Why CPAs must master the soft skills

It’s not easy being a great accountant. Today’s finance leaders are measured by their ability to motivate teams, deliver results, and shape their business environment and culture. “Heads down, pencils moving” no longer flies. They must master a wide range of soft skills (a.k.a. “power skills”) to build a successful career. At the core of every thriving business is an outstanding finance leader with the ability to connect, inspire and act with resilience. Good leaders provide energy and communicate hope.

When a CPA transitions from individual contributor to leader of many people, their technical skills alone will not be enough to drive results. Their soft skills need to be perfected. In fact, a report by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 97% of employers consider employee soft skills just as important as technical skills (if not more important). In addition, an AICPA report, CPA Horizons 2025, identified six core critical competencies for accountants which all happen to be soft skills:

1. Communication skills;
2. Critical thinking and problem-solving;
3. Leadership skills;
4. Anticipating and serving evolving needs;
5. Synthesizing intelligence to insight; and,
6. Integration/collaboration.

That’s part of what motivated me to write my new novel, “Green Shade$: Accountants Aren’t Supposed to Die This Way.” The hero, Dex McCord, CPA, understands better than most the value of his soft skills and how to leverage those skills to be a sought-after leader. While McCord is a fictional character, he is a composite of many of the best leaders I had in my quarter century in public accounting. McCord is a fearless manager with common sense and creativity. Through ongoing training, he has made an investment in himself and has mastered not only his soft skills, but the art of building a network — two of the most important things an accountant can do when progressing in the vocation. In fact, these abilities are essential for most people in the business world as their careers develop and roles transform.

I highlight four wide soft skills that, if mastered like McCord, will help you improve the consistency of your results:
1. Communication. You should be able to boil down complex financial topics into simple messages that non-finance experts can understand — without talking down to co-workers. Recognize the impact that your emotionally intelligent communication skills have on your audience. 
2. Presentation. Accountants often present to the board of directors, investors, analysts, fellow employees and, when appropriate, the media. They can’t be introverted or camera-shy. Modifying your passionate behaviors will expand your sphere of credibility and influence.
3. Decision-making. In many meetings, everyone is waiting for the CPA to decide what to do next. The ability to assimilate information quickly, weigh the options, and take responsibility are all key. Bring it all together by synthesizing complex issues and challenges. Turn them into opportunities.
4. Leadership. A command-and-control leadership approach may have worked in the past, but in nearly all corporate cultures today, workers require inspiration and a more collaborative approach. Leverage your team’s technical, social, and emotional intelligence to produce results.

For example, in “Green Shade$,“ when McCord learns that his client is selling the company, he quickly takes responsibility and synthesizes a solution for a critical XBRL due diligence issue. He has the decision-making skills to appreciate that finance is less about reporting from the rearview mirror perspective and more about bringing strategic insight into complex challenges.

CPAs need to take it upon themselves to embark on their own learning journey. Many corporations employ chief learning officers who implement comprehensive soft skills education programs. Likewise, my employer, the American Management Association International, offers over 20 CPE credited soft skills seminars on topics including leadership, successfully managing people, communicating with diplomacy, and building better work relationships. 

Accountants will always be on the front lines, leading the tactical transformation of their company’s operations as controllers, chief financial officers, heads of internal audit, even “chief future officers” who develop a playbook for navigating the dangerous waters of business. Today, more than ever, the span of responsibilities for CPAs continues to increase in a flatter, global, more matrixed business environment. 

In addition to building soft skills, we all need to do a better job of marketing the CPA “cool” factor not just to students, but to the public at large. With the number of people sitting for the CPA exam down more than 40% since 2000, it’s imperative that this trend is reversed. If not, the talent shortage will increase reporting mistakes, reduce productivity, damage work-life balance, and potentially drive small CPA firms out of business. The AICPA, local accounting societies, educational institutions and large public accounting firms need to lead the rebranding effort. There is no time to be noncommittal and unimaginative. Let’s continue to highlight that being a finance maven offers adventures and financial stability, and more important, accountants make a difference in people’s lives. 

I am hopeful “Green Shade$” becomes a must-read for everybody working in the accounting world and those interested in joining it. Readers will see how impactful soft skills are for accountants and auditors. It’s critical that we showcase the gifts of being a CPA — a solid business acumen, a global perspective and a sense of adventure. In particular, accountants must deploy the skills of being good communicators, listeners and long-term thinkers, while at the same time interacting with our customers (internal and external) and becoming true trusted professionals.