accountantscoach

Accountants' CPD - The other P in CPD

CPD at this time of year? Well, why not? Last year's declarations are out of the way. You are on the home stretch deadline-wise. It might be time to start reminding yourself of your tentative CPD plans for the year. But have you asked yourself recently, what exactly is it? CPD, that is. Take the DTI’s description: ‘CPD is defined as the holistic commitment to structured skills enhancement and personal or professional competence’.

Did you know that? CPD encompasses personal development too.

Accountancy Training & Development - revised, reborn, refurbished. How you can maximise your ROI on your own Accountancy Training & Development

Accountancy Training & Development. We do lots of it, us accountants, do we not?  Starts with our professional exams, flows on into CPD.  It gives us the technical know-how to achieve our expert status with updates galore. And maybe even a sprinkle of management training thrown in for good measure. And what have you got at the end of it? A pretty generic Accountancy Training & Development programme, that's what. The recipe?  Good old Pareto: 80% technical, 20% softer skills. Bob's your uncle, job done.   

But how often do we consider what our job is really about?  Or look at skills development that would really serve us well?  Or put another way, how often are we sitting through courses or read bumph, that's pretty much irrelevant to real life at the coalface?

I've recently completed a survey of my own accountant coaching clients.  I wanted to understand the one skill or improvement which, if honed, could really be the difference that makes the difference.  What do you think I got back?  Well it wasn't intimate knowledge of IFRS 3 (revised) or nurturing their passion for corporate tax.  This is what they said:

Accountants, are you visually, auditory or kinaesthetically preferred?

You'll know by now that we each have a preferred thinking and learning style, from my recent articles.

And now you have the opportunity to identify your own preferences in 3 simple steps:

1. Click and download the list of indicators here: Visual, auditory, Kinaesthetic, which are you? .
2. Switch on your conscious awareness for the next 48 hours.  You are looking to pick up words and phrases you use in both domestic and business environments.  Mark the list as you identify your habitual patterns.
3. At the end of the 2 day period, review your data.  You will discover your tendency towards one or more of the modalities.  

How can you best use your findings?  Contact me at [email protected] to find out how coaching can help you leverage your individual style.