Emotional health

The term emotional intelligence is something we hear a lot of these days and has become a buzzword of sorts in the wellness space. However, it is a critical skill and its importance on our wellbeing, work performance and interpersonal relationships shouldn't be underestimated. Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to identify and regulate one's emotions and understand the emotions of others. Here, we look at emotional intelligence, its impacts, and how to develop and improve it. Characteristics of emotional intelligence Essentially, emotional intelligence is being aware of our emotions, how they drive behaviour and impact ourselves and others (negatively and positively). Some experts even believe that it is more important in determining life success than IQ. There are certain traits and key signs associated with emotional intelligence. Some include: An ability to identify and describe how you and other people are feeling Self-confidence and acceptance Being able to accept and let go of mistakes and move on quickly Acceptance and embracing of change Feelings of empathy and concern for others Being sensitive and astute to others’ feelings and emotions Being able to manage emotions in difficult situations or within conflict The 5 elements of emotional intelligence According to psychologist Daniel Goleman, who popularised the concept, there are five components to emotional intelligence. Self-awareness Self-awareness is considered the core foundation of emotional intelligence. Strong self-awareness is recognising and understanding your emotions, knowing why you are feeling a certain way and acknowledging their impact on you and others. It is also about knowing your strengths and weaknesses, what your values are and having a strong moral compass. Self-awareness is a key skill in managing our wellbeing too, it helps with decision-making and helps you instinctively make the right choices for you. Conversely, it is suggested those with lower EI exhibit uncontrolled and misunderstood emotions which can heighten their susceptibility to a host of mental health concerns such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Self-regulation Once you have an awareness over your emotions, the next step is being able to manage and regulate your emotions – particularly the negative ones. This is not to be misconstrued as bottling up or hiding your true feelings. Self-regulation is about expressing yourself appropriately. It is one’s ability not to act impulsively or hastily based on emotions, steady self-regulation allows us to reduce how intense our emotions and reactions are. Motivation The next element is the ability to motivate, not only yourself but others too. Motivation is the drive to improve ourselves, set standards and expectations for ourselves and our desire to achieve. This type of motivation goes beyond external rewards though, it is based on a desire to fulfill inner needs and goals. In a work setting, those who are highly motivated tend to be action-oriented, always looking for ways to do things betters, are very committed, and like to take the initiative. Empathy Being empathetic is another key foundation of good emotional intelligence. An important interpersonal skill, empathy is having an understanding of others’ thoughts, feelings and emotions and respecting their point of view. Empathy for others can help foster stronger relationships and is especially vital in the workplace as it is integral to understanding workplace dynamics, influences and how different situations can be interpreted. It can also guide the interactions we have with different people we encounter daily. Social Skills The final element in the emotional intelligence concept is social skills, which is the ability to properly manage others’ emotions, and the ability to connect, interact, influence and work with a range of people effectively. Having strong social skills allows people to build strong and meaningful relationships. In work settings, people can benefit from effective social skills as it allows us to develop strong rapport and trust. In emotional intelligence, social skills include active listening, verbal communication skill, non-verbal communication skills, leadership and persuasiveness. Take a look at our Communicating with impact webinar to learn more about building these key communication skills. Developing our emotional intelligence Emotional intelligence infiltrates all aspects of our lives and is essential for understanding ourselves as well as how successful we are in navigating our social world. Research has found being emotionally intelligent is associated with professional success, financial security, fulfilling and meaningful relationships, increased life satisfaction as well as better overall physical and mental health. While some tend to be more naturally adept, the good news is that these skills can be learned, developed, and strengthen over time. Here are some ways you can strengthen your emotional intelligence. Know yourself – Practice and develop your own self-awareness by becoming more in tune with your emotions and your emotional reactions and responses. Knowing what and how you are feeling can help you identify and process your emotions and strengthen your ability to communicate them in a healthy way. To strengthen your awareness, make a note of when you are experiencing strong feelings, what made you feel that way, and if there were any adverse reactions to those feelings. Communicate and listen – Strong communication skills are essential for developing emotional intelligence and crucial for building strong relationships. Work on communicating openly and be willing to share your own feelings. People communicate verbally and non-verbally, so it is helpful to actively listen and observe reactions.  