8FEBRUARY - 2022IN MYOPINIONPurpose-driven leaders power productivity.They foster more introspective, innovative and aspirational accounting teams and can help transform competent employees into high-performing super stars. They help people build on their strengths while improving on their weaknesses.Accounting managers with purpose become leaders, employees look up to and respect. However, purpose-driven leaders aren't grown on trees. Becoming one requires the development of characteristics like empathy toward others, practicing active listening, ensuring personal development for themselves and their employees ­ and helping team members learn, grow and achieve their professional best. Let's take a look at some ways in which you can become a leader with a purpose who inspires your accounting team and other people around you.Mentor othersAs a manager, you likely know your employees' needs better than anyone else. As such, it's up to you to provide timely feedback, offer counsel based on your experience, and share your insights into the accounting industry.In cases where a team is too large to mentor everyone, consider assigning a veteran accountant to help fosternew team members. This could even mean recruiting someone outside your company with vast industry knowledge and experience to cultivate leaders on your team. Provide professional development opportunitiesAside from sharing industry knowledge and professional best practices, purpose-driven leaders want their employees to stretch themselves. What are each person's unique development needs ­ and what can you do to ensure they receive the training necessary to progress their careers?I'm passionate about continued personal development because I cut my teeth at two of the Big Five consulting firms that valued and supported career progression through ongoing learning. When I started at FLEETCOR a decade ago, I was a department of one for quite some time and did what was needed to get the job done.However, as a global S&P 500 corporate payments company, we now embrace a culture of change that values the development of our people, personally and professionally. Development was certainly important 10 years ago, but we've elevated it and I've been assiduous about providing the means for my accounting team to move forward, improve and grow.Help employees find their nicheMaking an employee's passion and professional desire a priority sometimes means you'll lose valuable team members to other departments or even companies, which I recently experienced.Lauren worked for me for seven years and was one of those `go-to' people I could lean on for anything. Even when tasked with an unfamiliar assignment, she would figure it out and see it through. She is a certified fraud examiner and when an opportunity arose within FLEETCOR in that area, she expressed her interest to me and asked my opinion. I encouraged her to connect with the hiring manager to determine whether she wanted to pursue the position. HOW BEING A PURPOSE-DRIVEN LEADER INSPIRES ACCOUNTING TEAMSBy Alissa Vickery, Chief Accounting Officer, SVP Accounting and Control, FLEETCORHaving an open-door policy and truly listening to employees is part of being a purpose-driven leader
< Page 7 | Page 9 >