Hi all, I understand that this might not fall under the Graduate subtopic exactly, but I can't find a better place to post this. So, here we go...
Below is a short piece that I wrote to submit to my state CPA society's magazine as a contributor. There's no prompt. They accept everything as long as the write-up provides "value and insights" to the accounting industry. This is my first time doing this, so please be gentle! Thanks!
"Perhaps", "allegedly", "presumably", "possibly"- words that I use in my daily language whenever I communicate any financial information to a recipient. While these colloquials are certainly a nod to modern professional euphemism, they are also a direct reflection of my own cultural values and upbringing.
Growing up in a traditional Hong Kong family, I was raised to speak responsibly and conservatively. Always leave room for ambiguity, as it conveniently levitates the burden of delivering false information. It also carries a non-confrontational tone of a suggestion rather than a verified fact that would affect a decision. As my journey progresses as a young professional, however, I begin to recognize that the lack of assertiveness in my communications imposes some surprising challenges in a professional environment. People tend to repeat their inquiries to garner a sense of assurance from me. Or, they would divert to another resource for their concerns due to a growing sense of distrust.
In his New York Times bestseller "Outliers", author Malcom Galdwell penned a chapter to speak on the impact of culture on aviation safety. With multiple notable deadly crashes in the 80's, the South Korean aviation industry has since undergone scrutinies regarding its safety protocols and pilot habits. While the public initially attributed the crashes to poorly trained pilots and outdated planes, Gladwell theorized that the Korean culture and its language were the true culprits behind these unfortunate incidents.
As opposed to the American culture, Korean culture is collectivistic. Koreans employ oblique languages when speaking with the superiors (think less of "you should"; and more "you might want to consider"). Commands then became mere suggestions when they lacked the authoritative undertone. This might sound trivial to some, but safety on a plane can be dwindled into matter of seconds and quick judgements. We finally learned that cultural context mattered in communications, but that lesson came with a heavy price.
Though, thankfully, financial professionals aren't put in charge of safeguarding lives under stressful situations, we serve a profession that values accuracy and informational integrity. As CPAs, our specialized knowledge and skills afford us the privilege to become a resource to many. Whether we're communicating with a tax client, a colleague or even a live audience, it's beyond vital to consider our own cultural influence and how it affects our tone and the delivery of the information.
If you're a young professional like myself who's beginning to establish a presence in a field, be sure to know that the language we use and how we communicate convey confidence, which in turn directly translate to our own personal branding and credibility. That's not to say prudence doesn't have its place in our accounting language; in fact, it's quite the contrary. As our economy continues to globalize, the mastery of balancing culture and effective communications is slowly becoming an essential soft skill to hone for our generation.
Below is a short piece that I wrote to submit to my state CPA society's magazine as a contributor. There's no prompt. They accept everything as long as the write-up provides "value and insights" to the accounting industry. This is my first time doing this, so please be gentle! Thanks!
Yes, No, ...Maybe So? Impact of Culture on the Accounting Profession
"Perhaps", "allegedly", "presumably", "possibly"- words that I use in my daily language whenever I communicate any financial information to a recipient. While these colloquials are certainly a nod to modern professional euphemism, they are also a direct reflection of my own cultural values and upbringing.
Growing up in a traditional Hong Kong family, I was raised to speak responsibly and conservatively. Always leave room for ambiguity, as it conveniently levitates the burden of delivering false information. It also carries a non-confrontational tone of a suggestion rather than a verified fact that would affect a decision. As my journey progresses as a young professional, however, I begin to recognize that the lack of assertiveness in my communications imposes some surprising challenges in a professional environment. People tend to repeat their inquiries to garner a sense of assurance from me. Or, they would divert to another resource for their concerns due to a growing sense of distrust.
In his New York Times bestseller "Outliers", author Malcom Galdwell penned a chapter to speak on the impact of culture on aviation safety. With multiple notable deadly crashes in the 80's, the South Korean aviation industry has since undergone scrutinies regarding its safety protocols and pilot habits. While the public initially attributed the crashes to poorly trained pilots and outdated planes, Gladwell theorized that the Korean culture and its language were the true culprits behind these unfortunate incidents.
As opposed to the American culture, Korean culture is collectivistic. Koreans employ oblique languages when speaking with the superiors (think less of "you should"; and more "you might want to consider"). Commands then became mere suggestions when they lacked the authoritative undertone. This might sound trivial to some, but safety on a plane can be dwindled into matter of seconds and quick judgements. We finally learned that cultural context mattered in communications, but that lesson came with a heavy price.
Though, thankfully, financial professionals aren't put in charge of safeguarding lives under stressful situations, we serve a profession that values accuracy and informational integrity. As CPAs, our specialized knowledge and skills afford us the privilege to become a resource to many. Whether we're communicating with a tax client, a colleague or even a live audience, it's beyond vital to consider our own cultural influence and how it affects our tone and the delivery of the information.
If you're a young professional like myself who's beginning to establish a presence in a field, be sure to know that the language we use and how we communicate convey confidence, which in turn directly translate to our own personal branding and credibility. That's not to say prudence doesn't have its place in our accounting language; in fact, it's quite the contrary. As our economy continues to globalize, the mastery of balancing culture and effective communications is slowly becoming an essential soft skill to hone for our generation.
