Episode 132

Silent Firing & Morale Erosion Comes to Accounting

n this episode, Rob Brown exposes a subtle but widespread issue in accounting firms: silent firing.**

You haven’t been let go. But you’re no longer invited to meetings. Projects go to others. Nobody is talking about your future. You feel sidelined. Not officially, not publicly, but unmistakably.


This is silent firing. And it's happening across the profession.


This is episode four in a six-part series on the broken career ladder in accounting. Rob Brown explains how good people are being quietly pushed out without the firm ever saying a word. And more importantly, he shares what professionals can do when their career stalls without warning.


*Key Takeaways:*

➜ Silent firing is career drift by design

➜ It affects high performers who stop being visible

➜ AI, private equity and leadership churn increase the risk

➜ Being left out of projects is a warning sign

➜ Visibility and value must be actively managed

➜ You must self-advocate or risk fading away


*Killer Quotes:*

"You’re not in trouble. You’re invisible."

"Silent firing is when nobody tells you to leave, but nobody asks you to stay either."

"Being ignored is not neutral. It’s negative."

"You can’t wait for recognition. You have to reassert your relevance."

"If your job is shrinking quietly, that is a signal."

"This is not about performance. It’s about presence."

"You’re not broken. You’re unclaimed. That can be fixed."


The Accounting Influencers Podcast (AIP) is aimed at accounting firm leaders, managers and partners looking to build their executive presence, influence and credibility both internally and externally.


You can find this on youtube here:

https://youtu.be/a-pfvBt8RBU

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The Accounting Influencers Podcast serves accounting firm leaders, managers and partners looking to build their executive presence, influence and credibility both internally and externally. The show focuses on helping professionals strengthen their personal brand, stay informed about industry changes, and navigate disruptive forces affecting accounting business models and trends. The content includes solo insights from host Rob Brown as well as interviews or panel discussions with industry leaders. Check out the show on your preferred podcast app or platform, or go to the Accounting Influencers YouTube channel for all of the episodes in video format.

Rob works with consultants/experts in the accounting space via personal interviews to create video snippets and thought leadership pieces. If you have success stories, valued expertise or a brand that needs amplifying, but lack the time to create thought leadership or video content, chat with Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/therobbrown

Thanks to our sponsors:

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If you'd like to sponsor the show and elevate your brand with our audience, reach out to show host Rob Brown on LinkedIn and his team will reach out to fix up a chat to explore.

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About the Podcast

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Accounting Voices Podcast
Accounting Voices helps people in the accounting world stay relevant visible and vocal. Host Rob Brown interprets trends reshaping the profession and gives listeners insight to build authority influence and a stronger voice in firms and markets.

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About your host

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Rob Brown

Rob Brown is the founder and host of the Accounting Voices Podcast, the flagship solo show of the Accounting Voices Network. Each episode offers sharp analysis and commentary on the trends, ideas and people shaping the global accounting profession.

Through this Accounting Voices Podcast, Rob helps accounting firm leaders, decision makers and professionals stay relevant and make sense of disruption in areas like AI, automation, M&A, private equity and soft skills beyond the tech. His perspective blends clarity, insight and curiosity, making complex issues relevant and practical for professionals and decision makers across accounting and finance.

He also leads two monthly panel shows, Accounting M&A and Accounting AI, which bring together senior voices to explore consolidation, strategy and the impact of technology on firms and people.

Rob is the author of the bestselling book Build Your Reputation (Wiley) and a TEDx speaker whose talk The Personal Brand of You has more than 400,000 views. Over his career he has hosted and moderated more than 1,000 conversations with accounting and fintech leaders worldwide.

Based in Nottingham UK, Rob is a stroke survivor living with epilepsy, a black belt in kickboxing, a decent chess player and an average player of four musical instruments.