[MUSIC] Today, we'll be talking with Andrew Harding, who is chief executive, management accounting, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. Andrew has had a wide and varied career. Primarily, in recent times, in the field of accountancy. And our first interview is about the professional skills and individual can expect to get from being a member of Andrews Association. What professional skills can they expect to get as they travel through your various courses of education? >> We're looking at a variety of skills, or what we probably now describe as a variety of competences. Which, when they're demonstrated, we would award them a CGMA, Chartered Global Management Account designation. In terms of what those are, they would expect them to be traditional accountants, these skills there, what we would call technical management accounting skills. Those are indeed there. But those are very much a given, very much a fundamental. The important thing is what we add on to that. And the first thing we talk about there is business acumen, understanding how business works, being able to join the dots in business. Seeing if you pull one lever, what's the result? Going beyond that, the next set up of competences, the next set of skills we're looking at are the people skills, how do you interact with people, how do you get the best out of people, how do you influence people? Really, what we are all about is communication, and a management accountant is all about good decision making. It's about analysis, it's about communication. It's about joining dots, so that senior business leaders can make the right decision for the future of that organization, which brings us to the final competence which is about leadership. More and more, we see management accountants growing from that stage, where they're supporting decision making, to the point where they actually become those leaders, and they're making those decisions. So, we would be looking to equip the student with the skills, not just to do the analytics, but to go beyond that. To put it in the context of the business, to deliver the best from the people, and to provide real leadership. >> So, what we've learned from Andrew already is that what was perhaps, traditionally, a more analytical in accountancy. So, looking at different financial statements, and bringing them to life. As the shape and purpose of organizations continues to change, we're learning that they're additional skills that somebody who's joined Andrews Association would also get as part of their training. And Andrew's mentioned communication skills as being really important, decision making as being really important. And also, it was really interesting to hear about the fact that Andrew was saying as an accountant, perhaps, or a similar type of role in an organization, may be expected to aspire to a level of leadership, so being much more involved with influencing organizational direction and strategy. So, if we can through each of those key areas one by one, Andrew. Communication skills, what particular parts would a member of your association expect to focus on when they were looking at communication skills? >> They'd be looking at all aspects of it. But primarily, communicating in a way that influences. But communicating also in a way which is impartial and objective. To do the decision support role, when in business, requires that impartiality. More and more accountants, management accountants, have come after the back office. >> Mm-hm. >> Then our work, alongside managers, they facilitate things day by day, and they help managers make things happen. >> Mm-hm. >> But they need to retain that objectivity, and that impartiality when they're doing that. Too close of a relationship? It can result in giving the answers that are wanted, as opposed to the right answers. So, it is producing reports that support the decision making. It can then be producing presentations that support the decision making. When we're assessing skills now, we do it through case studies. And we do those case studies. On computer and live. So, a typical exam experience is very, very different from what a lot of people are used to. You can be sitting, you have a terminal in front of you, and you will receive an email. >> Right. >> An email will say in 20 minutes time I'd like this, this, and this from you. >> And so, it's real time. >> So, it triggers activity and simulates that work environment. Those are the sorts of communication skills that we're looking at. It's the kind of skills that you would use every day, and can be implemented in your work. >> In the role of a management accountant then, what we've learnt from Andrew is there are a number of key skills, and also these, almost a balancing act, because there's a clear need to remain objective, in terms of the quantitative analysis that needs to be done. But alongside that, there's a need to influence, there's a need to facilitate. There is a need to work along side management, rather than to them. And so, there's some big big changes that Andrew as highlighted for us. And also, a very delicate balancing act that needs to be maintained all of the time. Because Andrew shared with us, it is really, really important as management accountant. To use Andrew's words, you don't get too close. So, that there's, could become a risk of losing that level of objectivity. So, with this balance that you've talked with us about, how is this balance regularly checked in the realities of the workplace? So, being objective at all times, and yet being able to influence and facilitate organizational progress. >> That's a good question, and the reality is it's all about individual businesses organizational culture, and the way in which people behave in the way in which they're expected to behave. So yeah, you will see in the best businesses that objectivity is expected. It's celebrated, and it's embraced. >> Mm-hm. >> I think my advice to someone who's completed their studies, going into their first job is, look at that culture. Because that's going to be important in the way in which you're allowed to work, but also it's going to be important on the impact you're going to have on a business. And from a career perspective, the personal impact that you have is really important. It's important for your job satisfaction, but it's also vital for your career progression. >> And so, would we be right in drawing the conclusion that building collaborative stakeholder relationships is a key ingredient about what needs to done? >> Absolutely, building and maintaining those relationships, and the value that you bring to them. And again, we talked about that, that need for the objectivity. Once that's understood, that's valued by everybody. Because it's, if I'm a manager, if I can trust my management accountant to call me out on a bad decision, that is hugely valuable. And it's much better to be called out by my management accountant in the planning stage, than called out at a board meeting. >> So, the management accountant would also have a role almost like a monitor, and a tracker of things as they're going along. >> A tracker, a tracker, a planner, a strategist. All of those things are part of the role. >> So, under communication, actually, falls a whole number of different variables that a management accountant would need to maintain in the right balance. Thank you, Andrew. [MUSIC]
