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Flexibility is not a term we often associate with finance and accounting. But a global pandemic and a sudden shift to remote work meant that, for businesses to survive, embracing change, open-mindedness, and lots of creativity was imperative. For data-driven, numbers-focused finance teams, adopting a more flexible mindset remains a challenge.
“I had to ask myself some really tough questions,” Andrea Zoeckler, COO & CFO at Epson America, Inc., shared during FEI’s virtual ICONS: Women of Note conference. “Had I really embraced change? Had I really faced my own fears? Had I let go of doubt? There were some COVID challenges I think I approached really well and others that I see I’m still working through.”
Zoeckler recognized that, though she had faced many challenges and changes in her career, none had consequences as broad and as devastating as COVID. For this reason, she not only felt immense pressure to get it right, she also knew that the playbook of yesteryear would be insufficient. “I chose this topic,” she told attendees, “because I've seen the impact of not embracing change and how destructive it can be.”
According to Zoeckler, approaching change with open-mindedness and flexibility means having the ability to change your mind, not being set in stone, and to admit failures or wrong conclusions, and then moving forward. Before COVID and after many years in finance, Zoeckler was asked to move into a service and support role. “The request hit me like a ton bricks and I was absolutely certain I needed to brush up my resume and move on.” In reality, the role turned out to be a pivotal one in her career and personal development. “I strengthened my confidence in my abilities and I use my core financial and analytical skills to learn a completely new area of responsibility from a completely different perspective, our customers.”
It sounds “so basic,” she admitted. “But the deeper and the more impactful the change, the more I need to draw on the basics. Learning to trust and depend on a wider group and team, you can't do it all while your mind is fogged and distracted with working through change. Getting help recognizing when you need different perspectives from a mentor, a coach, a therapist, or a family member, I've leaned on them all. I'm naturally a very private, introverted person, so sharing my concerns with others is something I've learned to do because new issues and situations are often eased with additional input.”
Embracing flexibility won’t come naturally to most in finance and accounting. “I'm a planner. I don't particularly like change and it's not easy for me,” Zoeckler told attendees. “What I've learned to do though for the years is to recognize and move as quickly as possible through the stages of change, the early ones, the emotional ones that include loss, doubt, and discomfort, and to get to the later more productive stages of discovery, understanding, and integration.”