Active listening involves listening with all senses and paying full attention to the speaker. To develop this skill try nodding along, asking questions or repeating points they have made to show you are listening and understand what the speaker is saying. Empathy – Be mindful of how others may be feeling. While you may not feel that way or have a differing stance in a situation, being empathic means you can imagine yourself in someone else’s position and can acknowledge how and why they may be feeling a certain way. To build empathy, take the other person’s feelings into consideration in a way that is respectful and comforting to the other person. The Thrive Wellbeing Hub provides free practical and emotional support to members, students and family members. We offer a confidential space for you to talk, whether you need a listening ear, wellbeing advice or professional counselling, we are here for you. You can contact the thrive wellbeing team by email at: thrive@charteredaccountants.ie or by phone: (+353) 86 0243294

There are many reasons why our confidence can falter. Dawn Leane explains how we can overcome our self-doubt and silence our inner critic so we can achieve our goals In the workplace, being confident means feeling self-assured and believing we are capable of achieving our objectives. We often think that confidence is intrinsic; we either have it, or we don’t. In fact, our relationship with confidence is more likely to be influenced by our conditioning, life experiences and environmental factors. Handling feedback Confidence is one of those words that often triggers an emotional response in us, particularly if we struggle with it. We’ve all had an experience where we make a proposal or suggestion and have it critiqued. If we work in a psychologically safe environment, we take feedback from colleagues and leaders at face value. We appreciate the input and guidance and trust that the motivation is to help us refine and improve the idea. However, if the environment is not psychologically safe, we are much more likely to receive such feedback negatively. Perhaps we perceive it as criticism, a chance to settle a score or ‘mark our card’. This is especially true when our work is deeply personal and connected to our values and sense of self. In this situation, it can be hard to avoid internalising or personalising feedback—and when we do, it has the potential to erode our confidence. Limiting beliefs While our environment is hugely significant in determining our level of self-assurance, we are also influenced by our own limiting beliefs. A limiting belief is a state of mind or belief we think to be true, but one which will limit our potential. A limiting belief could be about you, your relationships with other people, or with the work environment. Self-limiting beliefs have the greatest potential to negatively impact our ability to achieve our full potential and are usually developed in response to our experiences, and because we are shaped by these limiting beliefs, we then go on to adopt behaviours that reinforce them. While many of our beliefs are formed as we grow up, we can develop new ones as we grow. Our inner critic Everyone has a voice in their head that reinforces their worst fears – an inner critic. The voice may be a whisper, or it may be so loud that it paralyses us. The voice holds us back from trying new experiences and rubs failure in our faces. It is possible to let go of limiting beliefs and tune out the inner critic, however. People can develop new ways of thinking and behaving that can help to create a positive narrative for themselves. To help silence your inner critic and build your confidence, there are several steps you can take: Identify any self-limiting beliefs and the behaviours that have resulted from them; Consider where these beliefs might have come from; Reflect on instances where these beliefs have been shown to be incorrect; and Decide on new behaviours to replace the limiting beliefs, then practice and reinforce them After acknowledging a self-limiting belief when it occurs, learn to replace it with something else. Carol Dweck, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, has a simple but effective solution: add the word ‘yet’ to any limiting belief. For example: ‘I don’t have much experience at public speaking… yet.’ By adding ‘yet’, it allows you to acknowledge your shortfalls while also identifying that you are actively working on correcting it. Finding confidence Being a self-assured person without doubt is a lofty goal and probably not a realistic one. Acknowledging your limiting beliefs and working on silencing your inner critic is important, however. Your confidence will rise and you will be far more likely to achieve your objectives no matter the environment. Dawn Leane is the Founder of Leane Leaders

