Making a
Comeback
Pg 4
Leaders in the
Making
Pg 8
Issue 2, June 2010
Connection is Key
Six Ways For Students to Network
By Meg Walker
“Communication—the human connection—is the
key to personal and career success,” claimed Paul J.
Meyer, the late businessman who, after becoming a
millionaire at age 27, devoted his life to training other
business leaders.
These days, more and more people recognize the importance of networking, not only as a means of boosting
your career, but for overall happiness. Finding the time
to build connections can lead to reduced stress, increased
motivation and improved collegiality.
For students busy working toward a CGA designation, developing connections with other accountants
and accounting students can make a big difference.
You might find valuable study partners, make life-long
friends, or develop professional connections that could
be invaluable to you in the future.
While some of your connections with other students
happen almost automatically as you go through the CGA
program, there are additional networking opportunities
available exclusively to CGA students based on your
needs, availability, and location.
Connecting Offline
Chapter student nights
CGA-BC students are grouped by their home address
and affiliated with one of the 15 Chapters in BC or the
Yukon. Run by volunteer CGAs, each chapter sponsors a range of events such as information seminars,
Joanne Reid, Manager, Student Services; Cindi Choi, CGA, Manager, Chan & Company;
Cynthia Ainslie, Student Services Career Counsellor.
Welcome to ‘Connections’!
In the February issue of this newspaper, CGA-BC announced a contest to
re-name its flagship student publication. Previously it had been called ‘Sessions’
but after undergoing a significant re-design, a new name was warranted to better
reflect the new format and expanded content.
Over twenty-five entries were shortlisted for consideration before Alejandro
Adams’ entry was declared the winner. ‘Connections’ encapsulates what this
newspaper will strive to achieve and reflects our hope that it can serve as another
forum for the exchange of ideas and information among CGA students.
As the contest winner, Alejandro received a CGA Stormtech jacket along with
other CGA merchandise and prizes. Congratulations, Alejandro!
Continued on Page 8
CONNECTIONS
Publisher’s Message
all, it reflects our belief that all of you are truly leaders in the
making, as well as what we hope Connections can achieve
among the almost 5,000 students currently enrolled in the
CGA program. To that end, our cover story in this issue features an overview of the many different programs, services and
resources that are available to you to assist you in connecting
with your fellow students. We hope that by facilitating communication, each of you can enjoy a more rewarding student
experience, and through mutual cooperation you can achieve
greater success in your studies.
Connections Staff:
Publisher:
Bill Johnson, FCGA
bjohnson@cga-bc.org
On behalf of the entire Student Services Team, I wish you
all the best this summer. As always, your comments, suggestions and ideas are always welcome and we look forward to
hearing from you.
Director of Communications:
Edward Downing
edowning@cga-bc.org
Sincerely,
Managing Editor:
Patrick Schryburt
pschryburt@cga-bc.org
Art Director:
Trevor Hargreaves
thargreaves@cga-bc.org
Bill Johnson, FCGA
Director, Education & Student Services
Advertising Co-ordinator:
Pardeep Clair
pclair@cga-bc.org
Contributors:
Meg Walker, Tamara Letkeman, Andrea Redmond, Patricia Crisafulli, Jean Kelley, Jordan
Devine, Kirsty Peng, Lisa Haisha
Advertising:
For advertising rates, contact Pardeep Clair at
(604) 730-6228.
Connections is the premier way to contact
BC’s CGA students.
Connections is published four times a year by
the Certified General Accountants Association
of British Columbia and is sent to more than
5,000 CGA students. Opinions expressed are
not necessarily endorsed by CGA-BC. Copyright CGA-BC 2010.
Articles, enquiries and letters should be sent
by email with the subject header “Connections Newspaper” to connections@cga-bc.
org. Mail should be addressed: Connections
Newspaper CGA-BC, 300-1867 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, V6J 5L4
(604) 732-1211, (800) 565-1211
Every season has its own unique demarcation points, often
consisting of the many small elements of change that best
encompass what that particular time of year feels like. For
spring, it is often the point in the calendar that most clearly
feels likes a time of change, embodying a spirit of growth and
re-birth. It seems fitting therefore that this issue will be our
first under a new banner.
In February we redesigned the student publication that
was formerly called ‘Sessions’ and published quarterly in
Outlook magazine. In doing so, we always kept one thing in
mind: This is not our newspaper, it is yours. So, we launched
a contest allowing you to re-name the publication. The entries
poured in and, after much consideration, it gives me great
pleasure to christen this newspaper ‘Connections’!
We feel strongly that the tag line ‘Connecting Tomorrow’s
Leaders’ is a fitting description for all CGA students. After
Contest Winner - Alejandro Adams
Table of Contents
01 Connection is Key
04
Making a Comeback
08
Leaders in the Making
02 Publisher’s Message
05
Don’t Hit Send!
09
My Mentorship Story
06
Dos and Don’ts of Public
Practice
10
Overcome Your “Comfort
Addiction“
Six ways for students to network.
Welcome to the new and improved Connections newspaper.
Accounting
03 Captivating
Careers
Three myth-busting CGA students on
the jobs they love.
6 Strategies to overcome your
professional setback and define success on your own terms.
Avoid these common e-mail pet
peeves.
A Q & A with Tina Peters.
Five CGA students with bright futures.
Mentoring connections mentee.
Once and for all.
2
Captivating Accounting
Careers
Three Myth-Busting CGA Students on the Jobs They Love
By Tamara Letkeman
Hunched over a keyboard crunching numbers all day? Not these new-school, world-wise, and career-savvy accounting aces. Faster
than a dividing fraction, more powerful than an acid test ratio, and able to balance the books in a single keystroke, these three myth
busters dish on the jobs they love, and how CGA-BC is helping them achieve their dreams.
