All in all a great game of checkers.
Of course I hear you all say, we need the checking to make sure everything is right. 'We have standards to live up to in our profession.' Don't get me started about the checking our Professional Body then does on the work we do! My point is: should we actually be playing checkers? Why don't we play chess?
Chess is a game where different pieces on the board perform different roles, where some pieces like the knight can jump over hurdles and see things from a different perspective. A game where the primary objective is to protect the King - in our case of course the King is our client.
The chess pieces and the way they work together is our organisation structure, with every team member performing a different role in order to give our clients what they want and need in an efficient and supportive way. The chess pieces after all have different strengths and abilities.
In order to protect the King (our client), we as accountants need to help solve our clients' problems and challenges - so that they can achieve their personal and business goals. Yes we need to make sure their accounts are correct but do we really need to do so much checking and rechecking?
I am certain if we asked our clients what they want from their accountant they would ultimately say three things (none of which are more checking)… they want more cash, more time and less stress in their business. We must engage our clients more to understand their needs and give them what they want. We have the expertise and vast experience of what does and doesn't work, and we know what a good business looks like.