Joanna Perry explains why every accounting firm needs a shadow board of younger employees.
Recently, I was training a room of around 70 accounting students and graduates.
Towards the end of the session I decided to ask a question that had nothing to do with the content we’d been covering. I asked: “If you could ask me one question about your career, what would it be?”
The responses were anonymous. I wanted to know what was genuinely on their minds.
I expected questions about AI, technical skills or how to stand out in a competitive market.
Instead, almost half revolved around one theme: How do I transition out of my current role and start my own business?
That surprised me. It surprised me because before they’d built a career, they were already thinking about an exit strategy. I’ve read all the reports about Gen Z. We know they value purpose, autonomy and flexibility. But there’s a difference between reading statistics in a report and standing in front of 70 people watching those questions appear on your screen in real time.
Accounting firms spend an enormous amount of time talking about the next generation yet very little time is spent asking them what they’re actually thinking.
Back in 2015, Gucci created what it called a ‘shadow board’ – a group of younger employees brought together to challenge assumptions and contribute to strategic decisions. The thinking was simple: if you’re trying to sell to a younger generation, perhaps you should involve that generation in the conversation.
Why don’t we do the same thing in accounting?
Every firm already has two boards. There’s the official board sitting around the boardroom table making strategic decisions. Then there’s the unofficial one – the conversations happening over lunch, in the office kitchen and in group chats.
Imagine if every firm created a shadow board made up of graduates and intermediates. A small group that met with leadership a few times a year to offer a perspective that can’t be gained from experience alone.
Before redesigning your graduate programme, ask them. Before wondering why graduates leave after 18 months, ask the people who are still there.
Reflecting on the workshop, I realised the students weren’t really asking how to leave accounting. They were asking how to build something meaningful. They wanted ownership.
They wanted to make decisions. They wanted to feel their ideas mattered.
If accounting wants to remain relevant to the people who will shape its future I think it’s time we stopped guessing what young professionals want and started inviting them into the conversation.
Perhaps the voices in the room that are experiencing the future before anyone else are just as valuable as the voices with the most experience.
- Joanna Perry is a business adviser, educator, international speaker and founder of Firm Ready. A qualified accountant, she lives in Sydney