Zàhra Kawa
Senior Accountant, The Ledcor Group of Companies
Suman Roy
Internal Auditor, Yukon Government
Alex Kihoon Jo
Strategy Consultant, Deloitte & Touche LLP
As a little girl, Zàhra Kawa had big dreams of following her father’s footsteps and becoming an electronics engineer. Back then, the Afghanistan-born, India-raised Kawa
never envisioned that one day she’d be working for mega
engineering-and-construction conglomerate The Ledcor
Group of Companies, in Canada.
The mere whisper of the term “internal auditor” is
enough to send legions of managers diving behind the copy
machine to take cover. But Suman Roy assures us he’s not
out to uncover wrongdoing.
You could say that Alex Kihoon Jo is a high flyer. For
the past ten years, the strategy consultant with Deloitte &
Touche has travelled to such far-flung places as Iran, Uzbekistan, Dubai, Japan, and Korea to advise companies on
how to improve their performance and maximize growth.
“I never thought I’d work in industry,” says the senior
accountant at Ledcor, who’d previously worked at a public
practice in London, Ont. “But then I moved to Vancouver and started in industry, and I have to admit that it is
definitely more interesting, challenging and dynamic than
public practice.”
At Ledcor, Kawa prepares and consolidates financial
statements, assembles the monthly performance reports and
divisional reporting package, and manages the month-end
close process. She says that from an industry, business, and
accounting standards perspective, one of her biggest challenges is the need to be constantly aware of anything that
has implications in her area, and to be on top of continual
professional development.
“I think that’s what makes it more interesting. Every
day is a different day and you get to learn something new.”
If she weren’t busy enough, at the same time Kawa’s
completing both her CGA and Laurentian University’s
Honours Bachelor of Commerce program, a course of study
tailored to CGA students. Kawa applauds the CGA program
for helping her build a strong mix of technical knowledge,
knowledge of IT and information systems, as well as
problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills—all
of which she’s been able to put to good use at her job.
“I saw a significant difference in my performance overall, in a really positive way,” she says. “I’m really grateful
that I chose this program.”
“The perception is that you’re going out there to find
out what’s wrong and then make a report,” admits Roy,
internal auditor with the Yukon government. “But my job is
to help people find out how things might be done better, in
the sense that if there are risks in what they are doing, how
to mitigate those risks.”
Despite his job title’s reputation, Roy says he loves
working in internal auditing for the variety it offers. It’s a
big step up from working in accounting, which he describes
as “a bit narrow.”
“You just do accounting,” he explains. “But in internal
auditing, you get to see the operations as well. You could do
IT—you can do lots of things—then you specialize in what
interests you.”
Roy holds a CPA from the U.S. and a CA from India,
but decided to go for his CGA when he began working for
the government in Canada. Out of all the accounting designations, he says he’s found the CGA to be the most flexible,
and the one that’s most likely to take him to the next level.
“When I’m looking for other opportunities in government, having a CGA would be a big help in my career.”
In the meantime, the Calgary transplant says he doesn’t
miss the big city, though he and his spouse have had to
make some adjustments to life in the North.
“You don’t have as many shopping malls here,” he says.
“It’s something my wife is griping about.”
“It’s like being a doctor for the company, a doctor for
the CEO, a doctor for sales.”
It’s an apt metaphor for Jo, a former med student who
dropped out because he couldn’t stand the sight of blood.
“I hate it!” he exclaims.
Despite the exotic locales, travel is not what Jo likes
best about his job—it’s his clients, and what he can learn
from them. “They expand my views on different industries,
different tasks, so I can expand my learning and my knowledge. That’s a very good thing.”
“When I was young it was fun,” he admits. “But since
I’ve had a family, it’s been a little hard for me.”
At the age of 38, Jo is accomplished and well-educated,
with an MBA and CMA under his belt, as well as stints
working in the U.S. Department of Commerce and Samsung Electronics before joining Deloitte. Jo decided to go
for his CGA to up his game.
“Having more designations brings more prestige,” he
explains. “Also, CGA is the fastest growing accounting
designation, and it is getting recognized internationally.”
In the future, Jo plans to open his own managing and accounting corporate practice in Vancouver, which would put
his jet-setting days pretty much behind him. But he relishes
the chance to spend more time with his wife and children.
3
Making a Comeback
Six Strategies to Overcome Your Professional Setback
and Define Success on Your Own Terms
By Andrea Redmond and Patricia Crisafulli
In life, no one gets off this planet unscathed. Whether personal or professional, setbacks will happen. How well someone makes a comeback, however, depends
upon several factors, from resilience to
defining success according to your terms.
The good news is that these qualities and
skills can be acquired and learned, and
with a support system become even more
effective.
In today’s world, awareness of professional setbacks—the loss of a job whether
due to layoffs or being fired or asked to
resign—is increasing, from high profile
executives losing their jobs to layoffs
and job loss for all levels of workers. It
doesn’t matter whether you work in a
small company, large corporation, on a
factory line, or in a corner office, leaving
a job not of your own accord is one of
the most difficult challenges most people
face.
Even some of the nation’s most well
known CEOs who were asked to resign,
often for reasons beyond their control,
were caught completely off guard. Two
such leaders are David Neelman, founder
and former CEO of JetBlue Airways, and
Jacques Nasser, former president and
CEO of Ford Motor Company.
When Neelman was asked by his
board to resign in May 2007, following
weather-related delays that stranded passengers on the tarmac—an unfortunate
event that was beyond Neeleman’s control, but for which he took responsibility
as the CEO—he called the move “shocking.” “I felt like I was sucker-punched,”
Neeleman describes.
Nasser, who was president and CEO
of Ford Motor Company from 1999 until
2001, was asked to step down as the auto
industry faced challenges due to a souring economy. After thirty years with the
company, his leadership suddenly came to
an end. “It was a huge surprise,” he says
simply.
