{"id":548,"date":"2018-08-27T11:38:36","date_gmt":"2018-08-27T09:38:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sage-new-clone.local\/en-za\/blog\/?p=432"},"modified":"2026-02-05T11:39:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T09:39:59","slug":"curiosity-killed-the-accountant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/curiosity-killed-the-accountant\/","title":{"rendered":"Curiosity killed the accountant"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTrends & Insights<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCuriosity killed the accountant\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Ashley\t\t\t\tAshley Thompson<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The most successful accountants are those who approach the world as a child would. They\u2019re curious about their surroundings, ask questions, and adapt quickly and easily to change. This mindset not only makes them better accountants but also helps them to understand and keep track of their clients\u2019 industries, as well as global trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet the majority of accountants today lack the confidence to adopt this mindset shift. This is preventing them from becoming the trusted advisors their clients desperately need. As a result, they undersell themselves and risk becoming redundant, as technology advancements make it easier for anyone to crunch the numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the view of Brandon Rajah, director of Trailblazers Accountants and Northern Region Chair of the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA), speaking in the latest episode of the Sage #NextGenAccounting podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No longer bean-counters<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The accounting profession \u2013 and the tools that enable it \u2013 have evolved, says Rajah. Historical reporting, while still necessary, is becoming less important. Today, business owners need someone who can help them prepare their business for what comes next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like driving a car,\u201d says Rajah. \u201cYou have to check your rear-view mirror regularly but there\u2019s little you can do about what\u2019s happening behind you. The rear-view mirror occupies a small portion of your vision \u2013 and for good reason. You should be focusing on the windscreen, on what\u2019s happening in front of you. You should be aware of what\u2019s going on around you and ready to react to changes in your environment, like a robot turning green or a car skipping a stop street.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many accountants are still preoccupied with what\u2019s happening in the rear-view mirror, he says. Yet business owners don\u2019t need to be reminded about what\u2019s already happened. They can\u2019t change yesterday\u2019s sales figures and, chances are, they already have the historical data at their fingertips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tools do not a craftsman make<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s because accounting software has become so easy to use that businesses don\u2019t need to hire someone to balance the books anymore \u2013 they can do it themselves. In fact, many tools do a lot of this processing automatically without any human intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why are accountants still so fixated on the tools? It comes down to a lack of confidence, says Rajah. \u201cA hammer and a saw by themselves won\u2019t build a cabinet. It\u2019s how I use those tools and apply my own skill that gives me the end result. Tools are enablers, but they won\u2019t do the work by themselves,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point is this: businesses already have the tools in the form of accounting solutions. What they don\u2019t have, is the skill and knowledge to use those tools to achieve a specific end result. This could be surviving an economic downturn, knowing which markets to target next, or optimising a business\u2019s budget for the next six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where accountants need to step in, says Rajah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dig deep into clients\u2019 businesses<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just as technology and industries are constantly evolving and adapting to changes in the environment, so should accountants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t be an advisor if you have your head in the sand. You need to turn on your radar and become more aware of what\u2019s happening, not only in your clients\u2019 businesses but in their industry, the local economy and the world. If you have a few retail clients, create a news alert that delivers industry news to your mailbox every morning; attend industry conferences; deeply understand the internal factors that affect their businesses, as well as external forces they have no control over, like the exchange rate, strikes in the logistics industry, or increases in the fuel price. When you understand what\u2019s happening now and what\u2019s likely to happen in future, you\u2019re better positioned to advise your clients about how to react,\u201d says Rajah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A study by the International Federation of Accountants found that accountants are the most trusted advisors to Small and Medium Businesses. Yet, to be in a position to advise, you need to come from a position of knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not the strongest who survive; it\u2019s the curious. The ones who ask the right questions, who experiment, who explore the unknown, who absorb everything around them \u2013 much like children do,\u201d says Rajah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best accountants do all this but go a step further to help their clients understand what this change means for their businesses, and how they can adapt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mindset shift<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To become trusted advisors, accountants should become relentless in their pursuit of knowledge, says Rajah.\u00a0It\u2019s not enough to be adept at an accounting package. Accountants need to apply the results produced by the software to what\u2019s going on in the world and figure out how their clients can deal with future disruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAccounting practices need to adapt to these new customer demands. If they\u2019re not sure how, they should consider hiring younger talent, who are used to change and better able to adapt. They bring innovation, creativity and curiosity to the industry and could be just what an established firm needs to get out of a rut.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rajah cautions, however, that accounting graduates should not be fooled into thinking that they have the most recent knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYesterday\u2019s knowledge will not help with tomorrow\u2019s problems. Learning doesn\u2019t end when you finish college. It never ends. The sooner novice and experienced accountants commit to lifelong learning, the better advisors they\u2019ll become.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One last, underrated skill that Rajah touches on is the power of human connection. Being able to really listen to clients and hold engaging face-to-face conversations is a rare but valuable skill for accountants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe forget that the work we do impacts people\u2019s lives. Our clients aren\u2019t businesses. They\u2019re people, with families and bonds to pay. We help them to look after those interests by being proactive, foreseeing what might happen and preparing them for action. And that\u2019s something technology can\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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