Exhibit positive traits in your duties - ICAG President charges accountants

The President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG), Professor Kwame Adom-Frimpong, has charged accountants to strive to distinguish themselves by exhibiting positive traits in the performance of their professional responsibilities.

To that end, he said accountants must carry themselves in the manner that would exude confidence and trust in the eyes of the public to keep the profession going.

Prof. Adom-Frimpong gave the advice when he hosted members of the ICAG to a luncheon in Accra yesterday.

“Accounting is not just about audit, which appears to be exclusive to accountants, but it is about helping individuals and businesses to understand the numbers which include advisory services and not just compliance,” he stated.

The luncheon, which is an annual event, was on the theme: “Personal branding for professionals and business leaders”.

Branding

Sharing his thoughts on branding, Prof. Adom-Frimpong further advised accountants to avoid personal branding mistakes so as not to damage their personal efforts.

“Developing a personal brand is a means of ensuring that you have a developing legacy. People will remember your thoughts, actions, expertise and the emotional connections you make, but you will be found out if you deceive people by imitating something you are not or lying to your target audience,” he stressed.

Prof. Adom-Frimpong traced the history of branding from ancient Egypt and said success came from self-packaging, skills, values and how to add value to any situation.

He said branding equated to reputation, increased competition and changing market which made it essential for professional service firms to look more closely at branding and be proactive in managing their reputation.

“In many ways, your brand is an intangible outside of your immediate control because you cannot ultimately control the perception others have of you, but you can influence it,” he pointed out, adding that “everything you do and how it is done, shapes your brand because that is what makes personal branding so critical for today’s leaders,” he added.

He urged the ICAG members to take networking seriously since it could open new doors to a wider range of industry professionals.

Legacy and Legacy

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Legacy and Legacy, Mrs Comfort Ocran, who also took the accountants through some rudiments of branding, stressed the need for accountants to continuously uphold the principles of integrity.

As professionals, she said, accountants must keep their promises and communicate effectively while being conscious of time.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mr Mohammed Habibu Tijani, for his part, commended the ICAG for continuously organising the luncheon which, he said, offered members the platform to share ideas on topical issues of national importance.

He, therefore, urged the participants to digest the discussions and go out to make a difference.