Both executives, however, were able
to make very successful comebacks. After
JetBlue, Neeleman decided to take his
idea for a regional air carrier with a high
degree of customer service to a new market—Brazil—where he found the highly
successful Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras.
In time, Nasser went on to become an
executive partner in the highly successful
private equity firm One Equity Partners,
and today is chairman of BHP Billiton,
the world’s largest natural resources
company.
How did they make their comebacks?
Although all leaders have strategies and
philosophies that are unique to them,
common themes emerge that can lead not
only to a comeback, but potentially an
even better outcome than ever anticipated.
1. Understand that often it’s not about
you.
6. Don’t be limited by someone else’s
definition of success.
Professional setbacks often occur
because a company is in the midst of a
transition. A division may be closed down
or pared back, which results in layoffs. Or
a new CEO has been brought in who now
wants his/her own team. Being let go may
not be about you or your performance at
all. Although the pain and disappointment
are yours, you are not the only one who
has endured this kind of setback. You are
not alone. Find the peace that comes with
“I did my best;” learn whatever lessons
there are to be learned, embrace change,
and move on.
You are in charge of your own success. What that looks like and feels like
is up to you. Don’t be limited by believing that success is only achievable if you
repeat the past. The future is wide open,
and it’s very possible that—even in spite
of a setback—in your comeback, the best
is yet to be.
2. Take some time off and think about
what you want.
Even if you have faced a professional
setback in the past year, whether or not it
was in your control, you can take control
of how you recover. Reflect on your next
steps, build your support system of allies,
remain open to new possibilities and
define success for yourself. You might be
surprised at the comeback you make.
About the Authors:
Andrea Redmond and Patricia
Crisafulli are the authors of Comebacks: Powerful Lessons from Leaders
who Suffered Setbacks and Recaptured
Success on Their Terms (Jossey-Bass,
2010). Redmond is a well-regarded
consultant who works with select clients
including corporate boards, CEOs, and
private investors on executive recruiting,
management assessment, and succession needs. Crisafulli is an accomplished
writer, ghost-writer, and author who
has written numerous books, including
The House of Dimon. Read more about
them at www.AndreaRedmond.com and
www.PatriciaCrisafulli.com. Find out
more about the book at comebacksbook.
wordpress.com.
This step is often the hardest for
people, particularly because of financial
worries or concerns about when you will
get your next job. But if you try to transition too fast you may be tempted to jump
at the first opportunity that comes along
instead of choosing where you want to go.
Taking even a short break for discernment
will help you stage a better and stronger
comeback. Even if the break has to be
only overnight, make sure that in your
downtime you take some time for some
real self-reflection. What’s important to
you now, time or money? Do you thrive
in a large organization or small organization? How have your dreams changed?
Although this event was done to you, you
are still the one who decides now.
3.
Rally your allies.
Whether friends, family members, or
close associates, your allies are the ones
who will help you through the transition
and find your way forward. It may very
well be through them and their connections that you begin to network your way
into a new position.
4. What made you successful before
will make you successful again.
Just as your unique talents led to your
previous success, these abilities will help
you achieve your career goals in the future. Know what these qualities are. Own
your past accomplishments. This process
will help you communicate the value you
bring to your next employer.
5.
Be open to new possibilities.
Your next position after a setback may
be on the same path, or you may see your
transition as an opportunity to pursue another career track. What is it that you’ve
always wanted to do but never allowed
yourself the opportunity to explore?
Maybe now is the time to try something
new. What do you want Act II of your life
to look like?
4
Don’t Hit Send!
Avoid These Common E-mail Pet Peeves
By Jean Kelley
Spam…e-mail chain letters…obnoxious or off-color
jokes…these are just a few things that annoy business
professionals when it comes to daily e-mail. While you’re
likely not sending any of these things, what if your e-mails
to people are just as annoying?
Unfortunately, many people are unknowingly irritating co-workers and clients with bad e-mail etiquette and
habits. Even worse, the offenders are tarnishing their reputations in the process, unaware that their e-mails reflect
their personal and company brand, their image, and their
credibility.
2. Using “reply all” versus “reply.”
Just because you were one of many recipients on a
message does not mean everyone needs to hear your reply.
For example, a supervisor may send a group message out
to the entire department asking who will be present at the
quarterly meeting. The only person who needs to see your
response is the person who initiated the message, not the
entire group. If the group contains 100 people and each
one does a “reply all” saying, “I’ll be there,” you’ll have a
very cluttered inbox and 100 annoyed people.
If you’ve ever wondered why people don’t take action
on your e-mails or why this productivity tool seems to
waste more of your time than it saves, you may be guilty
of exhibiting a few e-mail pet peeves. Following are the
top five e-mail pet peeves in the workplace. Avoid them so
your e-mail messages are most effective.
Therefore, really think about who needs to see the
message before you reply. Obviously, if your company
requires that you do a “reply all” for business e-mails,
then by all means do so. Otherwise, use the “reply all”
button judiciously. And remember that with a “reply all,”
everyone, even someone who was in the BCC line, will
see your comments. So you never really know who is getting your message.
1. Having sensitive conversations via e-mail.
3. Using poor grammar and spelling.
Sensitive and emotionally charged conversations have
no place in an e-mail. If you need to fire someone, express
disappointment, or apologize, do it face-to-face (most
preferred) or via phone. When a topic has emotion behind
it, the recipient naturally escalates that emotion when
reading the e-mail. Why? Because it’s virtually impossible
to display emotion in an e-mail (aside from some carefully
placed emoticons, which not everyone appreciates), and
humans by nature look for the worst in a message rather
than the best. So your innocent question of “Why did you
call Mr. Smith?” gets read as an accusatory question, as if
you had asked, “Why on earth did you of all people call
Mr. Smith and bother him?”
