She states, "I'm very happy here because Subisu has provided a great platform for my career. I wish to become a value addition to the organization within the next five years."Here she shares with Republica about her responsibilities as a manager, why it can be tricky to lead staff who is older to her in age, and other things in between.
How did you decide on this career path?
I was a Science student but I never really wanted to pursue engineering or medical courses. So after high school, while I was still undecided about what to do next, my friend talked about the Chartered Accountancy course which was new and so popular back then. I learnt about the scope of the course and immediately signed up for it without waiting for my high school results to come out. Then I completed three years of articleship training in an audit firm and even worked there for sometime as assurance assistant.
What makes a good Chartered Accountant?
A good Chartered Accountant should have intense theoretical and practical knowledge, and strong interpersonal skills. One should also be updated and dynamic. One of the biggest misconceptions regarding Chartered Accountants is that they are purely number crunchers. In fact, we have a varied career. We are respected for interpreting complex financial information and giving strategic business advice. We aren't confined to our desks. We help businesses make effective decisions about finance.
Can you describe your primary duties at the moment?
Currently I'm responsible for managing, analyzing, and reporting to executives on key performance indicators, business risks, business objectives, and influences on past and future performances. It's also my duty to oversee the financial planning and management, track expenditure and operating budgets as well as long range financial plans. Apart from these, I'm responsible for implementation of new corporate financial procedures to ensure best practice.
You are in a managerial position at Subisu. What are your direct responsibilities concerning your team?
I have seven employees working under me. As the leader, my foremost responsibility is to get tasks done by utilizing available resources including my team members. I need to develop strategies so that the team will reach its goal, provide necessary trainings to develop my team members, monitor the team and their work, communicate with them and listen to their feedback, and provide necessary directions and instructions.
What are your challenges at work?
Sometimes there are work issues with line managers of different departments due to conflict of opinions. It can also be tricky to lead older staff because they're generally resistant to changes and new ideas. It's hard to work through these issues while keeping my team motivated. But understanding and maintaining the professional ethics is important. Previously, I had trained some people who were older than me but I didn't encounter any problems because we knew what we were expected to do in our professional capacities there.
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