Assertiveness and Ethics
The Springboks became the first nation to win four Rugby World Cups and SAICA, in a survey conducted by Edelman with over 1 300 participants in eight global markets, was rated the most trusted chartered accountant profession in the world. So you might ask me, what is the link between these two teams?
The Springboks and SAICA are respective teams, but they are both brands for excellence, skill, teamwork and ethics. If the Springboks had no ethics, we’d be the team with a red card in the final or even out in earlier rounds. An anonymous quote states, ‘Rugby is a game of respect, honour and discipline. You have to respect your opponents, your teammates, the referee and the laws of the game. You have to honour the traditions and values of the sport. You have to discipline yourself to play hard but fair, to control your emotions and to accept the decisions of the officials. The best in rugby are not only the most skilled, but also the most ethical.’ From this alone, I can already see parallels to SAICA’s Code of Professional Conduct which has professional, personal and business ethics as well as citizenship as part of the competency framework.
Just as the Springboks face challenges, so do chartered accountants with complex situations such as state capture, financial reporting scandals, audit failures, fraud, and many more. It’s when dealing with these daily challenges that I realised from both a professional and personal standpoint that being ethical is important, but that it’s not enough to change your environment. It needs to be coupled with assertiveness, as there are many times chartered accountants have to stand up for what’s right even if it means risking their reputation.
CAs have to communicate clearly and confidently, without compromising their objectivity and independence. If you are ethical but lack assertiveness, then you risk being silent, complacent and complicit when you are required to stand up for what’s right. Conversely, being assertive without ethics can lead to manipulation, exploitation or abuse of power.
The Assertiveness Club was founded by my colleague and mentor, Sizwe Makhaya, after a heartfelt conversation we had during a very dark period of my life as a trainee. We realised that we try our absolute best in our personal and professional environments but that we often feel stretched too thin, self-deprecating and far too often wondering what the freedom of choosing ourselves felt like. We embarked on an Assertiveness Book Club delving into Dr Aziz Gazipura’s Not Nice. However, what remains the life-changing element of this club is the sheer vulnerability we have in sharing personal and professional stories about where we lacked assertiveness and how we could have done things differently − but also showcasing moments that we did show assertiveness and celebrating each other for that.
This group has helped me become a winner in my life and I am beginning to reap the rewards of choosing myself and being free one day at a time.
