Relationships as the antidote for Artificial Intelligence.

Most people accept that the earth has been around at least a few thousand years, many of us consider ourselves lucky if we get the privilege to be on the face of it for a hundred of those years, and luckier still if anyone even remembers we existed a hundred years from now.

This reflection sets a profound context for life and service in general. The people we work with, live amongst, and serve, happen to be alive on the planet at the same time we are. Depending on who you speak with, this may be a coincidence, or the product of intelligent design. This is not a religious debate so we will not explore that in any further detail at this stage.

The thought I would like to share with you is the context and value of the human connection, the importance of relationships, and the importance of investing in the right things.

People often think of accountants as anti-social, introverted, pocket-protector wearing people with a dim sense of humor and a black and white mentality. Admittedly, people who enter the accounting profession do tend to have a mind that allows them to see things through a lens that is more science than art. However, the accounting field is evolving from a narrowly focused number crunching regime, to one of trusted partner, advisor, and confidant. With the rise of artificial intelligence, survival demands that practitioners also evolve.

I have embraced this change, and it has become one of the more gratifying aspects of where I find myself currently in my career. Whilst I’m probably never going to give up my spreadsheets and QuickBooks, these are mere tools that are used to gather and process the information which allows me to help our clients grow and become more successful. The focus is on figuring out how we can help business owners live happier, fuller lives, knowing they have a reliable person in their corner to help them navigate the challenges of business and to look out for their best interest when it comes to managing their affairs.

Our company started in 2015 with one client, a strata corporation. Our second steady client was a family-owned small business. The business was not terribly successful then, times were lean, and the family was referred to us by their bank who wanted them to maintain a certain financial discipline in the running of their business. We helped.

A few short years later, the loan from the financial institution that referred the client was fully repaid, the business blossomed, and the family moved from clients to friends.

As our own business grew and became more successful, many people would have put aside the smaller less profitable clients in favour of spending firm capacity on the bigger more lucrative accounts; however, we didn’t. I continued to personally look after their account and whilst it did not significantly contribute to the firm’s revenue stream, the value of the relationship built with the family far surpassed the importance of the growth in fees.

We are all here on this earth for a relatively brief period.  Many of the material things we accumulate will not go forward with us, if they do, you will find they are of far lesser value.

I strongly believe that the memories we will take into old age and treasure are not those of the digital numbers you see when you access your bank accounts online. It is of the smiles, the shared journey, and the feeling of fulfillment from the positive difference made and the lives impacted as you practiced your craft and shared your knowledge and experience.

Let’s face it, most of the technical work we do today will be easily performed by computers in a few years. Invest in relationships, build them, and value them, the return on that investment is incredible.