accountants because we are acknowledged and valued for what we know. This can make it extremely uncomfortable for us to navigate what we don’t know. Yet, when it comes to leading others, navigating the unknown is a requirement. Today’s leaders must be able to provide certainty for their clients while also navigating the uncertainty of leadership.
Uncomfortable Conversations
As the need increases for organizations (and humans) to shift from a hyper-focus on the individual to that of the collective, the old model of being at work just to get the job done, make money, and look out only for ourselves isn’t working anymore.
Accountants are great at asking “What are we doing?” It’s a familiar question with a measurable outcome.
But that question isn’t enough anymore. To create true belonging, build mutual trust,, and forge true connection, we must go deeper. Instead, let’s ask, “How are we doing?”, “How is our relationship doing?” And let’s not stop there. Let’s hold space and listen to the answer.
This is a radical act of bravery.
This is shifting the tide.
Cultivating our capacity to love forges a new Dimension of Possible for our profession.
When we can play in this place, this Dimension of Possible, we create deeper connection and mutual trust and have confidence in one another. This makes it easier to face an uncertain future together. Great possibility lives in the unknown. And we’ll only find it when love leads the way.
See you in the DoP,
