It’s a small world after all.

As I write this column for the October issue of The Bottom Line, I am sitting in my hotel suite in Downtown Dhaka, Bangladesh, eleven hours ahead of you.

I could even send this article into the Editor the morning after deadline day and still get it in on time!

However, here I am in the Bangladeshi sweltering heat as you watch the leaves turn red and brown for another glorious Canadian fall.

I am here on a two-week speaking engagement for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh, in this case, talking about practice development, succession planning and client service issues for their members in public accounting.

In my time here, and in my preparation leading up to this engagement, it struck me how many similarities there are between the challenges facing practitioners on the other side of the world, and my clients at home.

The Bangladeshi marketplace is culturally very different, but many of the challenges they face are identical to the same issues you will be dealing with at home:

· How to find better quality clients
· How to serve them so well that they never want to leave
· How to ask for referrals while retaining your dignity
· How to find great people to join your team
· How to motivate them and provide interesting work that keeps them challenged
· How to spot, recruit and keep tomorrow’s Partners
· How to develop a unique ‘brand’ for a public accounting firm, and
· How to be creative and ‘leading-edge’ while remaining compliant with Institute guidelines.

It’s never an easy task.

How did I end up here? You might ask. Well, the seminar organizer is a non-profit organization called Katalyst, and they have been subscribers to my free e-newsletter, LEDGER, for almost three years.

When they had a budget approved to hold these seminars I was invited to put a proposal forward and, the rest, as they say, is history.

It just goes to show what a small world we live in. In my recruiting work for public accounting firms, I often come across new immigrants, with Accounting designations from all manner of different countries.

These people are often very hard working and dedicated individuals who have brought their families to Canada in the hope of building a better future for them.

Imagine their disappointment when they realize, maybe somewhat naively, that their accounting designation isn’t recognized over here.

Whether it’s right or whether it’s wrong is not for me to comment, it’s just the way it is.

The upside for employers is that there is a growing number of qualified, hard working potential employees who could have the potential to become a part of their team and make a valuable contribution, in a time when skilled professionals are in short supply.

They are also often available at salary levels somewhat lower than market rate as they are keen to have an opportunity to work and attain their Canadian CA, CGA or CMA.

Indeed, while I have been here, in Bangladesh, several newly qualified CAs have approached me about work opportunities in Canada.

With recruiting talent for CA firms being one of my biggest lines of business, it makes sense, in certain circumstances, to consider people like this, where:

· They have public accounting experience
· They have English and/or French as their first (or strong second) languages
· They are hungry to succeed
· They offer excellent value for money

It might not be the best option for everyone, but I have seen several clients take (for example) a very promising CA from India and put him or her through a Canadian designation.

They often end up being very loyal employees who work hard and are somewhat ‘low maintenance’ individuals.

It might not be the right approach for everyone, but it might be right for you. The fact is, you’ll never know if you don’t try it.

I have seen many new immigrants (being one myself) come to Canada and build a very successful career. Once acclimatized and having survived one or two of our winters, they become a little more ‘Canadian’ every day and blend into the cultural mosaic that we are proud to call home.

Yes, it really is a small world after all, which pieces of it are represented in your office?

© 2004, MFA Group Inc