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Knowing what you know now, what would you tell your younger self? My advice is to listen to your managers, ask questions, and do not try to resolve all your accounting/auditing problems alone. You are part of a team, and a simple question can make the result of your work better and your life easier.
What are your goals for your first year as a Partner?
To keep up the high quality of service we are providing to the clients that I will be responsible for. This will require some change from being a preparer/reviewer to a coordinator/reviewer. And I want to be part of the team that opens an office in Boston, which will extend the reach of the New York office into the Northeast. This includes increasing the visibility of our firm in Boston area.
What is your biggest success story in your department at Rödl & Partner?
For me, the biggest success is that after 6 years of intense networking in Austria, I made a name for Rödl & Partner USA as well as for myself as a top address for U.S. business competence. As a result, I receive emails and calls from companies, CPAs, and big 4 partners on a regular basis that develop into opportunities and eventually into new clients in many cases.
What has best prepared you for a Partner position?
For me, two major factors that prepared me for a Partner position are first, many years of experience with changing focus areas and changing clients, and second, the professional network I built myself over the last 20 years. It is important to stay connected with people you learned from and with people that learned from you. The hardest and most uncomfortable times in my career where those where I learned the most.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned working in public accounting?
Always keep in mind and take time to understand the "story behind the numbers". It is easy and tempting to get lost in the details. Remaining focused on the big picture and staying curious pays off. Also, take the time to "invest in yourself" and research engagement-specific topics as they arise. Very often, the payoff came faster than expected.
What advice do you have for new staff accountants at the firm?
There are a few pieces of advice. First, don't fall into the <same as last year> SALY trap. A fresh look can provide a steep learning curve opportunity. Second, don't shy away from client interaction, seek it! Lastly, take the initiative and jump into research topics when those opportunities arise - it will make us better professionals down the road.
There are a lot of important things I've learned working in public accounting. Technical knowledge, team building, time management, problem solving, management skills, because you're constantly being faced with all of it daily. Each phase of my career required me to learn new skills, starting with a lot of technical skills in the beginning (that I still need to keep up with today), to managing clients, managing a team, and managing myself.
Why did you join Rödl & Partner, and what has kept you here?
For me Rödl & Partner has always been about camaraderie, teamwork, and the opportunities they offer. I felt like the luckiest person when I received my offer from Rödl & Partner. Working in the US, and for an accounting firm, having to work with numbers and spreadsheets all day, seemed like a dream. Moving here from Germany, the Atlanta office made me feel welcomed right away. I met many of my best friends at Rödl, a lot of them are no longer with us, but the friendships remained. Sometimes I still can't believe that I am now a partner in this firm that I started at, right out of college. Rödl has offered me an amazing career path, allowing me to move to Chicago mid-career, advancing up the ladder quickly. I love the people, and our niche, the German clients, and our growth, which will provide opportunities to everyone, just like it did to me.
What characteristics do you find most important in a leader, and how do you try to embody that?
Leading by example and being a great team player is most important and sharing knowledge and experience with others. Learning from colleagues and clients makes you the person you are and gives you the credibility to act as CPA and trusted client advisor.
You will never stop learning or studying, and there is always someone around that has more experience than you to learn from. Be open minded and listen, follow and remember to ask questions if you are unsure about the solution. Trial and error is too risky in public accounting, and the benefit of a larger firm is to have colleagues assisting.
What has best prepared you for an Associate Partner position?
I have always felt like Rödl has provided me a great support system for development. We have a great team with vast knowledge on various topics within accounting. I feel this has fostered my own growth and provided an environment where I can learn and acquire my own skill set to be able to pass on to others.
What characteristics do you find most important in a leader?
I admire someone who can maintain a sense of calm. The accounting industry can be quire stressful, especially around deadlines. A leader’s demeanor can impact the team’s morale and outlook. It also portrays a sense of confidence not only to your team, but also clients.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned while working in public accounting?
I’d say the most important thing I’ve learned working in public accounting is to be adaptable. This career provides many different opportunities and challenges and being flexible and ready to react is important.
What characteristics do you find most important in a leader, and how do you try to embody them?
To me, the most important characteristic in a leader is the ability to understand your team and tailor your support to what works best for the individual. I do my best to get to know my team and understand what makes them tick and adjust the support I provide them based on their personality.
What characteristics do you find most important in a leader, and how do you try to embody that? Communication and being supportive of team members. I think as a leader, you set the tone for your team and the environment they work in. I try to embody this in several ways. I discuss expectations and provide feedback in a constructive manner. While doing so, I make a conscious effort to acknowledge the work and dedication of those working with me, so they know they are seen and appreciated.
