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A Journey in Self-Discovery

I too used to hate numbers. In fact, Accounting was my worst subject in university. After failing my first accounting course, I vowed I would never consider a career that had anything remotely to do with accounting-let alone become an accountant. I found no comfort in the words of Elvis Presley who said "I have no use for bodyguards, but I have very special use for two highly-trained certified public accountants." But destiny has a perverse way of teaching us the lessons we need to learn-accounting was one of them.

My progression from a student who loathed accounting to becoming a "bean-counter" went something like this: learn accounting get a job survive. Simple logic, but it worked. Now, as I look back over the years I spent in industry as a Certified Management Accountant, I'm compelled to ask myself the question: What have I learned?

For one thing, I've learned that talking about vertical analysis at a cocktail party is the surest way to kill a conversation. The eyes just glaze over. I've also learned to appreciate numbers for what they are. Rather than gripe about how perplexing they seem to be, I see them as powerful predictors of the future. They reflect the good, the bad, and the ugly of every decision a manager ever makes. And I've learned how to make every one of them talk. My real education began the day I started to listen to their stories.

Experience has also taught me that managers aren't born with a natural aptitude for financial gymnastics. Managers would rather fill out expense reports than confront the myriad of dots and squiggles on a financial statement. And who can blame them? It all looks like a foreign language.

Having worked with over one thousand managers, I've come to one incontrovertible conclusion-any manager can benefit from learning how to make their numbers talk.

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