Pub. 2 2020 Issue 4

11 nebraska society of cpas W W W . N E S C P A . O R G aligned amidst multiple priorities and responsibilities. An organized leader will stay calm under pressure and keep others on track toward shared goals and objectives. How do you grow these skills? • Focus on results – Concentrate time and energy on actions needed to move projects forward. Providing and receiving continuous feedbackwill help improve overall performance. Make sure to regularly review and assess results to detect gaps, inefficiencies, or roadblocks, as well as areas that are working well. • Manage time effectively – Prioritize wo r k b a s e d o n d e a d l i ne a nd significance. Then, manage and set expectations with team members and internal and external clients. When making decisions, evaluate and understand the long- and short-term impacts (more on decision-making to follow). • Learn to delegate – Managers who delegate well empower others to grow in confidence and relevance. Delegation increases the amount of client deliverables and teaches team members how to think critically and ask the right questions to complete a task. Giving team members a direct role in successes leads to more engagement and collaboration around future projects and opportunities. What success looks like: Managers who adopt a strategic mindset and develop strong project management skills will be able to evaluate a team’s capabilities, assign the right work to the right members, and keep everyone united around the broader vision of success. As issues or changes arise, the manager will be able to tackle them in a productive and timely manner and keep projects on track with routine updates and progress measurement. Influence & Communication The ability to influence others is vital to professional development. As you achieve higher levels of leadership, you will need to motivate others around a common goal and execute on decisions, big and small. This requires clear communication to get others to embrace the vision. Managers who achieve this skill will be able to make a positive impact on others through persuasion and engagement. How do you grow these skills? • Develop organizational intelligence – There’s the official org chart and then there’s an informal structure. Embrace this multifaceted reality and work within organizational politics to advance initiatives. St rategic networking can help you hone this skill. • Promote yourself – It may seem selfish, but authentic and credible self-promotion can boost visibility for your team and initiatives, lead to greater collaboration, and enhance recognition of value. • Build a foundation of trust – When colleagues trust you, they are more willing to invest fully in a project or goal. Maintaining this trust is a balancing act between toughness and empathy. Push everyone to be their best, but remain sensitive to concerns and feedback. • Read the room – There are a number of different ways to influence others, including reason, inspiration, assertion, and collaboration. You may find that one suits you better overall, but you may need to tap into others depending