Introduction, and why we chatted
Fenni Nghekevali CA(NAM) is the Chief Executive Officer at ICAN (Institute of Chartered Accountants for Namibia), and from her own journey she has a wealth of experience to share.
We chatted about journeys outside our comfort zones, the importance of mindset, and the opportunities we may not realise we might miss!
(Note: When we had this chat, she was still in the role of Professional Development Executive at ICAN. She has since been promoted to the CEO… so CONGRATS!)
If there's anything else you'd like us to chat about, or if you'd like to thank my guest... please leave a comment below!
Fenni's Background
An overview:
Fenni has been qualified as a Chartered Accountant in Namibia for over ten years. She’s worked as an accountant and auditor, and is passionate about the development of professionals.
She holds a Certificate of Human Resources from UCT, and is studying Industrial Psychology. (More about that later!)
Fenni is currently the Executive of Professional Development at ICAN (Institute of Chartered Accountants of Namibia).
How important is mindset for success?
You’ll know by now that I focus on mindset for professional accounting students… a LOT!
We chat about the practical impact of of a fixed vs growth mindset, and how it affects our decisions and lives.
Think about your studying, work and the stuff you struggle with… can you identify which mindset you lean towards?
Comfort Zones and Mindset
“We don’t grow in our comfort zones”
We often don’t realise that we’re staying in comfort zones. We’re waiting for ‘the right time’, waiting to feel more confident, more competent. We don’t see this as a ‘comfort zone’, we see this as logical!
When did YOU step out your comfort zone?
It’s easy to look at professionals and feel like it’s easy for THEM to say things like “Leave your comfort zone”… but do they know the feeling? Have THEY every actually done this?
I asked Fenni to share her experience with leaving comfort zones.
We change... our goals might change!
Society does seem to push the idea that changing goals is ‘giving up’, and it’s a bad thing.
You change, your exposure and experiences change you, your goals may very well change! This is NOT giving up… this is SMART!
Your Support Base
We need to actively build a support base. People who support and encourage us, but also challenge us. People who know us well enough to help us step up and forward when we want to step back!
SO many more opportunities!
There are SO many more opportunities out there than we’re aware of. I definitely had a more limited idea of what I could ‘do’ with a chartered accounting qualification.
As an example, I asked Fenni to chat about her Industrial Psychology studies and how she sees it adding value to her career and the accounting profession.
Challenges may be opportunities in disguise!
We spoke earlier about comfort zones. The reality is that we often find some fascinating opportunities we didn’t know existed, when we step outside our comfort zones.
To start with, it’s a challenge we may want to shy away from, but who knows where you may land up? Who knows what opportunity it creates for you? Who knows what might come next? Answer? No one does… UNLESS you’re prepared to take that step!
Motivation and final words
“Own your career!”