Work to achieve parity in the workplace is often assigned to women, but research shows that when men advocate for equity, everyone wins, says Andrea Dermody Gender equality issues are nothing new in the boardroom. Grant Thornton’s 2022 report Women in Business: Opening the door to diverse talent revealed that just 33 percent of senior leaders globally are female. Time and again, research shows that the more diverse a company, the better its performance. So perhaps it’s time to shift the focus and consider how men can play their part in the pursuit of parity. Men as allies Too many organisations still miss the mark on gender balance efforts by focusing gender initiatives solely on what women can do to level the playing field—or, at best, inviting men to attend diversity and inclusion events designed for women. An alternative drive towards ‘allyship’ is, however, steadily gaining pace. For men, this is about acknowledging and using their privilege to help others. When they do, they can help to share knowledge, break down barriers, and promote equal access. Why allyship matters Notably, the more women occupying a seat in a company’s C-suite and corporate board, the better its sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and business performance. With this in mind, having men as allies should be a business imperative. Empowering men is one pathway towards allyship. Male allies can help advocate for women’s voices to be heard, and that commitments to equity and inclusion are taken seriously. But believing in the cause is only part of the equation. Men must actively work to achieve it.  Grant Thornton’s 2022 research suggests male allies can support progress towards gender parity among senior leadership in several impactful ways, from exerting influence to change behaviours in their circles to facing down sexist behaviour and supporting and encouraging female colleagues. The result is reciprocal reward. The business performs better, and male allies experience personal growth, broaden their network, and, most importantly, experience the associated benefits of a unified, energised and collaborative team. Allyship is a verb, not a noun For men, the message is clear: you must take action. W. Brad Johnson and David G. Smith, authors of Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace, offer five ‘rules to live by’ for men who aspire to better ally behaviour in the service of promoting tangible gender equity in the workplace: Allyship is a journey, not a destination. Nobody ever “arrives” as an ally. Allyship is with, not for. Make your ally actions collaborative.  Allyship perpetuates autonomy, not dependence. You must hold yourself accountable for the net outcome of your ally behaviour. Allyship is about decentring, not standing in the spotlight. Speak less, hand the mic to women with key expertise, and structure projects, so women gain credit.  Allyship is critical to improving the status quo. Examine longstanding practices that perpetuate systemic inequities. Overcoming barriers  Allyship is growing trend, as is training in this area, but there is a gender gap in the perception of what success here means. Research shows that women and other underrepresented groups see less evidence of measurable workplace change than men. In short, men are essentially worse allies than they think. In this no-holds-barred report released in 2018 by the Harvard Business Review, the authors also suggest there can be a cost to men who act as allies. The authors describe the ‘wimp penalty’ of allyship, where men who advocate for female colleagues are seen as less competent by both men and women.  Finding the balance Barriers aside, it’s clear from the evidence that progress towards gender balance in senior leadership is accelerated when men act as allies. The more positive interactions men have with women in professional settings, the less prejudice and exclusion they tend to demonstrate. Here are some practical suggestions for closing the allyship gap: Make allyship an organisational value and priority: ensure senior leaders can talk clearly about the importance of allyship as it connects to core business outcomes, demonstrating how they value it personally and in their business. Listen and collaborate: demonstrate generous listening, show that you understand, and take meaningful action. Move from awareness to action: consider actions and techniques to overcome, challenge, disrupt, and prevent these behaviours and inequities. Create a community of allies who share and grow: allyship is not a ‘one-and-done’ process. Allow your communities to continue to learn and develop the skills they need to support the women in your organisation. There is a role for allyship to play in gender parity efforts. Ensuring that men are given a dignified, respectful role in becoming allies will bring wide-ranging benefits associated with a truly inclusive team. And then everyone wins. Andrea Dermody is a diversity and inclusion consultant, speaker and coach at Dermody

