Why the future belongs to those who listen
11th August, 2017
In an age where the rate of change is rapid, it’s those who listen and share who will be placed to meet the challenges this presents head on.
According to noted futurist Ray Kurzweil, in the first 14 years of this century we made as much technological progress as we did in the entire previous century.
From 2014 to 2021, we’ll make that much progress again. By 2030, we’ll be packing in a century’s worth of technological change into the space of four months.
If you stop and think about that, it’s daunting.
Few other industries are about to see this play out as much as the accounting industry – which is why it’s vital we as individuals in the industry share ideas and listen to each other.
Earlier this week we launched the industry-first BEYOND program – a place where young accountants can share ideas, learn, listen, and grow.
It’s an advisory portal where the ideas of the next generation of accountants – the ones facing an unprecedented rate of change in their industry – can contribute their ideas on the future and engage with others.
There will be free training, thought-provoking articles, tailored content and VIP invites to behind-the-scenes experiences – but more than all that it’s a way to start a conversation.
At MYOB our vision is that we help businesses succeed, so everything every one of us does every day is aligned to that.
We know that an integral part of that mission is working with their trusted advisors.
It’s about us working with accountants and making sure we empower them with the information that enables them to have an impact on their clients’ lives.
Part of what we’ve been working on with the BEYOND program is asking ourselves how we start a conversation about the future of the accounting profession.
But, we just want to start the conversation.
While we’ll be present in the conversation, we don’t want the conversation to be about us.
We want it to be about the next generation of accountants.
We want it to be about them swapping and sharing ideas, learning from one another, and growing as individuals who are part of an industry which is undergoing rapid change.
What do the accountants of tomorrow think are the major trends which will shape the industry?
What do they think about blockchain? How do they think technology is going to shape client interaction? What role is AI going to play in the working life of an accountant?
We’ve got ideas about all of those, but they’re questions those just starting their journey in the industry are going to need to confront in the coming years.
It’s why we want to foster a conversation.
We’ll also be able to listen to the conversation, and then provide tools and support to help young accountants on their journey where we can.
It’s through sharing ideas, growing and learning from one another and being better at listening than telling that we’ll all be able to cope with rapid change in the industry.
We’ll be able to harness that and move forward and really redefine our industry in a very positive way – not just for us in the industry but for all the clients who rely on us.
That’s what we’re really trying to start with BEYOND.
We really want to have that conversation, we want to listen, be a part of it, and we want to make sure that everybody can learn and grow together.