Picture yourself at a family gathering. You are about to tuck into your delicious meal when suddenly an uncle approaches and asks you for tax advice because he heard that you are a CA(SA). I’m sure we have all experienced that at some point.
As flattering as that is, what does it signify?
To me, it reflects the very nature of the CA(SA) designation. It makes us stand out in society. People recognise us as leaders in business.
As leaders, how often do we take the time to develop the next generation of CA(SA)’s who are starting their journey and look up to us?
We all have busy lives to lead, but didn’t we get to this point as CAs(SA) because of the community that supported us? From the lecturers who guided us to the managers who trained us in articles. My last article spoke about seeking mentorship to help you advance your professional career. This article focuses on paying that help forward, to the next generation.
What if every CA(SA) took at least 1 student or trainee under their wing and provided moral support and guidance along their seven-year journey? There doesn’t need to be complex paperwork involved. All I am referring to is having someone there for our aspiring CAs(SA) to gain perspective from. We all walked that path they are on, and we all know that seven years of intense work and study can be quite daunting. Would it have made a difference if we all had someone who provided us with a bit of perspective, kept us accountable and provided some life hacks to cope with the pressure as we journeyed along the seven-year road?
I believe so.
I believe that there is only so much capacity our lecturers and training officers have to facilitate each candidate’s development. It is up to us, as the CAs(SA)within the profession, to step up and actively engage in the development of our future leaders of the profession. I sincerely believe that if we do this, fewer candidates would drop out of the programme, repeat modules and redo exams. If we are able to nurture the pipeline of future talent, we can help the aspiring CAs(SA) achieve their dream while also ensuring sustainable growth for the profession. After all, completing spreadsheets is not the core of our profession but rather the words Develop, Influence and Lead.
Isn’t it time we step up to the plate and live this ethos, not only within the walls of our organisation but in society and our profession as a whole?
Food for thought
As South Africans, the spirit of community runs deep in our veins. Our universities have mentorship programmes for aspiring CAs(SA) and do really great work. Imagine if we all dedicated approximately 30 minutes of our time each month to mentorship and at the end of the journey, the newly qualified CA(SA) takes you to lunch and thanks you, because your guidance got them to that point. Wouldn’t you feel that you made a positive impact on the development of the profession?
