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What advice do you have for new staff accountants at the firm?
Stay focused, resilient, and positive. Public accounting is like drinking from a fire hose, especially early on when you're first getting started. So, work hard but recognize that you can't learn everything in a day. Don't get discouraged when you make mistakes. We all make them. Learn from them and move on. Don't get frustrated when complex things are hard to understand. Keep trying and it will come to you. Don't ever be afraid to ask for help, and always be quick to help someone else when they need it. Try to think productively about things, especially problems and difficulties. Don't give in to a negative mindset. For every challenge you face, find the positive or upside and focus on that. Your experience here at Rödl & Partner will largely be what you make of it. So, make it great!
What are your goals for your first year as a manager?
One of the most rewarding things for me has been the opportunity to work with training and development of new staff and interns. As I transition into a manager role, my goal is to enhance these efforts by also helping experienced staff grow in their ability to train and develop those they work with. As they build this skill set, it will both help them advance their own careers and exponentially expand and deepen our team's capacity.
Which of the firm's core values do you associate with the most and why? (ACHIEVE: Accountability, Competence, Humility, Integrity, Efficiency, Veracity, and Excellence)
I associate the most with integrity. I have always felt that it was very important to do the right thing regardless of whether someone knows what you are doing. I try to implement that with our clients and prepare tax returns or provisions understanding that they may not know the details of what I have done, but I can feel satisfied knowing that I have done the correct thing to the best of my ability.
How do you feel like your experience at Rödl & Partner has prepared you for a manager position?
Working at Rödl & Partner, I have had many fine examples of competent and effective leaders. I hope to use their example as I grow and develop as a manager.
Since beginning in 2017, I have had the privilege of working with very skilled colleagues in both audit and tax. My colleagues have invested their time in my future, and at an early stage in my career, had given me exposure to a variety of different tax and audit tasks. Through the exposure and knowledge I have obtained, it has prepared me in my involvement on more complex tasks and audits. I am thankful for the exposure and will continue to learn from my colleagues.
Focus on the "why" of tasks assigned and how the task relates to accounting guidelines/tax law. Rather than reperforming the task as it was done in the prior year, give some thought to the goal of the task.
Looking back at my internship and to when I first started full-time, I have learned so much, and I keep learning something new each day. I started with preparing small tax returns and am now writing tax memos and review tax returns others prepared. It was a gradual process that was challenging but encouraged me to learn and grow. The work at Rödl & Partner has a variety that I enjoy and that helps you build a wide range of knowledge. In addition, my team members and colleagues all over the firm support each other and build an environment in which you are not afraid to ask questions and in which you celebrate achievements together.
What challenges do you expect in a manager role?
To coordinate growing more into a tax consultant role while managing tax return reviews and helping colleagues to learn and grow as well will be a challenge. The manager role involves a bigger responsibility but also the chance to get to know and help more colleagues all over the firm to provide the best service to our clients.
What is your biggest success story in your department at Rödl & Partner?
In 2019, I was asked to participate in the Knowledge Coach and TeamMate Analytics pilot groups. At the time, I had very little idea of what that would entail, but I was honored and excited for the opportunity to help our firm grow with the implementation of both software applications. My work with the champions for KC and TMA did so much to improve my skills as an auditor and gave me the opportunity to work with and learn from individuals in all our offices.
Since day one I've had coaches, seniors, and partners taking time to teach me and help me develop as an associate. I'm happy with the opportunities I've been given to this point and with what I've learned from both my successes and my setbacks, and I believe my experiences to this point have been crucial in preparing me for my role as manager.
Which of the firm's core values do you associate with the most and why?
(ACHIEVE: Accountability, Competence, Humility, Integrity, Efficiency, Veracity, and Excellence)
My goal is to continue immerse myself as a leader in our office's 401k practice and to be one of the main leaders involved in the training of the younger staff in our office.
Ask questions and take notes! I find it is beneficial to write down meeting notes, tax rules or simply some tips in using the software because you can always go back to your notes to refresh the memories or even comprehend them in a new level. Our firm also has various training materials that I keep in my computer and read occasionally. It is extremely helpful when you read the materials that are relevant to what you are working on.
While the learning curve in the Transaction Services (TS) department is pretty steep and requires one to spend years honing their analytical and interviewing skills, 2021 was a year of tremendous and quick learning. A record year in terms of deal volume coincided with my last two CPA exams and the onboarding of two new colleagues in the department. Due to the time-crunch we were in, training and working together with these two new associates was a challenging yet extremely rewarding experience. It allowed me to start developing managerial skills while making me looking forward to further sharing the experience and knowledge I had the privilege of gathering during the last five years in the TS team.
"I know that I know nothing" was supposedly said by the Greek philosopher Socrates. It is a pretty neat paradox but also a great attitude to have when discovering the world of public accounting. Make it your goal to learn as much as possible and never refrain from asking a question or taking on a new assignment. Confidence and competence that'll last a lifetime will come from these early efforts.
I believe the biggest challenges in a manager role surround managing personnel. There are a lot of new colleagues in our office; therefore, I really want to understand their working styles and what motivates them. I would like to do whatever I can to become a better motivator and ensure my colleagues feel appreciated. I truly want to see my peers succeed and be happy during that process. If there is anything that I can do to facilitate this, I will be happy to do it. People are truly our best asset.
My main goal is that I learn the best ways to manage my team. I am looking forward to working with my colleagues and growing the practice together. As I begin to work and learn more about my colleagues, I can really hone in on the best management styles to use as we go into our next busy seasons. Furthermore, I hope that I can work on enhancing my technical skills regarding the more complex topics. As I begin to improve in this area, I hope that I can teach more experienced staff to begin first reviewing.
My advice to new staff is to be patient with yourself in the learning process. Experience will teach you things you didn't know to ask. Demonstrate that you are thinking about the content and the process of the tasks assigned to you and show that you are trying to apply what you have learned to the next assignment.
Every time I realize that clients are satisfied and appreciate our hard work, and I learn something new from projects and events.
Clear what you are expected to accomplish regarding assigned tasks, and always ask questions and take notes if needed. Understand what you are doing rather than simply follow what others did previously. Prioritize tasks and constantly communicate with your manager to ensure meet deadlines.
What are your goals for your first year as a Senior Associate?
My goal for the first year is to expand my knowledge in taxation and find niche area that I can become an expert. Additionally, I hope to be a valuable resource for younger staff and clients.
How do you feel like your experience at Rödl & Partner has prepared you for a Senior Associate position?
From day one, I was advised to take ownership over my work. Those work products grew over time from handling & analyzing the data room content to leading projects and management calls. This mindset of owning the process at every stage accelerated my growth and prepared me for my new position.
Same as I was told when I started: Ask questions and be mindful when performing tasks. Ask yourself how a certain task fits into the larger scheme of things instead of simply working off tasks without understanding the "why" behind it.
The core value that most resonates with me is definitely humility. For everything I have accomplished at the firm, I owe a debt of gratitude to my seniors, managers, and partners, and I must thank them for helping me get here. I always have been able to ask for help or advice. It is critical to me that our firm acknowledges the importance of teamwork in order to thrive, and everyone benefits when we approach our work this manner.
My main goal is to keep growing, learning, and motivating others to do the same as we all grow as a team. Provide support and guidance to our clients, build relationships with them, and become their first point of contact.
published December 2021
Priscilla Dowling
CPA
Partner
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