Guest Author - Consuelo Herrera, CAMS, CFE
Honesty and integrity should be our hallmark.
I want to be a winner. Who like to be a loser, anyway? Winners carryout themselves with confidence and their personality is powerful. Without efforts they have people around them, they are able to bring the best out of others and they usually know who is trustworthy. All of us can develop winning behaviors.
The shift in the market has highlighted personality over technical skills and knowledge. An attractive personality shines. Its energy and enthusiasm are contagious. I have seen corporations choosing a candidate technically disqualified yet with great personality. The hiring manager knows that technical skills can be learned quickly whereas changing a personality does not happen overnight.
Another great attribute of a successful accountant's personality is agreeableness. Good nature and ability to build rapport with others even when we disagree because of different points of view. Being able to agree to disagree signals maturity.
Open attitude to critique; Someone said that if I do not have a friend who tells me what I do not want to hear, then, I should find an enemy who does. I chose to receive feedback about my weaknesses or my mistakes; I make the best out of it, although many times, my blushing cheeks are burning because of my embarrassment. After all, I win.
Forensic accountants must be open-minded. Regulations and procedures evolve. Those reluctant to change are deemed to be left behind. An open-minded personality faces fears and learns to overcome them. Imagine being in front of an inquisitive judge and being confronted by a hostile attorney who wants to prove you wrong? Facing fears means gaining confidence through preparedness for the unexpected. Always have a plan B. If your first exhibit with findings was not compelling enough, under your plan B you should have powerful evidence gathered from reputable sources that prove the point you want to get across. Prepare resources that make you comfortable.
Conscientiousness entails assertions such as I pay attention to details, I am alert to change in trends, and I know how to analyze the meaning of financial information and non-financial data. A must for each forensic accountant is professional skepticism. Taking for granted that everyone is honest disregards the possibility of reading behind the lines or ignoring individual facts that in the aggregate could change the outcome of an incident. For example if John Doe’s kind and charming behavior makes me believe what he says without any substantiation, it would impair my objectivity and risk the reliability of my findings thus, making an investigation useless. Professional skepticism entails trusting by verifying.
Becoming a winner and successful accountant starts when you recognize that you can become that professional role model that you greatly admire. Increase your level of creativity and innovation. Treasure relationships; enjoy working with others and be a team player.
Listening to others and doing research keeps your skills up today. It means doing all you can to keep abreast of anything that might pertain to the activities of your group. Joining professional organization where all develop common grounds and similar goals.
Organizations like assertive approaches; it is not enough to listen. You have to reciprocate. You must let others know what you expect from them and you must know what they expect from you. Be mindful of others. They too have experienced fears and insecurities. They have their own struggles.
Needless to say that wearing professional is always a big plus. It instills confidence and draws attention.
The exciting world of forensic accounting has challenges that winners and successful accountants overcome when they develop endurance and energy, and foremost, they explore the full extent of their personal magnitude and power through integrity and honesty.
