Episode 20: Resilience, Well-Being & the Future of the Profession

In the newest episode of Chartered Accountants Global Update, we explore one of the most important topics facing the profession today: how chartered accountants can thrive—mentally, emotionally, and physically—in an increasingly demanding world.

This episode dives into highlights from the latest Difference Makers Discuss Live conversation with Brad Hook and Declan Scott, co-authors of the groundbreaking global resilience and well-being report for Chartered Accountants Worldwide.

Whether you’re newly qualified or have decades of experience, this is an essential listen.

The Surprising Strengths of Chartered Accountants

The global report uncovered something many people overlook: chartered accountants are, on the whole, curious, creative, and altruistic. As Brad Hook notes, finance professionals aren’t always recognised for these qualities—but they shine through clearly in the data.

The challenge?
We often fail to apply that same kindness and curiosity inward. The pressure to perform, deliver, and multitask can overshadow the strengths that make us exceptional.

A Profession in Transition

The accounting world has evolved dramatically. Today’s chartered accountant may work in practice, industry, technology, sustainability, entrepreneurship—you name it.

With this abundance of opportunity comes new pressures. This episode is a timely reminder that high performance is not about doing everything at once, but about doing the right things with clarity, rhythm, and intention.

Continue the Journey

Chartered Accountants Worldwide has created a dedicated well-being hub with practical tools and guidance to support members across the globe. A follow-up survey arrives in Q1 2026 to measure progress—and your participation will help shape future interventions.

Transcript

HELLO! Welcome to the Chartered Accountants Global Update. Today we're diving deep into a conversation that matters to every chartered accountant, whether you're just starting out or you've been in the profession for decades. We're talking about resilience, well-being, and how we can thrive in an increasingly demanding profession.

This episode is a deep dive into the latest Difference Makers Discuss Live conversation with Brad Hook and Declan Scott, who co-authored the groundbreaking global resilience and well-being report for chartered accountants worldwide.

Let's start with something that might surprise you. The inaugural report found that chartered accountants possess remarkable strengths: creativity, altruism, and curiosity. As Brad Hook pointed out in the episode, people don't often acknowledge finance professionals as being kind, curious, and creative, but these qualities shine through in the profession. The challenge? We don't always extend that kindness to ourselves.

The report also revealed some concerning patterns. Multitasking, hypervigilance, and sleep difficulties were significant challenges across the profession. And here's the critical insight: what we practice becomes who we are. If you're constantly switching between tasks under high pressure all day, that pattern doesn't magically disappear at nine or ten in the evening.

Declan Scott, who qualified as a chartered accountant thirty years ago, brought a personal perspective to this conversation. He wished he'd known these insights when he was entering the profession. The intensity young people experience, combined with uncertainty about career paths, creates a perfect storm of stress. And with so many career options now available to chartered accountants, the overwhelm of choice itself can be paralyzing.

What's particularly striking is Declan's observation that this starts as cognitive risk. Our minds become overwhelmed first, then our bodies follow. Many of us, especially when we're younger, ignore the basics of taking care of our bodies, thinking we can power through anything.

Now, here's where it gets really interesting. Let's talk about the generational challenge facing the profession. The traditional approach has been to drill multitasking and constant availability into people from day one, especially in public practice. Time is money, after all. But research is telling us something different.

Brad Hook shared that even the best performers in the study scored only thirty-one percent on effective multitasking. Think about that. The best of us are struggling with what we've been told is essential to success.

And for younger workers, particularly Generation Z, anxiety levels are rising. The introduction of smartphone technology has fragmented our attention spans to an alarming degree. Recent research suggests adults can maintain focus for just forty-seven seconds before becoming distracted. That's about the length of your average social media reel.

So what's the solution? Both Brad and Declan emphasized that these are learnable skills. The key is shifting from a pure performance mindset to a growth mindset. Leaders need to adopt a coaching approach, understanding what motivates each team member and helping them connect their daily tasks to a larger purpose.

One of the most practical concepts they discussed is monotasking, the opposite of multitasking. Instead of trying to do everything at once, create rhythms throughout your day. Time for deep work and flow state. Time for connection and meetings. Time for emails and communication. Not everything all at once.

Let's talk about flow state for a moment, because this is where high performance really happens. Brad outlined clear criteria for cultivating flow: a clear goal, skills that match the challenge, the right amount of time, typically up to ninety minutes, and minimal distractions. McKinsey research shows that in flow state, we're five hundred percent more productive. And it's not just about productivity, it feels intrinsically rewarding.

Brad suggested starting with "Friday Flow" at eleven a.m. Check your emails first, then from eleven until lunch, work on your most important, not urgent, tasks. Google Maps and Gmail were invented during this kind of focused time at Google.

Now, we can't talk about resilience without addressing sleep. Declan shared a powerful analogy: in Europe, when farmers change their clocks, they start adjusting cow milking times two minutes per day, one month in advance, so the cows aren't disrupted. Everything in nature works in rhythm. Yet we expect humans to ignore these natural rhythms and stay constantly switched on.

Sleep is one of the biggest contributors to energy and leadership presence. Even small disruptions, like daylight saving time changes, lead to measurable increases in cardiovascular incidents and strokes. If you're experiencing fragmented sleep, Declan encourages getting it checked out properly. Sometimes there are underlying issues like sleep apnea that no amount of sleep hygiene will fix on its own.

As we wrap up, I want to leave you with Brad's powerful closing advice. Presence is an underrated skill. How much of our time do we spend fully engaged versus juggling multiple tasks in a state of chronic stress? Can we cultivate moments of calm presence? Take intentional pauses. Disconnect from the noise. Take a wide-angle view and ask yourself: what's the most important thing to focus on right now?

For leaders, this means noticing how your team members are doing. Activating your emotional intelligence to spot those subtle cues of fatigue and anxiety. Being there for others.

The good news is that Chartered Accountants Worldwide has created a well-being hub on their website with practical tips and interventions. And there's a follow-up survey launching in Q1 of 2026 to measure whether these interventions are making a difference. If you're a member, please participate. This research only works if we measure, intervene, and measure again.

The accounting profession has evolved dramatically. The traditional path of going straight into practice is just one of many options now. But with that evolution comes new challenges around well-being and resilience. The conversation with Brad and Declan reminds us that we need to honor our human limitations, create sustainable rhythms, and remember that high performance isn't about doing everything at once. It's about doing the right things with full presence and intention.

That's it for this episode of the Chartered Accountants Global Update. For more resources on resilience and well-being, visit the Chartered Accountants Worldwide website. Until next time, take care of yourselves so you can take care of your clients and your careers.