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The LEAD Round: What every leader needs Experienced professional? Or just starting out? Either way, download our Leadership Competency Ladder to get a comprehensive understanding on how to grow your skill-set.
Visit the VSCPA LEAD website at vscpa.com/LEAD. Hope Cupit, CPA
Brian Deibler, CPA
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or all the talk about corporate culture, there’s no way to create a successful work environment without trust. You can’t foster teamwork with a team full of employees who are worried about whether their colleagues will do what they say they’ll do. We tackled that issue in this edition of the LEAD Round. We asked two VSCPA members — a seasoned CPA and a young professional — about what they do to maintain balance during busy season. Here’s what HOPE CUPIT, CPA, president and CEO of the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project in Roanoke, and BRIAN DEIBLER, CPA, partner at Malvin, Riggins & Co. in Newport News, had to say. What is one characteristic you believe every leader should possess? HC: The one characteristic that I believe every leader should possess is confidence. A leader that shows confidence will most likely have others follow them and be more willing to support the leader in his or her role. Confidence brings about the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone. This mindset contributes to the belief that others will believe in the decisions and actions of the leader.
Displaying a strong leadership style is appealing and helps when working with others. Leadership is about making important decisions. These decisions may not always be popular with others, but a leader who is confident in his or her decision-making and choices will likely gain respect. For example, we often want to accidentproof our decisions by covering all of the bases. We do this by wrapping ourselves in a cocoon of safe decisions. Self-confidence is what separates those leaders who need a mountain of statistical data from those who inspire us with their ability to lead us into the unknown. A fearful leader will agonize over decisions and always make the safe choice, while a confident leader will take the information they have and take action. Not only does confidence allow you to make the tough decisions that people expect from a strong leader, but it’s reassuring to your team. Confidence allows you to lead meetings with authority, to accept truthfulness and open communication, allows the team to perceive your force of will and gives your team more faith in the company and its mission. As a leader, consider how well you deliver a company speech. If you deliver it with confidence, it inspires your team as intended, but
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the same speech delivered with doubt becomes a point of disdain. Lastly, I would like to point out that confidence is important because people will be looking toward leaders on how to execute task, particularly if things aren’t going 100 percent right. Leaders must remain calm and poised; this helps their team members to react in the same manner. As a result, morale and productivity will remain high and the problem will be solved more promptly. If you panic and give up, team members will immediately know that things have simply gone downhill. Great leaders have to demonstrate an appearance of confidence if they’re going to succeed. This should not be confused with self-righteousness or arrogance. People want to look up to their leaders for inspiration and guidance not be torn down by their self-indulgence. As I have always said, it is important to note that leaders are admired and bosses are feared. So lead the way with confidence. BD: This may sound strange, but I believe every leader should possess the characteristic of always being “on.” The truth is, this profession is demanding. CPAs are more than ever the trusted advisor u
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