4 Ways to Inspire your Accounting Team

​Throughout my career, I’ve always been drawn to inspiration. Inspiration is a powerful fuel that can ignite the heart and mind to do many great things! It helps people perform at higher levels professionally and it can also help them reach their full potential as humans. 

A light bulb of inspiration in the hand of an accountant.

Research shows that inspired employees are more productive, and I think we can all agree colloquially that we have felt that before in roles where we were inspired to do our best work. Inspired teams are highly productive, innovative, strong, and resilient.  For all of us who lead or influence at any level of an organization, we would be wise to consistently stoke the fires of inspiration for our teams.  ​

Let’s take a look at a few effective ways to inspire our teams:

Practice Centeredness
Centeredness is a state of greater mindfulness achieved by engaging all parts of the mind to be fully present.
 
Leaders who practice centeredness create a work environment that fosters trust, collaboration, and effective communication. When it comes to trust in our working relationships, the goal has always been to build high levels of trust within our organizations.
 
A centered leader demonstrates to their team that they are secure, dependable, consistent, poised under pressure, and thoughtful toward the needs of the individuals of the organization. Not only does a leader’s centeredness inspire their team, but it also models for them how they can inspire others. The world always has more room for people who strive to inspire others. Great leaders practice centeredness and inspire everyone around them.
 
Throughout my 30 years in the business world, I’ve seen many folks experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. My admiration and respect have always been given to the leaders who have demonstrated centeredness through it all, as they have stayed the course in making their vision a reality.

Provide a Vision
People are drawn towards a future of hope and possibility.  They want the best for their family, friends, and their professional life. Great leaders inspire people by offering them unlimited amounts of hope and possibility, and by communicating a clear vision of the future.
 
Inspiring leaders provide a clear vision and communicate it with passion. They connect their team's work to a higher purpose, showing how individual efforts contribute to a larger, meaningful goal. When leaders paint a clear picture of an attractive and vibrant future it increases optimism and provides a pathway to shared ambition in reaching the organization's mission. 
 
Walt Disney is one of my favorite examples of a leader who painted pictures of possibility for his team.  He had a desire to create well-loved amusements for children of all ages throughout the world.  Whether it was cartoons, movies, or amusement parks, Walt inspired his teams over the decades to create world class amusements that would enrich the lives of people who experienced them.

Remain Positive
Leaders who inspire offer an attitude that remains resilient and positive in the face of challenges and setbacks. Positive leaders are flexible and quick to adapt.  They can see the good in just about any situation. A leader’s positivity is essential in keeping the momentum of an organization heading in the right direction.
 
While negativity demoralizes, a leader's positive attitude encourages by reducing daily stress for their team and enhancing interpersonal relationships. Positivity releases the team to find solutions and think creatively. Teams who don’t feel dread and look forward to coming to work are more innovative in their thinking, confident in their abilities, and healthier physically and mentally. Employees who have a positive leader experience greater satisfaction in their role and yield higher productivity. 
 
When it comes to leaders who inspire through their positive attitudes, Pete Carroll is at the top of my list. Pete is the head coach for the Seattle Seahawks.  Years ago, I attended one of Pete’s coaching clinics.  I had the opportunity to chat with him and ask him a few questions.  I will never forget how positive Pete was about everything that was asked of him. Positiveness continually flowed out of his person. It’s just a part of how he is hard wired. Pete believes in inspiring people by offering them great enthusiasm as they look to achieve their goals. Great leaders inspire their teams with high levels of optimism and positive attitudes.

Offer Clarity
A leader’s ability to clearly communicate will determine the level of inspiration experienced by their employees. Work environments that lack clarity demotivate individuals and derail overall productivity. Many ambitious leaders are driven to achieve their goals but often leave their teams confused with little direction and a measurement of success. Inspiring leaders offer direction on what people should do, what role they play in achieving goals, and how they can accomplish them. 
 
Clear communication increases employee engagement with their individual work, promotes team building, and fosters trust in the leader. Clear communication requires a leader to keep it simple – the message should be shared quickly and efficiently with simple language that is easy to understand and keeps employees engaged. People should walk away from the meeting with a clear call to action as well as a clearly defined win.  Employees that experience clear communication are inspired and become the champion of the mission of the organization.  Great leaders inspire their teams with high levels of clear communication.
 
Inspiration matters. It can set great leaders and great companies apart from good leaders and good companies. It can help people reach their full human potential to be the very best version of themselves possible. Inspiration provides a win for teams as well as organizations. It can lead people to deliver the highest levels of customer service, find operational efficiencies, create new product/service lines, and improve overall business performance. For these reasons, inspiration should never be underestimated, and leaders can never give enough of it.  Let’s be the type of leaders who are centered, provide pictures of possibilities, offer optimistic attitudes, and deliver clear communication to our teams and organizations. 
 
When you need an accounting leader to inspire your team, look no further than ASP to find an accounting manager for your organization. Our team of accounting recruiters can help you bring in the leadership needed to lead your entry and mid-level staff by example. We are accountants hiring accountants into accounting roles, so no one is better qualified than we are to hire accounting talent at the managerial level. Contact us today to find out more!
 
About the Author
Eric Moore – Practice Manager

​Eric Moore is the Practice Manager of ASP. He brings two decades of progressive experience in Controller, CFO, and General Management roles with privately held companies, and has a broad perspective from working in environments ranging from start-ups to multi-generational mid-market companies with revenue in excess of $100M.
 
Eric holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Washington State University with an emphasis in Accounting and Finance. He is an active community volunteer, serving with various faith and compassion-based organizations for the last 20+ years.

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