A typo every now and then is not a big deal. However,
consistent bad grammar and spelling is obnoxious. E-mail
is a form of written communication, so respect the written
word. Additionally, this is business, and everything you
do, say, and write is a reflection of your professionalism.
Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that many people
write things in an e-mail that they would never say in
person. They view e-mail as a way to have “safe” conflict
without being face-to-face. So they may snap back at
someone in a sarcastic way or slam someone professionally or personally. Some people even enjoy this type of
conflict, as it gives them a charge. The bottom line is that
if your message has any type of intense emotion behind
it, don’t send the e-mail. The matter is best addressed in a
face-to-face meeting or phone call.
When people read your messages, they naturally and
automatically make a judgment about you based on your
writing. If your writing is poor, everything else about you
is in question. After all, if you don’t care enough about
your writing, what else don’t you care about? Your product? Your service? The reader? Remember that the written
word stays out there forever, and no e-mail message is
ever really deleted permanently. Make sure your lasting
impressions are good ones – even when you e-mail.
4. E-mailing complicated information.
If you have to give someone technical, detailed, or
complicated information, do it with a phone call and an
e-mail as a backup rather than relying solely on the e-mail
communication. E-mail is best suited for short messages
that don’t require a lengthy response. If your e-mail is
more than a couple of paragraphs, pick up the phone and
talk to the recipient. Use the follow up e-mail to send
needed documentation or a recap of your verbal instructions, but don’t expect people to read and act upon a
lengthy or complicated message.
Additionally, if you are the recipient of a detailed message and need time to work on the reply, send back a short
acknowledgment message that states, “I received your
message and am working on the needed items.” And if the
reply requires real discussion, then pick up the phone and
talk about it. Don’t rely on e-mail for every topic.
5. Writing bad subject lines or not using subject lines.
Unless you’re doing e-mail marketing and relying on
your messages to sell people, use straightforward subject
lines that reflect the true theme of the message. Leave the
cute and clever wording to the marketers. For day-to-day
business purposes, plain and direct work best. So rather
than have a subject line that reads, “Want to pick your
brain,” write, “Need your input on the Jones project.”
Realize, too, that many people use their e-mail as a
filing system, and they rely on the subject lines to find key
information later. So if all your subject lines are vague (as
in “A message from Tom Smith” or “Info you requested”),
or if you don’t use subject lines, people won’t know what
the message was about when they search their files later.
So always write detailed subject lines, as in “Dates for
Singapore conference” or “Files for Smith project.” And
should the e-mail’s subject change as the conversation ensues, then change the subject line to reflect the new theme.
6. Get Your Message Across
E-mail has certainly come a long way in the past
couple decades. What was initially viewed as a novel way
to share key information in the 1990s is now the preferred
method of business communication. But remember, just
because something is commonplace and expected doesn’t
mean you can become lazy with it. Always use e-mail
properly and for the purposes and subjects it was intended.
By doing so, not only will you avoid these pet peeves, but
you’ll also gain productivity rewards as you enhance your
professional reputation.
About the Author:
Jean Kelley, president and founder of Jean Kelley
Leadership Consulting is the author of “Get A Job; Keep
A Job.” As the sole owner of Jean Kelley Personnel for 25
years, she personally helped more than 20,000 clients enhance their careers. Coupled with her other book, “Dear
Jean: What They Don’t Teach You at the Water Cooler,”
Jean has positioned herself as America’s workplace coach.
For more information, please visit www.jeankelley.com.
5
DO’s and DON’Ts of Public
Practice
A Q&A with Tina Peters
By Jordan Devine
At the September 2009 CGA-BC Annual General Meeting, the members supported a change in the definition of
public practice consistent with all the other CGA accounting
bodies across the country. Its purpose was to ensure that the
public was protected for any services provided by members
and students. These changes also limit our members who
choose not to register in public practice.
What does this mean in practical terms for CGA students?
What services will students still be able to provide? And are
there any other services that will be prohibited after July 1?
Tina Peters, BA, CGA
Director, Public Practice Services
When the new CGA-BC definition of public practice
came into effect in September 2009, with it came new rules
governing what types of services students can offer to the
public. To find out more about these changes, Connections
sat down with Tina Peters, the Director of Public Practice
for CGA-BC, whose job includes helping CGA members
and students with regulation changes and technical requirements.
Let’s talk about the thinking behind the changes to public
practice that will come into effect on July 1, 2010. Were
they anticipated and what are the reasons behind them?
This change allows the Association to protect our
students. When a student is a contractor or sub-contractor
(ie. self-employed), they may not realize that they might be
making errors in a specific area, which places them at risk.
This is a concern because students do not have the benefit
of obtaining professional liability insurance. Therefore, students who are self-employed are being limited to data entry
up to trial balance, bank reconciliations, accounts receivable ageing and accounts payable ageing. This means that
students will no longer be able to prepare statutory filings
(for example, GST, PST, T4s, T5s, and payroll) after July
1. Self-employed students should be aware that they have
never been permitted to prepare financial statements or tax
returns. Students really should visit the “Students Offering
to Perform Services to the Public” section of the CGA-BC
website to familiarize themselves with the full scope of the
changes.
However, if you are a student who is an employee—
whether in government, industry, the not-for-profit sector,
or public practice—your employer is responsible for your
work. This allows employed students to be unencumbered
by the restrictions placed on self-employed students. But
not any employer will do for students. Keep in mind, that as
a student you are gaining more of your technical skills and
therefore, you need to be reporting to an experienced accountant, preferably a designated accountant. This person needs
to be able to review your work and teach you more than you
know. In other words, they need to be more experienced than
you are in accounting (and possibly tax) matters.
