In this episode of Life In Accounting: The Where Accountants Go podcast, Neha Patel, CPA, CISA shares not only how she made partner at Weaver, but how she has led the Women’s Initiative for the entire firm that has (along with the Culture Committee) created a culture that thinks and speaks candidly about ways to create an amazing workplace.
Versatility and Transferability
Neha’s background includes technology audit. Being an Austin Longhorn (University of Texas graduate), the trend at the time was MIS. Neha pursued this as her minor, and she became a rarity because she was an accounting major with a technology background.
Neha is a firm advocate in sharing with others the versatility that comes with a degree in Accounting because of the incredibly transferable skills that accompany it. Her diverse background allowed her to join Weaver as a manager, which is unusual given that Weaver generally grows their management team from within. She has been with Weaver now for almost a decade.
Traits of Supportive Teams
One of the many things that Neha enjoys about her work at Weaver is the opportunity to work within a supportive culture. Neha has noted that a supportive team begins with you and your ability to accurately know yourself. You must know what you need to be to perform at your best. This also includes recognizing when you are stressed and how to diffuse your own stress effectively.
Supportive teams include intuitive, curious, and transparent leaders who know how to lead conversations, even when they are sensitive or require courage on one or both parties to openly share information. As a leader, surround yourself with the right people and make sure it is a diverse group.
A supportive leader can help to establish a transition plan when work and other items may require a longer, or even an indefinite, transition. Naturally transitioning assignments is most effective when the other team members can pick up work from each other, as needed, and then effectively transfer work back also as needed.
Women’s Initiative
Another role that Neha fills at Weaver is the Chair of the Inspire Program. Weaver noticed about five or six years ago that women start leaving accounting around the manager ranks, and Weaver wanted to learn more about what they could do to retain women. After all, women enter the field at a 50/50 ratio with men. This was very important to Weaver’s culture as well as the profession in general. Make sure to check out the Weaver Inspire video out to learn more! It is fascinating, and as the name indicates, truly inspiring!
Other podcasts referenced in this podcast: Sarah Elliott, CPA, ACC – Daring to Dream
To listen in on this interview with Neha Patel, please use the player below:
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