Dear Members,
It’s a matter of great honour to pen a message for a prestigious Journal like BCAJ, and I was fortunate in putting across my thoughts and views on topics or issues related to our profession or developments in the Society, that concern us and to which we seek answers. I have enjoyed communicating with you over such issues, and getting valuable feedback and inputs in these twelve months, and I do hope you enjoyed my communications as much as I enjoyed writing them.
When this issue reaches you, I will have completed my term as the President of a body which prides itself as an institution that provides a foundation of knowledge, skills and professional values that enables CAs and CA students to continue learning and adapt to changes throughout their professional lives.
It is said that :
If you want to walk quick, walk alone
If you want to walk far, walk together.
I have understood the importance of this saying in the last one year. In this issue, I would like to share with you all, some of my learning and feelings in my journey as the President of this august body, which I would cherish for the rest of my life. It is an experience that is useful in one’s day to day life and in carrying out our duty and responsibilities, may it be towards clients, colleagues, family or friends.
The Value of Teamwork : Teamwork is at the heart of great achievements. If you want to reach your potential or strive for the seemingly impossible, you need to become a team player. If you lead a team, then you must convince your teammates to sacrifice their individual goals for the good of the group. And the most important quality you need to practice is the ability to understand how people think and feel. As you work with others, recognise the truth that all people, whether leaders or followers, have something in common. The ability to look at each person, understand and connect with him is a major factor in successful relationships.
A leader needs to figure out which button to push with each individual person on his team. One person will respond well to being challenged; another will want to be nurtured, another will need frequent follow-up. One of the important factors is to inspire others and make them feel good. That is important because people will go further than they thought they could when someone reposes faith and tells them they can. And the fact of life is : Individuals play the game but teams win championships.
To create an atmosphere of teamwork, one should understand the importance of peaceful coexistence. You would agree with me that thoughts, belief, and objects are infinite in their qualities and modes of existence, so we may not be able to see, understand all of them.
Often you have to face the situation when there is a disagreement. And whenever there are disagreements, naturally there are differences which may lead to conflict. Conflict is omnipresent. This conflict happens due to a multiplicity of viewpoints, and that truth and reality are perceived differently from diverse points of view, and that no single point of view is the complete truth. The common example is : A half glass of water can be called either half full or half empty. Both these views are correct. It is important how you look at it. Most of the time we believe that what we know or what we believe is the correct belief and understanding. Therefore, we may not be ready to listen to and understand the other person’s viewpoints and therefore arguments happen. Not only do we start arguments but we also want to win them. In this attempt of winning the argument we may lose friends, or hurt someone or spoil our relations with people. So, the moot question is – How do we overcome such a situation or resolve the conflict? The simplest answer would be – you either convince others or you get convinced by them. If both these things do not happen then we should learn to agree to disagree. Thus, we can coexist with differences.
The other important aspect one should never forget or one should always realise that we are dependent on others till we say goodbye to this world. With gratitude in our hearts, life becomes richer and more joyful. If we are able to return an act of kindness, it enhances our nobility. Many of our troubles could be eliminated if we could focus more on the blessings received and be grateful to others. I for one believe that the culture of saying thanks is slowly vanishing in our day to day humdrum of life. So, let us make a point to foster it consciously in our own personal lives.
In the end I would say that I thoroughly enjoyed each and every moment of this great opportunity which I got to lead, and advance the professional organisation of an immense repute like BCAS, the memories of which I will cherish for the rest of my life. Also during my tenure I have been fortunate to have the support, guidance, blessings and good wishes of a large number of people. I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all. And above all I am thankful for the continuous and consistent support and cooperation from you all members and the CA fraternity at large. All regular activities of the Society continued to receive full attention during the year, and the attendance at our programmes reaffirms our faith in this continued journey of BCAS vision to be a principle-centered and learning-oriented organisation to promote quality service and excellence in the profession of Chartered Accountancy.
The new Team at BCAS for 2013-14 has been elected. My congratulations to Mr. Naushad Panjwani, and Mr. Nitin Shingala on being elected as the President and Vice-President respectively. Your continued support, suggestions and feedback to the newly elected team at BCAS for 2013-14 will help them offer improved and increased services.
Thank you and goodbye.
With warm regards.
Deepak R. Shah