What recommendations does CGA-BC have for students
who would like to gain public practice experience while in
the CGA program?
Become an employee. One of the ways that CGA-BC
assists with this is through Speed Interview Nights. At
these events we have several firms in a room and about
150 students who show up for a series of rapid interviews.
Not every firm looks for an employee with a great deal
of experience; they often look for entry-level individuals.
These events permit employers to obtain a student’s resume
and get a first impression all at the same time. If a student
gets one of these positions, this work experience will count
towards their designation. These events—as well as other
services—are outlined in the “CGA-BC Employment Services” sections of the website.
There are students who are engaged in self-employed public
practice work right now who will be affected by the new
rules. What advice can CGA-BC provide to help them with
this transition?
First, students must cease providing public practice
services as self-employed individuals. That could mean immediate cessation such as in the case of providing financial
statements. For statutory filings, they have until July 1,
2010 to stop offering these services. Then take the experience that they have already and use it to become employed.
This background knowledge will also assist them in their
progress within a company or firm.
Students worried that these policy changes will inhibit
them in some way should definitely refer to the website for
guidance.
For more information: contact Tina Peters at (604) 7306232, Brigitte Ilk at (604) 629-8363, or visit the “Expectations of a CGA Student” section of the CGA-BC website
(found in the student area of the website under the link to
“CGA Program”).
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6
Student Snapshots
Emily Gee, CGA, Senior Manager at KPMG (PEP)
Jamie Wong-Fung, CGA, Manager at KPMG (PEP)
Bruce Hurst, CGA, Director, Reid Hurst Nagy Inc. (PEP), First VP, CGA-BC
Tina Peters, CGA, Director, Public Practice Services, CGA-BC
Brian Galloway, FCGA, Partner, Galloway Botteselle & Company (PEP)
Moe Jones, FCGA, Interim Executive-Director, CGA-BC
Gerry Larson, CGA
Manager, Treasury Services
Overwaitea Food Group LP
Alan Wong, CGA
Senior Accountant
TEC The Education Company
Dan Relihan, CGA, Manager, Recruitment and Employment Initiatives, CGA-BC
Edwin Fok, CGA, VP, Finance, Creation Technologies
Jas Randhawa, CGA, Manager, Recruitment and Employment, CGA-BC
Simone Leonard, CGA, Manager,
International/Student Development, CGA-BC
Pam Skinner, CGA, Director, Member Services, CGA-BC
Raymond Yim, CGA
Robert Bagatella, CA
Corporate Controller
London Drugs Limited
Coordinator, Evaluation Programs, CGA-BC
Jenny Chang, CGA, Manager, Education, CGA-BC
7
Leaders in the Making
Five CGA Students With Bright Futures
By Tamara Letkeman
As the old saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough
get going.” In other words, in trying times the strong don’t give
up, they press on—undaunted by the task (or tasks) at hand. As
they come to the end of their studies (the proverbial light at the
end of the tunnel, if you will), the following standouts of the
CGA program are testament to the power of tenacity and perseverance as key ingredients in the recipe for success, And, as
these soon-to-be grads attest, a positive attitude, big-picture
thinking and maintaining balance don’t hurt either. Guided by
life-long visions and a determination to excel, we expect these
five students will be among the leaders of the future.
Michael Erez
Tax Information Services, Odlum Brown
Michael Erez’s recipe for success calls for a healthy dose of
determination, surrounding yourself with the right people—
and never taking your personal life for granted. “Don’t let go
of those things,” he urges, referring to hobbies and spending
time with friends. “Make sure you keep them in there.”
It’s a formula that’s served the soon-to-be CGA well. Besides
putting in up to 15 hours of study a week, Erez does financial
planning and provides tax information at Odlum Brown (a job
he loves) and still manages to find time for his passions: drumming, running, swimming and biking.
He admits that achieving balance is easier said than done,
and suggests writing a list of what’s important and keeping it
handy. “At one point I actually sat down and made one,” he
admits. “It’s a very accountant thing to do.”
Kari Buckley
General Accountant, Canfor Pulp Limited Partnership
Unlike most kids, who might be more into Barbies or Smash
Up Derby, Kari Buckley pretended she had her own business.
“I had a fake little chequebook that I used to balance. It was
actually quite geeky.”
Geeky or not, Buckley is now a general accountant at Canfor
Pulp Limited Partnership, a position she holds while finishing
her CGA. She credits CGA-BC for helping her get through the
famously intense program. “On their website they had a writeup on what you’re going through and stresses and things like
that. I could relate to so many things they were talking about.”
It’s been a long road pitted with sacrifices—Buckley lists a
lack of social life and family time—but her can-do attitude is
unshakable. “If you made the decision for the right reasons in
the first place, you know those sacrifices are temporary.”
Yilu (Lucy) Zhang
Corporate Controller, Kodiak Exploration Limited
Lucy Zhang thrives on challenges. At 25 she left her native
China to come to Canada—solo—to get her MBA from Victoria’s Royal Roads University. Now knee-deep in her CGA
studies, Zhang also works as corporate controller at Kodiak
Exploration Limited, where she puts in upwards of 10 hours
a day.
Truth be told, she loves the pressure of work and school.
“Honestly, it helps me work better,” she says. “Without pressure, sometimes I can postpone things to the last minute.”
Zhang credits a good attitude, a thirst for knowledge and a
robust work ethic as the key elements in getting her where
she is today. “There’s always a goal for me at every moment
of my life.”
Her ultimate goal is to become a successful businessperson—
and wife and mother. “I am still a human being,” she chuckles.
“I want that.”
Christopher Nudd
Head Controller, Hazelwood Group
Christopher Nudd’s love of crunching numbers goes back to
childhood ambitions of heading up the company that produced
his favourite meal. “When I was a kid I used to joke about being the CEO of Kraft, because I really enjoyed Kraft Dinner,”
he recalls with a laugh.
