How do you build a successful career in an industry undergoing massive transformation? You look to the leaders who are actively rewriting the playbook. We caught up with our managing shareholder, Anita Anand, to get her thoughts on leadership, adaptability, and managing widespread change.

What leadership traits do people underestimate?

Adaptability. Everyone talks about having a fixed, grand vision, but the real test is your ability to change how you do things across a lot of different areas all at once.

Look at the CPA environment right now. It’s changing rapidly under our feet. You can’t just pivot one department or tweak one process and call it a day. True leadership means having the agility to completely reshape your strategy, your technology, and your team’s day-to-day workflow simultaneously without losing momentum. Being willing to do things differently across many areas of the firm, with grace, understanding and patience, is what keeps a firm successful.

What makes someone stand out early in their career?

In today’s environment, technical competence is just the baseline. What makes someone truly stand out early in their career especially now that AI and advanced tech can handle so much of the routine execution, is strong overall business judgment.

Our client team members need to develop deep business acumen regarding the specific industries their clients operate in. In addition to that, they need to also appreciate the current economic conditions or what legislative changes might be happening at their state or federal levels. When they sit down with a client, they shouldn’t just run through a checklist. They have awareness of the broader conditions facing the overall economy, how that relates to a client’s specific industry, and they actively engage, listen, and truly understand that client’s pain points within their business.

What are you most proud of building culturally?

One of the things that I am most proud of culturally is how we’ve unified the firm around a shared vision. We’ve worked hard to move away from the traditional, siloed mindset. Culturally, we have fostered a sense of unity where no office feels like an island, and every team member feels connected to our overarching goals.

A part of that success has been how we have grown and developed new practice groups like our nonprofit and dealership services team. And, instead of individual offices competing or working in isolation, we have, regardless of geography, people collaboratively and seamlessly working together.

We have also created employee recognition programs like GREAT to help highlight the great moments that are occurring every day by everyone across all levels of our firm. It’s rewarding to see those stories celebrated. We’re building and sustaining a culture where ‘one firm’ isn’t just a phrase, it’s a core function of who we are and how we want to be.

As teams across the firm continue to grow and evolve, these recommended reads reflect the mindset we value at Brady Ware: collaboration, coachability, and confidence in action. Each selection supports the behaviors that help individuals thrive and teams perform at their best, especially during periods of growth.

📘 Discipline is Destiny, Ryan Holiday

Following his New York Times bestselling book Courage is Calling, author Ryan Holiday argues that self-control is the ultimate foundation for greatness. By mastering our physical desires, managing our thoughts, and demanding excellence from ourselves, we conquer our worst impulses. Ultimately, controlling yourself prevents you from being controlled by external forces, paving the way to true freedom.

📘 I Am That Girl, Alexis Jones (Foreword by Sophia Bush)

This motivational guide champions self-worth, community over competition, and aligning your passions with purpose. The ultimate goal is to redefine from a superficial “that girl” standard to an empowered, authentic version of yourself.

📘 The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People, Gary Chapman and Paul White

The core idea of this book is that employees feel valued in distinct ways. Applying the five appreciation languages — words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, tangible gifts, and physical touch (like a high-five) — boosts morale, reduces burnout, and improves workplace retention.