Ethical Leadership, a CPA Perspective

One of the most powerful lessons I learned as an art student was the concept of perspective. Two people can sit in front of the same still life and produce sketches that look completely different. Sure, one is standing on the left and the other on the right, so their physical angles are different. But there’s also the deeper kind of perspective: the way each person’s unique history, experiences, and worldview shape what they see and how they express it.

That lesson never left me. It followed me into my work as a CPA and especially into the way I try to lead in business.

Yes, I look at numbers all. day. long. But my favorite part of being a CPA isn’t filling out forms for ever-changing tax rules (though someone has to love that, right?). The real joy comes when I sit next to a business owner and help translate their numbers into goals and strategies that fit their values.

A financial statement is full of numbers and patterns, but the real question is always: “So what?” What does this mean for your business, your vision, your next chapter? A Profit & Loss statement might look the same from business to business, but the way an owner reads it, interprets it, and uses it to build growth and tax strategies? That’s where perspective comes alive.

Guiding clients isn’t about copy-and-paste answers, it’s about listening deeply, respecting their perspective, and honoring the unique story each business brings to the world. When values, mission, and financials align, something magical happens: the business comes to life in 4D.

I experienced this myself when Leadership Center worked with our team. They didn’t just hand us a generic mission statement. They listened, really listened, to my partner and me share our stories, our perspectives, our “why.” Out of that, they helped us shape a mission statement that feels true, holistic, and alive.

That, to me, is ethical leadership. It’s not about power or authority. It’s about listening, respecting, and even loving the perspectives of others, and finding the common threads that connect us.