Burnout is a term we hear a lot of it when dealing with workplace stress and is a pressing issue for employees and students alike. Prolonged or severe workplace stress can lead to burnout. Here we discuss what burnout is and how we can deal with it to regain balance and begin to feel hopeful again. What is burnout? Burnout is a relatively new concept with the term first coined in 1974 by psychologist, Herbert Freudenberger. It is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as “a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterised by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficacy.” In 2019, burnout was recognised by the WHO as an ‘occupational phenomenon’. Feelings of burnout typically occur when you are overwhelmed at work and feel as if you can no longer keep up with the demands of the job. A 2022 large-scale study by Workhuman and Gallup found that employees in Ireland are suffering from burnout and stress more often than our European counterparts with 3 in 10 employees in Ireland reporting being burnt out very often or always. The same research found employees in Ireland are the most likely to report being stressed with 6.5 in 10 saying they experienced stress ‘a lot’ the previous day. We spend most of our waking life at work, so if we dislike it, dread going, and are extremely dissatisfied with what we are doing, it can place a serious toll on our lives. However, it is more than just the ‘Sunday Scaries’. Burnout is a gradual process and if left unaddressed can lead to many far-reaching and serious consequences. Therefore, it’s important to deal with burnout at an early stage. The burnout stages As mentioned previously, burnout isn’t a sudden onset, it develops gradually over time with symptoms and signs increasing in intensity. Research has identified that these 5 stages (outlined below) are commonly observed.   The Honeymoon Stage- this usually occurs at the start of a new job or project where productivity, optimism, energy and job satisfaction are high. Onset of Stress – like all honeymoon periods, these feelings begin to dwindle and wane. This stage is where we consciously become aware of work stressors. Chronic Stress – this stage is where we notice a marked difference in stress levels and intensity on a more frequent basis. Burnout – this is where we begin to reach our capacity limit and can longer function like we normally would. Work and its issues begin to consume you and you tend to experience serious self-doubt and symptoms become persistent. Habitual Burnout – If left untreated, burnout can become embedded into our daily lives and we experience chronic mental and physical exhaustion and adverse behavioural changes. Symptoms of Burnout These are the signs to look-out for if you think you are reaching burnout. Symptoms of burnout are wide-ranging affecting us physically, emotionally and behaviourally. Getting sick more often - Burnout can cause long-term changes to your body, weakening immunity that makes you increasingly more vulnerable to illnesses like colds and flu. Frequent headaches, muscle pain, or gastrointestinal issues – caused by prolonged stress and being in fight or flight mode constantly. Pattern and habit changes – such as sleep issues or loss of appetite. Feeling tired and drained all the time – regardless of how much rest you get. Concentration issue due to overload. Low mood – loss of motivation, having an increasingly cynical/negative outlook, feeling detachment and withdrawing from others. Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated. Procrastinating on tasks and duties and retreating from responsibility. Skipping work, arriving late and leaving early. Coping Strategies Early intervention is key for preventing burnout and reaching the latter stages of burnout. Burnout is a risk factor for other serious diseases such as depression, heart attacks, stroke, osteoporosis, diabetes, and reduced life expectancy. The good news is we can bounce back from burnout. But what can you do to avoid reaching total burnout? Take the time off work you need to recharge and assess your situation. Speak with your manager or HR department about your workload, how and what you are struggling with – do you have a lot on your plate work-wise? Could some tasks be delegated or put on pause? Know your boundaries and limitations- poor and blurred boundaries are the main reasons people reach burnout. Often, we can say yes to too many work requests that we may not necessarily be able to take on. It requires strength but don’t be afraid to say no to certain work projects or tasks. It is important to set clear work boundaries, take regular breaks and set a work schedule to protect your health. Look after yourself- move your body, try stress management techniques, make sure you sleep and rest enough, and feed your body with nutritious foods. Check out our article, foods to manage stress. Be compassionate and patient with yourself – recovering from burnout is not a linear process. Talk to a professional to discover coping strategies that will personally work for you. How we can help The Thrive Wellbeing Hub provides free emotional supports to members, students and family members. We offer a confidential space for you to talk, whether you need a listening ear, wellbeing advice or professional counselling, we are here for you. You can contact the thrive wellbeing team by email at: thrive@charteredaccountants.ie or by phone: (+353) 86 0243294

