Does Leadership Define The Accountancy Profession?

How do you assess the values of a group of people? Especially those professing that they would be protecting public interests?

It is not an easy question to answer unless there are some sort of observable behaviours and standards which we can compare with.

One natural occurrence when people with some common interests gather as a group is for them to select or elect leaders to represent them. In formal arrangements such as clubs or associations, it would be customary, and in many cases legally required, for the leadership of the groups to be elected.

I would certainly view that whoever that is voted in as Presidents or any other similar positions to reflect the hearts and minds of the people who supported those leaders. In a situation where there are a number of groups with different world views and interests, the majority of them would prevail. So, the leadership would reflect the majority of people in such groups.

Like it or not, the standards expected from professionals such as the accountancy profession would be higher than for others, the man on the street. The accountancy profession professes to protect public interests through ensuring their members are competent and uphold the values of the profession. Integrity stands as the key ideals of the profession, above other principles such as objectivity, confidentiality and due care.

In fact, just recently, the accountancy profession adopted a new code of conduct which relates to actions to take in public interest when accountants are aware of potential illegal acts, non-compliance with laws and regulations committed by clients or employers.

Among other matters, the new standard, which becomes effective on 15 July 2017, provides a clear pathway for auditors and other professional accountants to disclose potential non-compliance situations to appropriate public authorities in certain situations without being constrained by the ethical duty of confidentiality. It also places renewed emphasis on the role of senior-level accountants in business in promoting a culture of compliance with laws and regulations and prevention of non-compliance within their organisations.

So, if that is the standard which they agree to live by, anyone elected to the leadership of the profession should also live and breath compliance culture and detest any breach of the law or regulation. It would much more better if the person had demonstrated such qualities in his or professional career.

In situations where any appointed leader does not carry the values promoted by the profession, doubt would be casted on the profession as a whole. Didn't the professionals exercised their membership rights without due consideration to their own professional values?

I suppose it if fair to judge a profession based on the standards which they impose on themselves. In the case of the accountancy profession, the approach has always been from the perspective of a third party who has reasonable information and understanding of the situation. Unfortunately, this high bar has been set as the "smell test" for accountants. They have to keep on training to jump higher that the bar. Otherwise, the whole profession could be tainted and perceived as abandoning their own professional standards, smelly.