At Public Practice Recruitment Ltd we’ve been doing lots of work lately on our core values.
Over the last few years we’re really proud to have stepped our service offering up a serious level and we’re now proud to state with certainty that we’re the best niche accountancy recruiters in the United Kingdom.
That’s a bold statement isn’t it!
But having really taken the time as a team to drill down into what makes us different, what value we hope to add to our clients recruitment offering and the aspirations that we’re committed to living up to, being the best in our unique sector is the natural end result.
So, as a recruiter we can pledge to both our clients and our candidates that our core values mean that we are now standing head and shoulders above our competitors. So when it came to writing an article for our clients about why we think they should pay plenty of attention to their own core values, it only seemed to make sense to use ourselves as the perfect case study.
Why do core values matter?
As a busy accounting firm there’s so much operationally to keep all of your team busy. Heads down, everyone working alongside one another desperately trying to get the job done.
But herein lies the danger. If no-one takes a moment to break for air and check that everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet and working in a streamlined way to meet the shared objectives of the firm as an organisation , the wheels can fall off even the most successful of firms very quickly.
So as a group of Partners, it’s a really good use of your time to pause, talk to your staff and your clients, consider the ways in which you expect everyone to behave together and the output you want to aspire to. Then translate that into a clear set of core values that are clear to everyone involved with your firm at every level.
Let’s consider some examples of core values. Our own!
Our set of core values is broken down into 4 topics which each feature several more specific aspirations. For the purpose of this article we’ll consider one such value from each topic.
Market Knowledge – to provide solutions to problems people never realised they had.
This core value is an example of how our firm pledges to go above and beyond the basic expectation that a client or a candidate might have of a recruiter and it’s one we’d urge you to find your firm’s own version of.
If you approach an accountant you expect them to be able to produce accurate sets of accounts and other standard computations and returns. But what more can you offer and how can this be reflected in your core values?
At Public Practice Recruitment Ltd sometimes we answer questions with questions. That means that if someone asks us what salary we think they should offer, we ask them to dig a little deeper and consider what salaries their competitors are offering, what more they can offer a potential post holder and other questions that encourage them to think more about the impact that the answer to that question has. We want to surprise and delight our clients by supporting them to find the right answers for their firm not the right answers for the industry. And we’re certain that providers of accountancy services can think along the same lines. How can you make your service more?
Service Delivery – to work together effectively.
We’ve pulled out this value as an example of how we need our clients to understand that for them to get the best results from us, they need to consider our relationship to be a partnership. Where there’s trust and great communication, there’s often the very best results.
And again we’re certain that this value, or a version of it, will be relevant in practice too.
Speed to Market – Act Without Delay.
Time is money! For businesses and for their clients and there’s nothing more frustrating than working with a service provider who is slow to respond or to act. So consider the timeframes you would like to be able to meet and ensure that this becomes part of your core values. If you’re committing your whole organisation to doing something in a certain timeframe you’ll build your business through meeting that target and showcasing that value.
Building Relationships – We’ll Treat Others As We Expect to be Treated.
This is a basic value of respect and it refers to the level of customer service that we aspire to. Not every interaction that your staff have with your clients will be easy and sometimes it’s in the interest of providing a great service that difficult conversations might need to be had. But showcasing your firm’s commitment to respecting every other person and working together inclusively is important and it’s a value we’re proud to hold dear at Public Practice Recruitment Ltd.
So, there you have it. Just a few of our firm’s values that we hope will inspire you to create or review you own.
Leadership is hard. Especially when you feel so operationally tied to your firm. But the irony is that the busier you feel you are troubleshooting and firefighting, responding to emails and keeping up with deadlines, the more important taking time away to think strategically and check that your firm is aligned to your bigger picture really is.
For more resources on strategic leadership and how your actions tie in to your workforce and how you retain and attract talented accountants, take a look at our employers’ hub today.
And if you like the sound of our core values and want to work with the best UK recruiters in the niche sector of public practice, contact us today to discuss next steps.