His current “dream job” is with Hazelwood Group, where
he works as head controller. The best part? He’s been able to
keep his job while completing his studies. “The way CGA is
structured, it’s allowed me to get my accounting designation
without having to go and leave a job I really love.”
Nudd says the program has been tough, but has some salient
advice for new students. “Know how you learn—because
the program offers diverse learning platforms, from lectures
to online lectures to [online practice] problems to reading to
online forums to study groups—and utilize that.” And, importantly: “Get ready to work.”
Amber Dhami
Financial Accountant, VANOC
You might say Amber Dhami is living in the fast lane. A financial accountant for VANOC, the 27-year-old says the organization is growing at such a rapid pace that she is constantly
having to adapt to change. “I’ve gained such a large amount of
experience in such a short time,” she enthuses.
On top of working full-time, Dhami studies 20 hours a week
for her CGA. But despite the hectic schedule, she’s never
questioned the value of the end result. “Even though it’s hard
work and there’s a lot of pressure, you have to look at the bigger picture.”
For new CGA students who may be feeling the crunch, Dhami
urges them to stick with their studies and take advantage of
available resources. “Whether it be at work or with the CGA
program, there’s always someone willing to help out.”
Connection Is Key - Continued
Continued from Page 1
professional-development workshops, and an annual student
welcome event. The student welcome night is usually a
wine-and-cheese event held in the fall, which provides an
opportunity for you to meet your fellow students as well as
fully certified CGA-BC members.
Meeting people already established in your chosen field
is invaluable. From them you can learn about the full range
of what it means to be a CGA—what kinds of things you
can do with the designation, how the program can help you,
and how you can help the group in return.
These student welcome nights have been so successful, that many chapters are now hosting additional student
events as well.
Joanne Reid, BA, MA, the Manager of Student Services,
is excited about these additional networking opportunities.
“I have been working with many chapters to hold a
spring event focused around helping students prepare for the
upcoming academic year,” she says. “The mingling component is still there, and normally a short presentation opens
the night, but then CGA-BC provides one-on-one miniadvising meetings with the students to talk with them about
anything that is important to them.”
These events also provide opportunity for students to sit
with CGA-BC staff and discuss individual programming.
“We have had academic advisors there to discuss course
planning options, and a career counsellor to talk about
changing or growing their career or simply how to find a
job. We also have staff on hand who can discuss transfer
credits and practical experience.”
Each chapter is unique. Some chapters, such as those
in the Lower Mainland, have large numbers of students and
can host much larger events than those in outlying areas
which sometimes have fewer students and members.
Whatever the size of the chapter you belong to, there’s
no question that the chapter events provide a great opportunity for you to make important connections that could help
you in the future.
As just one example of this, every CGA student needs
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(Continued from page 8)
two existing members to sponsor them by signing their application to graduate. It’s very possible that you could meet
your future sponsors at a chapter event.
Workshops and seminars
The staff at CGA-BC are always looking for ways to
support students to be successful on the program. In addition to support for studies, several workshops and seminars
are provided each year, with topics like time management
and stress management. In written comments made after a stress-management
workshop led by Dr. Kenford Nedd, students were excited
about what they learned.
“Everything was related to CGA courses—good, very
motivating,” wrote one student. “The presentation should
have been longer since the speaker has so much to share,”
enthused another.
This fall will see a workshop on “building community”,
and another on “understanding your learning style”.
Ongoing seminars include a new student orientation,
which takes place four times a year, and an annual PACE
seminar for those who are transitioning from student to
graduate. The PACE seminar is an important one to attend
because the CGA, employers, and the public have specific
expectations of students once they are fully certified. You
will need to gain skills for the non-technical aspects of being a CGA—general management, leadership, and professionalism. The PACE seminar offers a window into the PA1/
PA2 courses, which helps students develop these skills.
Student Advisory Group
The Student Advisory Group (SAG) provides a unique
opportunity to think about the more long-term, overarching
perspective of your CGA education. Eleven students are
appointed each year, as well as a Chair. The SAG exists for
students to provide input to CGA-BC at large, reflecting on
their experiences with the association’s policies, curriculum
delivery, and more. It is also a place where Student Services
staff can get a sense of some of the issues students may be
having while on the program and float new ideas to a small
group of students as a test audience. For example, recently
the SAG was asked: if there are changes in course technology ahead, what formats would be preferred?
Serene Ghuman is a Level 4 student member on this
year’s SAG. Serene started her CGA coursework in 2006
and is currently the Treasury Analyst with Mercer International. She applied to join the SAG because she found she
was frequently calling Student Services with questions and
suggestions.
“There’s always chatter among the students about possible changes to the program or course materials, so I was
always contacting the CGA-BC office and asking questions,” said Ghuman. “So I thought, I might as well voice
my concerns constructively.”
The SAG meets twice a year. Serene finds that many of
her questions are shared by the other students in the group,
and she is impressed by how the CGA-BC staff respond to
ideas from the SAG.
“They are always listening to our opinions; they’re very
open-minded,” she says.
Online discussion forums
Every course also offers students a way to connect in
relation to specific question and thoughts about each course.
“The Course Director/Peer-to-Peer Support forum is set
up on the Blackboard Online Learning Environment to
facilitate and enhance student learning,” says Jenny Chang,
CGA, Manager of Education at CGA-BC. Students are
asked to post about issues relating to the academic concepts
contained in the course modules.
These discussion forums provide an excellent way to ask
advice from—and provide advice to—other students from
many different backgrounds, since each forum is available
to all CGA students enrolled in the same course, nationally
and internationally.
