As an accountant you appreciate that on a balance sheet there are fixed and current assets.
Fixed assets include things like plant, equipment, buildings, technology and even goodwill.
Current assets includes cash in the bank, stock and debtors.
Assets are used to create value.
Taking this concept and applying it to your finance career, what assets might you list in your personal balance sheet?
Here’s my thoughts.Knowledge
If you have studied for a professional accounting qualification, you have gained a whole host of knowledge, such as:
Financial accounting
Financial management
Financial control
Financial analysis
Corporate governance
Risk management
Information management
Take time to create a list of all your areas of knowledge.
Experience
Accountants typically start learning the basics in accounts payable, payroll, invoicing and credit control.
They then branch out getting experience in areas like budget setting, budget monitoring and year end accounts.
Managing teams becomes common as does managing projects.
Some get involved in change and performance management.
Others build up great experience of particular industries or sectors.
How about you, what do you have experience of?
Technical Skills
Knowledge that you have taken and put into practice in business.
Doing month end reporting, contributing to business cases or funding bids. Creating some KPIs.
Running accounting systems, building and/or updating processes.
You know your own situation best.
What would be on the technical skills section of your personal balance sheet?
Business Acumen
This includes areas like understanding what drives business success, the work of other areas like sales, marketing, operations, HR, IT.
Of areas like strategy and negotiation.
Interpersonal Skills
Those skills that allow you to create and improve relationships with others, gain the trust and respect of those outside of your professional field.
Personal Qualities and Attributes
Those areas that set you apart from others because you are particularly good at listening, questioning, constructively challenging, problem solving or thinking (out of the box) creatively to name just a few.
Achievements
In other words your track record in making improvement, making a difference and contributing more widely to the business.
In truth there is likely to be a lot on your personal balance sheet. The key is to take the time to get clarity so that you can stand out in your accountancy career.