A truly diverse and inclusive workplace can boost business by promoting innovation and enhancing reputation, says Sandra Healy, founder and CEO of Inclusio Employers who treat diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) as a “tick box” exercise are missing a valuable opportunity to improve, not only their organisational culture, but also their ability to attract and retain talent and improve business performance and profitability. So says Sandra Healy, founder and CEO of Inclusio, the Irish tech start-up behind a first-of-its-kind platform offering a scientific, data-led approach to measuring DE&I in the workplace. Founded in 2016, Inclusio is now on the path to global growth amid plans to expand overseas and increase its Dublin headcount from 35 to 120 by 2025. The global expansion will be financed by the company’s Enterprise Ireland and VC backed €6.2 million investment. In addition to her role at the helm of Inclusio, Healy is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Council for An Garda Síochána and a former member of the Expert Advisory Group for Ireland’s Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality. An organisational psychologist, her interest in promoting and supporting DE&I, and her inspiration for Inclusio, came about as a result of her experience working for two decades in global telecoms. “One of the values I hold dearest is fairness and I could see through my work that not everyone is treated fairly or equally at work,” Healy explains.  “That’s a problem for the individual who is not treated equitably, but it is also a problem for the organisation and, beyond that, for society as a whole.” Better outcomes  Ultimately, Healy believes that true DE&I can deliver better outcomes across the board.  “For organisations, the benefits of hiring a diverse workforce include access to a greater range of skillsets, experiences, and perspectives that reflect the reality of the society around us,” she says. “This provides a better understanding of their customers, and their customers’ needs—which improves commercial performance and boosts the bottom line.” Other benefits include greater creativity and innovation, improved talent attraction, engagement and retention, and a better reputation in the marketplace. “By intentionally creating a diverse workforce and a socially responsible organisation that takes DE&I seriously, you are opening the door to new markets, customers, business partners, and employees,” says Healy. “There are so many benefits—and you don’t have to go it alone. There are plenty of organisations providing advice and support to help employers get their approach to DE&I right, creating a better environment within the company and supporting a positive culture.” Inclusive hiring Creating an equitable hiring process is often the first step to building an inclusive work environment. There can be barriers to equitable hiring, however, sometimes including deeply held beliefs and behaviours.  “These barriers may be rooted in stereotypes, prejudice, or unconscious or implicit bias, which may lead to discriminatory beliefs and actions,” explains Healy.  “Only by identifying and understanding them, can we begin to dismantle beliefs that lead to discriminatory actions and attitudes.” The DCU Centre of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion, founded by Healy, lists some the main barriers to equitable hiring as: 1. Stereotypes A stereotype is an oversimplified or exaggerated belief or sentiment about a group; a broad generalisation that doesn’t allow for individual differences. Stereotypes can be positive or negative and can apply to any group on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, disability, religion, gender, and other categories. 2. Prejudice Prejudice is a predetermined opinion or attitude about a group and its members. Prejudices are often negative and accompanied by a belief in an “in group” and an “out group”, the latter being the target of the prejudice. 3. Unconscious or implicit bias This is a form of prejudice or belief we are largely unaware of, which is held about members of a group. It can also be described as the positions we hold, filters we form, or conclusions we reach by means outside our active thought. Hence, unconscious or implicit biases often seem automatic. Unlike stereotypes and prejudices, these biases may not even enter our awareness, but they can drive discriminatory actions. 