Working Across Generations in Accounting: A Skill You Did Not Learn in School

For many staff and senior level professionals, one of the first surprises of public accounting or consulting is not the workload or the technical complexity. It is the people. More specifically, it is working day to day with bosses and clients who grew up in a very different professional environment.

Most accounting programs do an excellent job teaching debits and credits, audit assertions, tax rules, and research skills. Very few spend time preparing students for the reality that much of their early career will involve translating work, expectations, and communication styles across generations. That translation is a skill of its own, and like most professional skills, it improves with intention and practice.

Generational Differences Are Not a Measure of Competence

One of the most important mental resets for younger professionals is separating technological fluency from professional competence.

In accounting and consulting, it is entirely possible for a senior leader or client to struggle with basic technology while also possessing decades of experience evaluating financial information, managing risk, and exercising judgment. The partner who needs help rotating a PDF may be the same person who can immediately spot inconsistencies in that document or understand the broader implications better than anyone else in the room.

Both things can be true at the same time.

Frustration often arises when technology becomes a proxy for intelligence or professionalism. That assumption is rarely accurate and usually counterproductive. Recognizing the difference allows younger professionals to engage with more patience and, ultimately, more credibility.

Technology Is Often Only the Surface Issue

Technology differences are usually the most visible generational gap, but they are rarely the underlying challenge.

Underneath questions about file formats, portals, or software are deeper themes such as comfort with change, trust in new processes, and differing definitions of efficiency. For someone who built a career in a paper based or early digital environment, newer tools can feel opaque or risky rather than empowering.

Younger professionals can add real value by reframing technology as support rather than replacement. Simple tactics matter here. Recording a short screen video, offering step by step instructions, or explaining why a tool saves time or reduces risk can be far more effective than assuming resistance or impatience.

The goal is not to over accommodate, but to communicate in a way that helps the work move forward.

Communication Style Is Part of Professionalism

Another common friction point is communication style. Many younger professionals default to email, chat, or task management tools. Older bosses and clients may strongly prefer phone calls, voicemails, or scheduled conversations.

Neither approach is inherently better. They are simply different norms shaped by different professional eras.

For staff and seniors, the ability to pick up the phone, leave a clear voicemail, or speak comfortably in an unscripted conversation is still a critical skill. If a professional intends to work with people across generations, avoiding these modes of communication is not a viable long term strategy.

At the same time, learning how to summarize conversations clearly afterward, whether in an email or follow up memo, helps bridge the gap between styles and protects everyone involved.

Expectations Around Work and Professional Presence Still Matter

Generational differences also show up in expectations around availability, hierarchy, and professionalism. Some leaders value responsiveness and visibility. Others value independence and discretion. Some expect formality in tone and structure. Others are more casual but still expect precision.

These expectations are not always stated explicitly, which makes observation especially important early in a role or engagement. Paying attention to how senior leaders interact with each other often reveals far more than formal training ever will.

Adapting to these expectations is not about abandoning personal values or modern work practices. It is about understanding the environment well enough to operate effectively within it.

Delivering Value Means Meeting People Where They Are

For client facing professionals, this lesson is especially important. Value is not given. It is received.

A technically perfect deliverable that a client cannot easily access, understand, or engage with is not fully delivering value. Helping a client navigate technology, choosing communication methods that work for them, and pacing change appropriately are all part of professional service.

This does not mean freezing progress or avoiding improvement. It means recognizing that successful change often requires translation, patience, and trust before it requires innovation.

This Is a New Skill For You

Perhaps the most reassuring takeaway for younger professionals is this: difficulty working across generations is not a sign that something is wrong. It is an added challenge layered on top of an already demanding profession.

Staff and seniors who learn to navigate these dynamics early often develop stronger judgment, better communication skills, and a deeper understanding of what leadership actually looks like in practice. These skills compound over time and tend to matter far longer than any single software tool or technical standard.

The professionals who stand out are rarely the ones who know the most shortcuts. They are the ones who can translate, adapt, and communicate effectively with people who think differently than they do.

That is not just a survival skill in accounting and consulting. It is a leadership skill in the making.