Enjoy your career and appreciate your individual path. Don't let yourself be discouraged by constantly comparing yourself to those around you. Instead, reach out to your coaches and supervisors to seek advice and assurance.
While working in public accounting has certainly improved my analytical skills, critical thinking, and general understanding of the business world, the most important thing I have learned is that you succeed as a team. Collaborating and learning from each other will not only result in the best outcomes for the client and our firm, but also for you individually.
What’s your biggest success story in your department at Rödl & Partner?
In my role as Business Developer, every new and happy BPO, Tax or Attestation client is a success story. For me personally though, it is the trust I gained from my colleagues and how much they value my opinion and interactions with them.
A true leader is somebody with integrity and courage who is able to inspire and empower the people around him or her. That includes teaching and guiding, but also trusting someone else's ability and giving them a chance to complete tasks on their own. A true leader also values and encourages the overall well-being and success of those around, reaching beyond the work environment, and recognizes that we all have an impact on each other and our communities. Truly caring about the people we lead is the way to build long and meaningful relationships that can withstand disagreements or distractions, and to build a place where people can be successful together.
What advice would you give your younger self?
It is good to have a plan, and yet, be prepared for most things in life to not go according to plan; and that is ok. There are lots of experiences to be had, and they all help us grow into the persons we are, and the only thing that really matters is how much we care about one another to make this world just a tiny bit better.
I find that a good leader has integrity, confidence, and empathy. I also believe a good leader is an effective communicator and an accountable coworker. I try to embody a good leader by being honest, transparent, and consistent in my actions and decisions. I try to understand and empathize with the concerns and feelings of my teams to build a positive and supportive work environment. I try to convey my ideas clearly, listen actively, and provide feedback in a constructive manner. I also take responsibility for mine and my team's actions, both successes and failures.
I would tell my younger self that as you continue to move up in this position, then you need to understand that your way is not always the best way, and you cannot do everything yourself. Delegation becomes a key factor in the success in this position. You are surrounded by intelligent and capable colleagues that can help create a successful end product by working together - you just have to allow them to help you.
I would tell my younger self to try to be more patient, listen and observe carefully, learn as much as possible, and take the opportunities when they present themselves. Try to build better relationships with your colleagues and with the clients.
The biggest factor that attracted me to Rödl & Partner was the diverse and international staff. My great colleagues have kept me here - I think there is a great collaborative atmosphere here. The opportunities to learn new things and work with a wide variety of clients has also been a contributing factor.
A good leader must be calm under pressure. Stamina is also important because in our line of business, long hours are common. Delegation and communication with the team is key. Doing a job that I enjoy makes everything achievable.
What are your goals for your first year as an Associate Partner?
My goal is to work closely with my teammates to improve internal communication and further streamline our operation to provide an excellent service to our clients. I would like to improve our performances as a team to increase clients' satisfaction.
Which of the firm’s core values do you associate with the most and why?
I associate myself the most with integrity. I believe that staying truthful to your deepest values is important even when faced with serious consequences for the decisions made. I prefer to live with integrity and not to have to question my choices. In the professional life, it is easy to gain trust of leaders, colleagues, and clients, and successfully advance in the career with integrity in mind.
What are your goals for your first year as a Manager?
My goals for the first year are to demonstrate strong leadership qualities by motivating and guiding younger team members, enhance strong relationships with clients by providing quality service, as well as invest time into professional development.
I associate the most with Accountability. So far during my career I have been given a lot of diversity and volume in work, from multiple managers. Time management and letting your managers know where your assignments stand has been a critical step in managing my workload. I feel that holding myself accountable to my workload and my communication with my managers have allowed me to succeed in my work.
What are your goals for your first year as a Senior Associate?
One of my first goals as new senior associate is to be eager and open to new challenges and opportunity for new work. A second goal I have is to be proficient in my communication and delegation to younger staff. I hope to provide the newer staff with the same type of opportunities and workload that I have been given in the start of my career.
Enjoy the experience and know that it is okay to try and fail so that you can grow. Your teammates at the firm from entry level staff to managing partner are there with you for the journey and are always approachable for questions. Also, I recommend that you finish your CPA exam as quickly as possible!
What challenges do you expect in a Senior Associate role?
I expect to have larger responsibilities of continuing to help run the practice while simultaneously coaching, mentoring, and managing new teammates. Transitioning to a mentor role versus just being the "doer" is the biggest challenge that I am looking forward to tackling head on.
Priscilla Dowling
CPA
Partner
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