4. Discrimination This behaviour involves, or results in, people being treated unfairly, unequally or differently, because of their identity or the group or groups they belong to. Discrimination often starts through stereotypes, prejudices, and bias. Discriminatory behaviour can range from subtle actions to hate crimes.  Conscious steps All of these concepts work together to perpetuate inequity, so it is crucial that employers take deliberate, conscious, and considered steps to establish hiring practices that are as inclusive as possible. “As a first step, I would advise employers to evaluate and challenge the language you use in your job ads. Ask yourself, ‘what cohort am I appealing to, and who is missing?’” says Healy. She advises employers to design and develop interview processes that are inclusive, non-judgmental and respectful, creating equitable opportunity for all candidates. “All your approaches should be multidimensional—working to address biases and discrimination in all aspects of the hiring process,” she says. “Then, moving beyond the hiring process, you have to intentionally embed DE&I into the culture of your organisation and stress its importance through inclusive leadership and best practice.” As Healy sees it, culture lives “collectively” in the behaviours and lived experiences of each and every individual within an organisation.   “If you want to have a culture that is truly supportive of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion—and consistently so—you have to educate your people managers,” she says. “It should really be the case that, no matter what part of your organisation an individual works in, or who they report to, their experience is consistent with that of everyone else. Your DE&I policies and practices must be ‘lived’. “Your people managers are the custodians of that lived experience, and the culture of your organisation. They must be crystal clear about your DE&I policy and practice,” says Healy. “They must know how to have good conversations to make sure people are supported and get what they need. Ultimately, you want to focus on what every member of your workforce can do, not what they can’t do, and how they can contribute to, and enhance, your organisation.”  So, how can employers gauge whether or not they are on the right track when it comes to DE&I? “That’s one thing employers really struggle with—how do you measure culture?—and that’s where Inclusio comes in,” says Healy. “We’re bringing a ‘scientific evidenced’ approach to employers, which allows them to listen to the collective voice of their people and to measure, track and act on DE&I,” she says. About Inclusio Healy spun the idea for Inclusio into Dublin City University (DCU) in 2016 where she established and led its Centre of Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Research. “Diversity and Inclusion is a core focus for many organisations now and the DCU Centre of Excellence was established to give them access to the very latest developments in academic research, insights and tools to drive change across organisations,” Healy explains. “I started working on Inclusio from 2016 with my two co-founders Deborah Murphy and Arthur Lubambo and support from Enterprise Ireland’s Commercialisation Fund, we spun out of DCU in 2020.” Inclusio has been developed by experts in behavioural data science, psychology, artificial intelligence, equality, diversity and inclusion. The platform gives employers real data-driven insights that will help drive DE&I improvements within their workforce and deliver measurable improvements in their culture. Healy has ambitious plans to make Inclusio Ireland’s first female-founded tech unicorn, and a global DE&I enabler that will help employers to “take the right action on DE&I and ensure that it’s not just a tick box exercise”. Participants in the company’s €6.2 million investment round, closed in 2022, include lead investor Elkstone, alongside Atlantic Bridge, Oyster Capital, Wakeup Capital, Enterprise Ireland, and a group of private backers, such as Brian Caulfield and John Hearne.  Inclusio’s clients include RSA Insurance Ireland, 123.ie, Intact FBD insurance, Linesight, Kilsaran, the Public Appointments Service, and Teagasc. “We already use global benchmarking, and we are now starting to develop sector benchmarking, initially with the insurance sector. Our customers use our data for Board and regulator reporting, Gender Pay Gap and environmental, social, and governance reporting,” Healy explains.  “That will allow employers to answer the question, ‘how am I doing compared to competitors in my own industry?’ as well as the global benchmark. “There is nothing else like Inclusio in the world. Our software is helping organisations to pinpoint and focus DE&I actions in a more strategic way, linked to business KPIs.” “That will allow employers to answer the question, ‘how am I doing compared to competitors in my own industry?’ as well as the global benchmark. “There is nothing else like Inclusio in the world. Our software is helping organisations to pinpoint and focus DE&I actions in a more strategic way.”

