Leadership Theories Applied to an Accounting Career Journey

Introduction: Leadership Frameworks as Personal Mirrors

Peter Northouse, in his book Leadership: Theory and Practice, and Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal, in their book Reframing Organizations, can each help us understand the ways in which we can assume greater leadership within our own lives and thereby achieve more of what we want. By asking us to examine the nature of relationships among individuals in our workplaces — as Northouse does — and by asking us to consider how we present ourselves to others — as Bolman and Deal do in their section on the symbolic framing of our actions — I have been able to come to terms with what I once saw as my own shortcomings. Rather than viewing these attributes as personal failures, I am now better able to understand them as parts of myself that I can use to achieve my goals.

I believe my story begins in a way typical of many people in business: I was young and a typical "follower." I was focused on preparing myself for my goal — working at a Big Eight accounting firm — and was determined to make partner as quickly as possible. I prepared for this goal by working in the finance department of a bank throughout my time as an undergraduate (where I majored in accounting, as I believed was expected of me) and graduate studies (where I pursued an MBA, which I also believed was expected of me) in Texas.

Starting Out: A Follower's Mindset in a Corporate Firm

As I recall, I did not think I possessed any of the leadership traits defined in Northouse's book. Although I had a very clear career goal in mind and was building a path toward it, I thought naively that if I finished my studies with top rankings, it would be natural to enter a prestigious accounting firm, get married, and become a happy career wife and mother one day. I was following the path of least resistance in many ways, firmly convinced that following the rules would get me to where I wanted to be.

This is a flaw common to many young people: the idea that if we simply do exactly what we are told and follow an established path, we will receive our just rewards.

After completing my academic studies and passing the CPA qualifying exam, I was offered a position at PricewaterhouseCoopers. I began working as a first-year audit staff member. I was determined to do a good job in that role but was also determined to become a leader and to succeed at my firm. I had learned about many different leadership theories in class and through assigned readings; however, I was not able to apply any of them at that point in my career, largely because I was convinced that the only way to succeed was to avoid making too many waves. The firm's culture expected me to be a good follower, and this accorded with lessons I had been taught since elementary school.

Structural Leadership and Corporate Constraints at PricewaterhouseCoopers

Looking back, I think my team leader at that time — we were assigned to different audit engagements throughout the year — was very much a "structural frame" person, to use Bolman and Deal's model. He did demonstrate some leadership traits to a certain extent, including confidence, articulateness, and determination. However, he also lacked key attributes of a great leader, including humanity and the ability to understand the personal needs of his audit staff. I did not want to play the gender, race, or age card when difficult situations arose with clients or between coworkers, but those factors were clearly a problem for him. I knew my weaknesses. But I also had a number of strengths — strong technical and accounting skills, good language skills, and fluency in Chinese — and with a large company like PricewaterhouseCoopers, I was not given the chance to demonstrate them.

In such a corporate system, junior staff members simply have to do what they are told and complete only one section of the financial statement at a time. You can only work on certain sections of an audit at each level. In other words, it does not matter how skilled or efficient you are — you cannot be part of the upper echelon until it is your time and you have paid your dues.

Because the company had mostly large-name clients — Disney, for example — there was also a degree of disadvantage for employees whose first language was not English, which further limited my ability to demonstrate my strengths. As for company politics, I suppose the situation is the same across most professions: we are not necessarily rewarded for our strengths or even for doing what we are told. From scheduling to promotion, I felt it would be futile to spend my time and energy fighting the system or the culture of the company, even though those policies left me frustrated. That is why I submitted my resignation the moment I was certified by the board of accountancy, which gave me the legal right to open my own accounting practice.