“Discussions are based on academic concepts,” Jenny
continues, “but part of the forums’ purpose is for peer-topeer support, so there will be some students who can actually act as leaders and/or mentors in the forums.”
CGA-BC.org
Student Handbook, and material about coursework (transfers, credits and so on) under the “Student” tab on the site.
If you are looking for work, be sure to read the Employment Counsellor Blog and keep an eye on The Career Centre (www.cgajobs.org) with its excellent mixture of industry
advice and the weekly-updated “Hot Jobs” link.
Rosters
Any time you enroll in a course, you are asked if you
would like to be included in the student roster—a list of
students organized by course and by city of residence. You
provide your first name, preferred email address, and city of
residence. Lists are sent out in the second week of courses.
The goal is for students to connect with each other, either
online or in person, to form a community of learning.
The activities of that learning community will vary
depending on location and on what each person brings to
it. Some rosters have well-established study groups; others
only send an occasional email to each other as needed.
“Rosters are viewed as an available resource should
the student decide to use it,” explains Joanne Reid. “Of our
student body of nearly 5,000, less than 200 people ask to be
removed from the rosters each session. And since the option
to be included is offered each session, students who have
asked to be removed can choose to be added back on at any
time.”
“We receive very good feedback about the roster lists,”
adds Joanne. “Quite often, I hear things like, ‘Thank you so
much for sending me the list—I found my friend’s name on
the list and I had no idea she was enrolled in BC2 this session! Now we can study together.’”
As Ken Blanchard, another expert on business leadership, once said: “In the past a leader was a boss. Today’s
leaders must be partners with their people... they no longer
can lead solely based on positional power.”
Connections with peers, CGA members and Student Services staff have the potential to both deepen your leadership
skills and your powers of individual focus.
The CGA-BC website provides a wealth of connection
points for students. You can find chapter newsletters, lists of
professional development events, an electronic copy of the
My Mentorship Story
Mentoring Connections Mentee
By Kirsty Peng
In the February issue, Connections featured a story on
‘Mentoring Connections’. As a follow-up to that story, we
present a testimonial from one of the program’s participants.
The safe thing to do would have been to stay in the same
place for my whole life, secure in the familiarity of my surroundings. The decision to move away from home certainly
represented a huge change in my life.
Once I realized that my past experience might not be appreciated in my new home, I started to become hesitant. I soon
became frustrated with my job search in the accounting field
and I was not sure if the steps I had taken so far had placed me
on the right track.
Nevertheless, wasn’t it my dream to live a life of personal
independence, in a free environment like Canada? Yes, it was,
but dealing with the changes however, has not been as easy as
I first thought it would be.
An opportunity came to my attention when I learned that
CGA-BC had a mentoring partnership with the Immigrant
Services Society of British Columbia (ISSofBC). I knew it
might be something that would help me in my first couple of
years in Canada, but I didn’t expect that the program would
bring me as many benefits as it did.
Moving to Canada was a fresh start for me to pursue a
career in accounting and Mentoring Connections matched me
with an experienced CGA to help me along the way. My mentor and I frequently discussed the uniqueness of the Canadian
workplace and its culture. I learned that both good things and
challenging things could happen, but through it all I would
remain positive. My mentor was right: change itself allows a
person to look at life in a different way, and learning from your
experiences makes you a stronger person. I had never wished
an easy life for myself in the first place, and I believe change
will bring me a more colourful life.
During my mentorship, I realized that whenever I applied
for a job, there was a real person looking at my cover letter
and resumé. So, I scheduled meetings with various recruiters
and talked with them about my situation. I got a lot of feedback from them and it has helped me to focus my energy in
the right places. Inspired by my mentor, I started my journey
searching for contacts and connecting with people to an extent
I had never done before. I’ve also successfully gotten in touch
with people in my field through networking events, and they
have been willing to pass me information on job opportunities. Each time I heard back from them, I was surprised at their
thoughtfulness. Changing the way I search for jobs has really
built up my confidence an incredible amount.
The fruits of our labour can’t be picked without effort.
It takes time to find your own way. Even now, I am still a
job seeker, but I feel I am a part of Canada. Like other Canadian job seekers, I have my own story and friends rooted in
Canada. Mentoring Connections is a way for new immigrants
to have a sense of belonging. My CGA mentor has helped me
turn my challenges into successes!
ABOUT THE ‘MENTORING CONNECTIONS’ PROGRAM
Many highly educated and qualified newcomers to Canada
struggle to find appropriate employment because they need
to learn to adapt to Canadian business culture. Through ISSofBC’s ‘Mentoring Connections’ services, CGA students and
members who are new to B.C. will be matched with CGA students or members who are thoroughly familiar with working
in accounting and finance positions in Canada. For more information, visit the ‘Student Resources’ section at cga-bc.org.
9
Overcome Your
“Comfort Addiction”
Once and for All
By Lisa Haisha
People in every industry and from all walks of life suffer from a debilitating addiction. Its effects keep people from reaching their potential and from truly enjoying life.
Called “comfort addiction,” it occurs any time someone complains about his job or life,
yet never makes a change.
People who suffer from comfort addiction are addicted to the comfort level they’re currently at – even if they claim they don’t like their current job or situation. While it may
sound illogical to stay in a situation that makes you unhappy, it’s actually very common.
Why? Depending on how someone was raised and how that person is now living his or
her life, the person has developed a pattern developed and is used to living a certain way.
At this point, even a behavior that’s not normal seems normal, so the person continues to
live that way.
For example, suppose you grew up in a household where your father verbally abused
you. Throughout life you thought that’s how all male leader figures acted. Now in your
job, you have a male boss who yells and verbally abuses people. While it’s an uncomfortable situation, it’s what you’re used to, so you don’t do anything to change it. You’re
comfortable with being uncomfortable in this scenario. That’s comfort addiction.
