I’ve always been a fan of good coaching, and ensuring that our teams in professional services maintain a good coaching culture. Despite this, a single sentence completely changed how I understood the importance of coaching: “One conversation can change a person’s life“ This is something that I first remember hearing on one of the leadership courses I was fortunate enough … [Read more...] about Coaching: the thought that changed my entire perspective
Knee-deep (Standard blogs)
You and your firm: Are you getting as much as they’re taking?
It’s no secret that professional services firms - especially public accounting and law firms - demand a lot from their employees. It’s also common knowledge that, as a young professional working in these firms, you’re unlikely to be paid as much your friends who’ve gone out into industry. So why do people even bother working in professional services? They do it because there’s … [Read more...] about You and your firm: Are you getting as much as they’re taking?
How to move overseas and not hate your life
If you’re anything like me, a young professional working in a globally-recognised field, you’ve probably thought about uprooting your life and moving to a new country. With travel and broadening cultural horizons front of mind, moving overseas with work is a tantalising option. But there’s something that often keeps us from taking that leap of faith: fear. We fear failure. We … [Read more...] about How to move overseas and not hate your life
An introvert’s guide to a world of teamwork
Ask anyone new to the world of work how it’s going, and you’ll no doubt be treated to a lengthy list of growing pains. As a textbook introvert, however, I found the headfirst tumble into the working world to present a challenge I’d never even considered: teamwork. Sure, I’d battled my way through projects at university with the standard set of groupwork headaches, and … [Read more...] about An introvert’s guide to a world of teamwork
Ceding your articles: Jumping ship or broadening horizons?
Ed: 'Articles' refers to a 2-3 year internship done in the legal and accounting professions in some countries, which is required to obtain a certain qualification (e.g. attorney or chartered accountant). It’s the ultimate taboo. Attorneys and accountants alike quake at the very mention of the phrase “ceding my articles." It goes against everything we have been told and all … [Read more...] about Ceding your articles: Jumping ship or broadening horizons?
Searching for greener grass?
Note: This post was originally posted by the author on his personal blog last year. It is reposted here with his permission because we think it’s super relevant to all of you Trench Lifers! Over the last few years, I’ve found myself cautioning those who have left our office in search of something better. “Be careful,” I catch myself telling those who’ve voiced their … [Read more...] about Searching for greener grass?
How to get the performance reviews you deserve
If you’ve spent any time in a professional services firm, you’ll know that it’s a high-performance culture. You’ll also know that the trouble with that is everybody’s definition of “high performance” is different. Whether you’re a young attorney, auditor, consultant, or anything in between, you’ll be all too familiar with having regular performance reviews. Sometimes these … [Read more...] about How to get the performance reviews you deserve