John Francis Dick tells Accountancy Ireland why it is so important to advocate for yourself and ask for what you need to succeed at work “Be the disruptor”. That’s the call to action from John Francis Dick, ACA, whose approach to his career has seen him seek out new opportunities at every turn. “My attitude has always been to just go for it, to take that step and to be the disruptor. You have to be willing to represent yourself in any new situation; to come in and say, ‘this is what I need, please provide it for me’.”  As John sees it, people in positions of influence—school teachers, college lecturers, and bosses and managers at work—have an enormous impact on the opportunities open to people with disabilities. “I want to get the message out there that it’s just so important to give people the time and space they need to perform at their best, to engage with them, and take the time to understand what they need to contribute in the best way they can.” John, who has cerebral palsy, grew up in south Belfast and, after completing his A Levels, went on to Queen’s University Belfast to study for a degree in land use and environmental management. “A lot of my school friends dropped out after their GCSEs. They didn’t go on to do A Levels, but I didn’t grow up seeing many people with disabilities around me, so I’ve never taken my education or career for granted,” he explains. “I was passionate about getting as much out of the educational experience as I could. Going to college was a big milestone for me. I hadn’t always been sure I’d get to do it because of my disability.” Be your own advocate It was at this time that John learned the value of speaking up, asking for what he needed, and becoming his own advocate. “It was the first time I was really on my own. I didn’t have my parents behind me and I was suddenly in a much bigger environment than I had been in at school. It was the first time I found myself having to fight for my needs and rights,” he explains. The experience taught John the importance of determination, and gave him the confidence to begin looking further afield to progress his career and education. He decided to apply for a one-year placement with Study USA, a British Council initiative, which allows third level students to spend a full academic year studying business in the US. His placement was with Monmouth, a private college in the midwestern state of Illinois. “That was really where my business education began,” he says.  “Up until that point, the only experience of accountancy I’d had was through my dad, but he just did a one-year course at Ulster University and then went into business.” John was “very open” to learning about accountancy and business, and potentially taking his studies in a new direction. “Really, I’d say my entire education and career to date has been driven by an openness to grasp opportunities, try new things and make the most of lots of different experiences,” he says. “I think this approach will take you in the right direction and, again, for people with disabilities, it comes back to that idea of being a disruptor. “It’s so important to reach out, to be seen and counted, and have access to the same experiences, opportunities and choices as people who do not have disabilities,” says John. “For the most part, people have been accepting of my difference, curious to know more about me and how they can help.  “The bigger challenge for me has been navigating the organisations and institutions that are not quite sure how best to support people with disabilities. “I feel that, in my own journey from school to college and on to work, I’ve really had to be my own trailblazer in terms of getting things done, but I’ve also seen a lot of change in those years.  “Even in terms of Chartered Accountants Ireland as an organisation, its approach to helping people with disabilities continues to improve and that’s encouraging. The Institute has agreed to my request to introduce disability awareness training for staff and I really welcome that.” Path to accountancy While he enjoyed studying for his degree in environmental management at Queen’s University, John was also aware that better career opportunities might lie elsewhere. “I remember, when I was at Monmouth, being encouraged to come up with business ideas. It was just a different way of learning and I think it really helps you when you go into the working world,” he says. “So, I came home and finished my degree, but I also took a part-time job as a book-keeper and started learning about debits and credits. My parents were a big support at that time, because they were both responsible for the accounts in their jobs.” In late 2011, the year after his graduation, John decided to apply for a training position with EY in Dublin. He was offered a six-month internship and went on to work with the firm for five-and-a-half years, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant and becoming an Audit Senior. “Joining EY was a really big step for me. It was my first full-time role and my first experience working in a Big Four environment. Starting with the six-month internship was really key for me because it meant I knew what to expect and how best to navigate my way around,” he says. Importance of managers During his years with EY and in subsequent roles in banking and industry, John has learned time and again the critical role managers can play in supporting career progression. “I remember once I had one manager who, I felt, wasn’t supporting me or interested in me as a person.  “I thought, ‘something has to change’. There were other managers I got on really well with, so I asked to switch teams. I took control of the situation. “The person I talked to about switching teams, who was also a Chartered Accountant, was an enormous help and support to me at that time. They are also someone I’ve returned to over the years to ask for advice and input.” Such support has been crucial in helping John to navigate his career path and make the right decisions.  “It just goes to show how important it is to speak up and advocate for yourself. Anyone can find themselves in a situation where their manager isn’t open to promoting them or supporting their needs and progression,” he says. “You might not have exactly what they’re looking for on the face of it, but if they’re not open to seeing your strengths, they won’t be able to see how a different approach could result in a better outcome for you and for your team.” The result of this approach to managing people is often a poor culture and a higher turnover of staff of all abilities, John says. “I wasn’t the only one on my team who was frustrated with how we were being managed, but I think I found it especially difficult. I had identified what I wasn’t able to do myself, but there was no room for genuine communication.” He continues: “These days, I am more confident about asking for that communication and understanding. I’ll give everything 110 percent. Living with a physical disability can present acute challenges, but I find solutions and I put them into practice.  “I am an advocate for the promotion of differing abilities in the workplace. I think it’s crucial that we respect and value each colleague’s abilities and I take pride in my work and in leaving things better than I found them and having a positive impact on the people around me.”