Abstract Eugene Flegm has a long history in the field of accounting. He has seen a lot over the years and has come up with four paradoxes which accountants deal with. Of the four paradoxes, two of them have a direct correlation with leadership and management. The paradox of balancing “soft” skills and technical skills is the first paradox. The paradox of the education of accountants is the second paradox that deals with leadership and management. This essay will consist of defending Flegm's paradoxes while bringing in other sources to help the argument.

Accounting Paradoxes and Leadership

In any field or practice, skills are either gained or further developed. As an accountant is it important to develop skills like knowledge of
An extravert is someone who would be more open to ask questions and not just live off the knowledge of facts. Modern education has be pushing students towards the introvert personality, while the job market is looking for those with an extravert personality. Due to this dilemma, there needs to be a different way educators teach prospective accountants.

Flegm offers a solution with the education paradox by describing a program offered by Brigham Young University. At the university, they are offering a 150-hour program which deals with what they believe to be the six main topics needed to be successful in the field of accounting. The six groups are communication skills; information development; decision making skills; knowledge of accounting, auditing, and tax; leadership development; and professionalism. This program consists of both types of personalities; the introvert and the extravert. Covering areas like communication skills, the prospective accountants are able to learn the “soft” skills that are just as important as the hard skills seen in the knowledge of accounting, auditing, and tax. The field of accounting that I am currently in right now is auditing. In this field there is plenty of interaction with many different parties. The interaction is either between me and the client, me and my fellow auditors, or me and my bosses. The communication is different depending on the person I am dealing with. When I am talking to