Realize this is a very real addiction, just like being addicted to alcohol, gambling,
food, or drugs. So even though someone says he wants to get a promotion or start a business, he really doesn’t want the responsibility that comes along with what the goal would
create. He doesn’t want to wake up at 5 a.m. and work a long day because he’d miss
his “comfort routine”: a workout at the gym, coffee at Starbucks, and lunch with some
friends talking about his dream job.
If you’re seriously ready to make a change in your life and get out of your comfort
zone, the following strategies will help.
•
Rebuild trust with yourself.
One of the reasons why people suffer with comfort addiction is they don’t trust themselves. Perhaps they’ve tried to make a change in the past but didn’t succeed, either
because they didn’t plan the change properly or they attempted too much too soon. As
a result, they have a constant loop playing in their head that repeats their failure(s) and
says, “I’m not good enough.”
can see your saboteur or comfort addiction trigger. If you’re one step away, have done all
the work, and only have one step left, you can do that one thing. That one thing – whatever it is – is easy to overcome. You simply have to identify what it is.
•
Take a serious look at your health.
Many times a person’s poor health is the culprit for comfort addiction. In fact,
sometimes we are not even aware of what is going on in our bodies. When our hormones
are not right and our energy levels are low, our motivation for getting out of our comfort
zone goes out the window. Additionally, when you’re not strong physically – when you
feel weak and tired – you simply don’t have the energy to make a change. You stay in the
comfort zone and don’t know why.
If you think your health has a role to play in your comfort addiction, by all means
consult a doctor. Also consider adding exercise to your daily routine to boost circulation
and enhance your energy. Reduce or eliminate your use of alcohol, nicotine and caffeine.
These substances can become very addictive, masking a greater imbalance in your physical, emotional and spiritual health. Finally, choose to be joyful to enhance your mental
health. Cultivate a spirit of gratitude, and regularly forgive others as well as yourself.
•
Go For It!
Ultimately, you get to choose how you live, what you do, and how successful you
are. It doesn’t matter how you’ve been raised, what kind of jobs you’ve had in the past,
or what your current income level is – your future is always your choice. Don’t be comfortable in your self-pity or victim mentality. How your work or personal life is now is
not how it always has to be. When you acknowledge that you have a comfort addiction
and take the steps to overcome it, you can achieve every goal you set out for yourself and
live the life of your dreams.
Lisa Haisha is a consultant and co-founder of the Los Angeles Chamber of Enlightened Enterprises. Lisa has helped hundreds of professionals discover their unique
strengths, overcome challenges and accomplish their goals through insightful coaching
techniques that help boost motivation, communication, productivity and creativity in the
workplace and in life.
To overcome this, commit to small things and accomplish them. For example, you
could commit to something simple, such as wearing a tie to work today or showing up on
time. The key is to pick one simple thing you can commit to, not a laundry list of several
things that will overwhelm you. As you accomplish the one small thing, do it again the
next day. Then, add something else you’ll commit to. Once you start to believe what you
say to yourself, your confidence will start to soar.
•
Send yourself positive messages.
Anytime you leave your comfort zone, your natural tendency will be to return to it. And
unfortunately, turning to friends and family for support doesn’t often work. While they
do love you and want the best for you, they too suffer from comfort addiction. They
know you as a certain type of person with a certain job and lifestyle, so seeing you as
someone new is hard for them. Therefore, you have to keep yourself motivated and on
track to your goal.
To do so, send yourself positive affirmations, text messages, e-mails, and voicemails
to keep yourself lifted and inspired. Actually write them or record them and send these
messages to yourself. It may sound odd, but it does work. When you hear yourself say,
“Have a great day. I believe in you!” in your own voice, the message sinks in. Additionally, reading positive messages in your own words increases their believability in your
brain. The more positive messages you can send yourself to stay motivated, the easier
it’ll be to leave your comfort zone.
•
Visualize yourself one step away from that goal.
Many self-improvement experts say to visualize yourself in your goal – actually
achieving it and celebrating. That works for some people, but if comfort addiction has
its grip on you, a better approach is to visualize yourself one step away from what you
always say you want. Feel what that’s like. Savor that moment. See it on a movie screen.
Being that close to your goal, how do you feel?
When you’re one step away, you only have one more step to take until you succeed.
At this moment, you can finally see what’s really stopping you from getting that goal.You
10
The Certified
General Accountants
Association of B.C.
2010 Conference
September 15–19
Whistler Conference Centre
Featuring seminars for CGAs and other accounting
professionals:
❚ Leadership and Strategic Marketing
Arlene Dickinson from CBC’s The Dragon’s Den
❚ Living With Laughter: There’s No Life Like It!
Chris Johnson – “Dr. Laugh”
❚ Building Your Leadership Brand
Joel Shapiro, Ph.D.
❚ And many more ...
Conference 2010 also features free admission to the longest
running trade show in B.C. for CGAs and other financial
professionals on September 16.
For rates and registration, go to www.cga-bc.org
or call toll-free (800) 565-1211 ext. 228.
24 outstanding seminars ❚ Four information-packed days ❚ B.C.’s best accounting trade show
We see more than numbers.
11
Where what you need meets what we do.
CGA-BC’s online career centre, CGAjobs.org gives you access to the best pool of financial
leaders in British Columbia. Whether you’re looking to fill a senior position or hire a student,
choosing CGA brings forward-thinking accounting professionals to any level of your
organization. Using CGAjobs.org puts your job opportunities in front of the province’s
We see more than numbers.
largest accounting body and ensures that you get the breadth of knowledge and experience
that a Certified General Accountant adds. To make sure that your next hire makes a
difference, go to CGAjobs.org.
LEADERSHIP
|
EFFICIENCY
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PRODUCTIVITY
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S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
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MANAGING RISK