Andrea Anderson's story | Grant Thornton

It’s one team at Grant Thornton

Until Grant Thornton, I expected to stay in my lane with limited opportunities to bring creative solutions to my work. I worked in tax for a private company and assumed the culture and structure would be the same. I thought my switch from being a client to providing professional accounting services, especially at the manager level, would take time and be challenging to get a handle on. All of this made Grant Thornton feel like a big leap. But with the support of new colleagues and leaders, I was able to cross lanes, make big moves and create new solutions.

I cross paths regularly

I learned quickly I can tap into resources across the firm. I frequently say, “I have a friend…” — a teammate in another area. I have a huge team even if they aren’t on my client or project. For example, I’ve asked my M&A colleagues to sit in on client calls to answer questions outside my wheelhouse but exactly in theirs. These informal interactions resolve my client’s issues and build trust.

I’m often reaching out to others as a mentor to encourage them and support their professional development. That was the case with a young woman in my group. She was very capable in her job, but she really shined with self-confidence on certain projects. I encouraged her to take on unfamiliar roles such as leading new initiatives. She found her confidence in many new areas, and we both learned something about the importance of leadership.

“The knowledge we share and the support we give each other allows us to be successful together.”

-- Andrea Anderson

Senior Manager, Tax Services

I get to be fearless

Early on, one of my mentors called out the fact that I am “fearless.” My initial reaction was that I didn’t see myself as that kind of person. But then I realized that really was how I felt at work — free to take on challenges, make difficult decisions, suggest ideas that challenged how things were being done. To be fearless. I’ve paid my mentor’s advice forward to support my colleagues in feeling free to connect with others, ask for and offer help, try new things and move to where they want to be.