The conversations that create the most value aren’t always the ones you plan. Here’s what a student’s thank-you note reminded us about what accounting is really for.
A few weeks ago, one of our directors received an email from a student he’d met at a CA ANZ mentoring event. It wasn’t a question about the CA pathway or a request for career advice. It was a thank-you note, written a month after the event, from someone who’d taken the time to properly reflect before reaching out.
What had stayed with them wasn’t technical. The conversation had gone somewhere less expected: curiosity, growth mindset, the idea that success is about more than career progression. Leadership as something built through small, consistent actions. The value of connection, and how it shows up in the details.
“Your emphasis on curiosity and maintaining a growth mindset resonated strongly — particularly the idea that growth is not a linear process and that trying, failing, and learning are all necessary parts of development.”
“Your advice to think carefully about who we are and what we want across different areas of life offered a valuable reminder that success is about more than just career progression.”
- A University of Auckland accounting student, following the CA ANZ Executive Mentoring Event
It was ,as our director put it, an unexpected reminder that the conversations we have can leave a lasting impact. It also captured something we’ve been thinking about a lot lately.
What value looks like
The biggest shift happening at UHY Haines Norton right now isn’t a new accounting standard or a change in tax law. It’s a shift in the conversations we’re having with clients.
Traditionally, accountants get called when someone has a question to answer or an obligation to meet. Increasingly, our role is to help clients see opportunities they didn’t know were there. We call this Value Added Services, but the label matters less than what it means in practice.
Sometimes it’s a business acquisition, a succession plan, or a valuation. Sometimes it’s reviewing financing options before a technology investment, exploring productivity improvements, or connecting a client with exactly the right specialist at the right moment. Sometimes it’s a conversation that doesn’t lead to an immediate transaction but helps a business owner make a better decision than they would have made alone.
Sometimes the most valuable advice isn’t the answer to the question you asked. It’s identifying the opportunity you hadn’t yet considered.
A recent internal discussion about funding future ownership for our next generation of leaders brought this into sharp focus. Many businesses delay important decisions because they assume growth must be funded from existing cash reserves. There are often commercial options available that align funding with future growth, productivity improvements, or succession goals. The opportunity was always there. The conversation just hadn’t happened yet.
Value added is a mindset, not a service line
What that student’s email captured so well is that adding value isn’t always about introducing another service. Sometimes it’s about investing in people. A student at a mentoring event. A client who needs someone to think alongside them, not just report to them. A colleague who needs a different perspective on a problem they’ve been sitting with for too long.
Every member of our team is encouraged to look beyond the financial statements and ask a straightforward question: how can we help our clients achieve more? That might mean identifying an operational efficiency, exploring a technology solution, thinking through governance or financing structures, or asking a question nobody else thought to ask.
Every business has untapped opportunities. Our job is to help uncover them.
What this means for you
If you’ve been thinking about growth, succession, productivity, funding, or any area of your business where you’re not sure about what options exist, that’s exactly the kind of conversation we’d like to have with you. Not a formal engagement or a structured process. Just a conversation, to see what’s there.
Because, as that email reminded us, sometimes the most valuable thing isn’t the answer. It’s the question that opens up a direction you hadn’t considered before.
Want to explore what's possible for your business?
Get in touch and let’s start with a conversation. No agenda, no obligation. Just a fresh perspective on where your business could go next. You can also reach out to the author, Sungesh Singh, via email at sungesh.singh@uhyhn.co.nz for more information.
