No matter what industry an organization lies in, its leaders will always learn that they will only be able to go as far as their team will take them, and the capabilities of the individuals they manage are just as critical as their own. It’s imperative for partners and directors to be able to properly develop and build the people under them, and our female leaders have invested their time, effort, and knowledge into equipping their team members with the skills needed to handle the hurdles and obstacles the accounting industry might present.
Assurance Partners Rotua Ratna Simanjuntak and Rosheny Chen came to Grant Thornton Indonesia in 2020, and they have been excellent examples of how leaders successfully build their teams. Rotua’s description of how she prepares her team speaks to the detail and thought behind their development and growth, taking time to hold group training sessions, intermittent meetings to discuss updates regarding their various projects, and weekend retreats away from the office for the purposes of bonding and building camaraderie between team members.
On the other hand, there are also times where a leader has to put her foot down, with Rosheny recounting a couple of times where she’s told team members to work at the office for the full five days despite Grant Thornton Indonesia’s recent hybrid WFO/WFH policy that was reinstated. She explained that she has no problem with employees working from home as long as their work is submitted on time, but when standards start to slip and people start getting lazy, she’s not afraid to call people out in the interest of her team’s output and efficiency.
Rotua shares the same sentiment when it comes to discipline, admitting that she has a reputation for being hard on people when it comes to her unflinching standards regarding the team’s quality of work and client service. However, the members of her team who are willing to learn and develop their skillset as an auditor always have respect for her and the results she brings out of them, as Rotua laughed when mentioning how people on her team would brag about receiving a “well done” from her when reviewing their work. Though she has plenty of criticism for her team, even former members who once worked under her carry the impact she’s made and the lessons she’s imparted, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that they channel clients to her as well.
Our female leaders in Grant Thornton Indonesia’s service lines prepare their teams to face clients, but the people working in Support Services face a slightly different set of challenges, and Human Capital Director Emme Tarigan understands the variance she has to account for, observing that her team is sometimes treated differently amongst the more prominent service lines and encouraging her team to remain fair and equal in their treatment of any individual throughout the firm. Emme has felt the discomfort that instating unpopular policies brings, as colleagues resented her back when she was an HR representative in the hospitality industry as well. In addition, Emme is the youngest among all of Grant Thornton Indonesia’s female leaders, and at her previous place of employment, there were plenty of people who felt a woman in her 30s was not capable of a senior position and would try to test her and trip her up to prove themselves right. Consequently, the main concern on Emme’s mind when managing the difficulties that the HR department faces is building a team around her that will trust and respect her. She explained that she prefers working with younger people like fresh graduates who are open-minded and willing to learn, and she leans on a direct approach when communicating with her team, opting to tackle an issue head on until it’s resolved, regardless of how heated or turbulent it might get. Emme also focuses on building a team she can rely on, frequently delegating responsibility and encouraging her team members to do the same. She elaborated on her approach to distributing work, saying that no one can handle everything on their own, and a good leader is capable of building a team that will run smoothly without constant oversight.
As the leader in her department, Emme’s forward approach is designed to push her team and consistently increase their efficiency and quality of work, but every individual has a different method of guiding the people around them. For Assurance Director Tara Adelia Senjaya, she pushes her team to be assertive, relating to the feeling of initially being intimidated in client interactions but emphasizing the importance of determination and pushing through the discomfort. She also encourages younger female auditors to be decisive in their careers, saying that it’s better to be sure of what you want earlier in order to properly maximize your opportunities. On the other hand, when speaking to Assurance Director Kristina Sunarta, though she also interacts frequently with her team and makes sure they’re developing both in technical skill and character, she is also willing to step back and give her team members space. Kristina recounted a story of how a former employee told her he was surprised when he resigned because he didn’t expect her to be so supportive of him finding his own path, albeit outside the firm. She is still firm with her team, holding them to her standards and calling out dishonesty and lack of accountability, but she is more in favor of giving her team a little more freedom to figure themselves out and learn on their own.
Through all these examples from Grant Thornton Indonesia’s female leaders, an obvious pattern emerges, highlighting the fact that a leader’s true impact is exhibited in the success of her followers. Rotua’s former employees still give her business from their new companies, holding her in high regard and with much respect. Emme laughed during her account of a story where after she instated a controversial policy right before the COVID-19 pandemic at her previous company, people kept thanking her, even past her resignation, as the decision ended up cutting critical costs and keeping the company afloat during the pandemic. Emme, along with other leaders such as Rosheny, Tara, Kristina, and many others, will still keep up with former team members, and especially in an industry where prodigal employees end up returning once more, these relationships only help the firm and strengthen the people in it. Through their willingness to invest in their team and cultivate a culture of success through their professional leadership, our female partners and directors are constantly working towards sustainable growth that will help both the firm and everyone in it.