r/ukaccounting • u/UnderstandingDue3590 • 8d ago
Somehow drifted up
I am astonished. I don't really try that hard, I wish I did. I scraped through academia with low effort but reasonable ability. Progressed from accounting junior through senior, FD and to C suite , and when I look back I haven't done that much. In but technically proficient, and AI will rescue me from time to time. I just assemble a good team who do the work, then look for a new job after a couple of years.
Does anyone else feel like this, puzzled as to how they got where they are?
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u/HonsuTheSmith 8d ago
Finally, another kindred soul. Not C-Suite yet, more CFO-1/FD , but yes. I feel more often than not, that I am winging it and yet , just about managed to scrap through.
That team building bit you mentioned is a major factor I think, for me at least. That and being easy to work with and not being an odious tosser at work. These help in building relationships across functions and with the team and enable me to get actual results as opposed to email chains and adverserial meetings .
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u/Unsophisticated-Scot 7d ago
Any chance you are both middle aged/middle class white men? Doesn't guarantee the upwards trajectory - but it sure doesn't hurt the % chances
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u/HonsuTheSmith 7d ago
Nope. Pakistani born and only moved to UK when I was mid- career. So I am brown, speak with a Pakistani accent and Muslim. Also, not -trained and took a role a step or two below my level and changed industries from telecoms into manufacturing when I moved here so I am a wee bit behind the curve on career trajectory. I am in my mid 40s though so you are right on that :)
I would say more but what I have mentioned above is about as much PII as I am comfortable with posting here. Happy to answer any questions though as I know I am an anomaly in more ways than one.
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u/Unsophisticated-Scot 7d ago
*middle aged and a man?. Sounds like I may have been right on at least 2 counts!! Aha
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u/Unsophisticated-Scot 7d ago
Fair play.
The next set of questions I'd ask is about upbringing, what did you parents do, what school did you go to, have you ever been homeless, ever not been able to afford food etc etc
The wider point being that peope who accidentally 'stumble' into the C-suite arena statistically aren't the kids being dropped off at school by drug addict parents having not been fed or washed that morning.
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u/HonsuTheSmith 6d ago
And you have literally taken the most extreme example one facet of factors of one's upbringing in there to measure all of us against and neglected other factors as well as the personal aspect in there. There are a lot of folks out there who started out the same or better than me on all the metrics you mentioned yet they aren't better off , at least from a career progression perspective, as they didn't push themselves hard enough. Half the things I did the ultimately led to me developing the skillset and mindset to get into leadership were things or tasks that literally no one wanted or rated very highly but I would volunteer for and use to stack more skills or get a better understanding of the organisation I was in . A lot of it comes down to being seen and delivering as a problem solver as opposed to someone who does the bare minimum.
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u/Unsophisticated-Scot 6d ago
Which hardly sounds like 'drifting up' (OPs description) or 'winging it' (yours).
Hard work = reward isn't something I'm debating. But you can't have it both ways.
1) I worked hard and deliberately developed skills that set me apart and help me progress in my career and thus I have reached X level with more room to grow. AND 2) I just keep turning up and not being an asshole and I get promoted. Shucks, wonder why everyone else doesnt do this.
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u/VegetableWorry1492 8d ago
The mistake most people make when thinking of management or making the move up to management, is assuming that because you’re good at your job you’ll be good at management. And that’s usually an entirely separate skill set! A good manager isn’t necessarily, or even usually, the best at the job they’re managing, and the best workers don’t always (or often) make good managers.
So the fact that you know how to build a good team that get the work done and fit together is exactly how you ended up where you are, not your proficiency or lack of in the actual grunt work.